The House of Representatives has advised the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to lift the ban on the sale of fuel around communities within 20 kilometres of Nigeria’s borders.
The green chamber also requested that the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other government agencies take urgent action to halt the ban and permit legally registered fuel stations in the impacted areas to receive petroleum products.
The call followed the consideration of a motion moved at plenary by Adegboyega Nasir Isiaka on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Isiaka said the Customs Service in November 2019 announced the ban on sales and supply of petroleum products in the communities.
Isiaka, while acknowledging that the ban was necessary to stop smuggling of subsidised petroleum products, appealed to government to do the needful now that subsidy had gone, to reduce the hardship it had caused communities.
“The ban has continued to impact negatively on the socio-economic activities in the affected areas,” Isiaka lamented.
Adopting of the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Customs and Excise (when constituted) to ensure implementation.
Meanwhile, the Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Mr Wale Adeniyi, said not all the nation’s land borders had been reopened.
The acting CG further confirmed that smuggled fuel has been confiscated at the borders noting that it would require some time before the problem of fuel smuggling across the border can be completely eradicated.
Fielding questions from journalists at the State House after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Adeniyi said the federal government had not ordered that all land borders across the country be opened.
Recall that there have been assumptions that the president had approved the reopening of all land borders upon his inauguration in office.
But the Customs boss noted that the borders which were not among the selected strategic ones that were reopened in 2022 remained shut, although a thorough review of the situation was currently ongoing.
He said as part of efforts to enhance border security and regional integration, he planned to visit the Republic of Benin to engage in discussions with their Customs administration.
