Border closure takes heavy toll on residents
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- Category: Around and about
- Written by Yahaya Ibrahim & Nazifi Dawud Khalid, Maiduguri
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The town though lacks good roads, water and health facility but residents have always experience boom in economic activities for decades due to its closeness to the border. Weekly Trust gathered that the border attracts people from different part of the country who had come to settle in Banki for many years.
According to a resident of the town, Usman Maigoro , a Kola nut trader from Kano who said he has been living in the town for over 30 years, the closure of the border has caused the people untold hardship.
“Since this border was closed three weeks ago, business has not been thriving because movement has been restricted in and out. To eat three meals a day now is a problem, because there is no market. The border is the only thing we rely upon in this place; I wonder why the government will close it, because we are not having problem with our Cameroonian neighbors,” he said.
Chinda Ladu, another resident of the town from Adamawa State who said he came to settle in Banki about 18 years ago, also spoke in the same vein. He said “economic activities in this town were thriving well until the closure of this border, which has left many of us jobless. I wonder how government wants us to survive now that they have closed the border. It is the only thing we are enjoying here, because we don’t have social amenities here except constant electricity and the supply is not from Nigeria but Cameroon.”
Some Okada riders told Weekly Trust that business has suddenly nose-dived, because the government’s decision has stopped influx of people through the border.
Ibrahim Babagana, an Okada rider said: “Our fear now is that if this border is not re-opened soon, many of us may be forced to leave this town that we have been staying for years. The influx of people to this place especially on market days means many passengers for us. Now that has stopped with the closure of the border. Now I hardly go home with N500 in a day unlike before when I go home with N2,000 and on market days, with over N3,000.’’
Weekly Trust gathered that the residents depend on hospitals in Cameroon whenever they are sick while pregnant women also go there for anti-natal due to the absence functional health care system in the town.
Maji Modu, a resident lamented: “Now we cannot go to hospitals in Cameroon whenever we are sick, because the border has been closed. One of my wives is pregnant and since the closure she cannot go for anti-natal care.’’
Weekly Trust also gathered that since the border was closed, the Banki market which used to be a beehive of activities every Wednesday, is now a ghost of its former self. According to the traders, most of their customers come in from Cameroon to buy goods and transport it back to their country.
Emeka James, a motor spare parts dealer from Anambra State who said he has been living in the town for 20 years, lamented that since the border was closed he has lost most of his customers.
“Most of my customers are from Cameroon, but now they have stopped coming since the border was closed. I want to appeal to the Federal Government to reopen the border, because we depend on it for our survival,’’ he added.
Weekly Trust inevstigations showed that Immigration and Custom personnel are having difficulties enforcing the restriction of movement due to lack of clear demarcation of the border.
Houses close to the border are just stoned throw from some houses is Amichide, a Cameroonian town close to Banki.
A senior immigration officer at the border post in Banki who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity said: “To a large extent, we have been able to control the influx of people through this border, but it cannot be hundred per cent because this place has not been properly demarcated. The beacon that are used to demarcate the border are in zig-zag now. That is why you see houses between the two border communities scattered in between themselves.
“How do you manage a situation where a compound is in Nigeria and the fence and even another gate is in Cameroon? Another thing is that Banki and Amichide people inter-marry,’’ he added.
In Baga town, another border community, the residents said they are yet to come to term with the effect of the closure of the border with Chad Republic. Some of the residents of the town told Weekly Trust that their existence is dependent on the commercial activities that once thrived at the border community.
It was gathered that a fish dam in Baga town in Kukawa local government area of the state is at the centre of inter-border commercial transactions daily, because it links neighboring Chad Republic.
Weekly Trust gathered that about 20 to 30 large canoes conveying essential commodities such as sugar, flour, cosmetics, beverages, cotton textiles and even drugs worth millions of naira used to be transported by boat to Chad before the closure of the border four weeks ago.
Alhaji Muhammed Ruwa, Vice Chairman, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria at the Fish Dam, told Weekly Trust that activities in the area created jobs for least 1,000 people.
“Over 50 people in both Nigeria and Chad could make a living from only one canoe. This is made possible by the long chains of activities that involve the canoe in question. For instance, labourers in Chad must upload a fish consignment on a canoe before it comes into the country. And when it finally arrives, it must be unloaded here by other labourers. There are also the ferrymen apart from the many drivers of pick up vehicles and trucks with their apprentices who transport the fish to Maiduguri or any other part of the country,’’ he said.
Weekly Trust observed that with the closure of the borders, places like Fish Dam have retrogressed into mere shadows of their old selves as only a fleet of empty canoes could be seen lining the shores. Weekly Trust gathered that over 500 people working in the area have been forced out of their jobs while some have relocated to other parts of the state in search of other jobs.
Weekly Trust also gathered that the development has led to increase in price of the commodities affected by the closure of the border while prices of goods in other towns close to the border have also increased.
Malam Garba Modu, a fish seller in Doro Market in Kukawa local government area said, “the largest carton of fish, which used to be sold at N30, 000 is now N42, 000. And a smaller carton which was sold at N15, 000 is now N25, 000 because the fish importation has ceased. It will be difficult to get fish again if the borders remain closed for long’’.
Another trader, a potash seller at the market said the price of his commodity has even doubled owing to the shutdown of the border.
“A bag of potash used to sell at not more than N1, 500 before, but now we can’t go below N3,000. We have been worse hit by the government’s action because we may not be able to sell our goods in time since potash is normally not one of those things that are on high public demand,’’ he lamented.
Articles
Border closure takes heavy toll on residents
Category: Around and about Written by Yahaya Ibrahim & Nazifi Dawud Khalid, Maiduguri Hits: 320
The presidential order stopping movement of human and goods across some border route in Borno State is already taking its toll on the residents of the community who literally depend on the border for their livelihood. A journey to the town Banki from Maiduguri, the state capital which is not suppose to be more than an hour takes up to two and a half hours due to deplorable state of the road and countless checkpoints mounted by various security agencies.The town though lacks good roads, water and health facility but residents have always experience boom in economic activities for decades due to its closeness to the border. Weekly Trust gathered that the border attracts people from different part of the country who had come to settle in Banki for many years.
According to a resident of the town, Usman Maigoro , a Kola nut trader from Kano who said he has been living in the town for over 30 years, the closure of the border has caused the people untold hardship.
“Since this border was closed three weeks ago, business has not been thriving because movement has been restricted in and out. To eat three meals a day now is a problem, because there is no market. The border is the only thing we rely upon in this place; I wonder why the government will close it, because we are not having problem with our Cameroonian neighbors,” he said.
Chinda Ladu, another resident of the town from Adamawa State who said he came to settle in Banki about 18 years ago, also spoke in the same vein. He said “economic activities in this town were thriving well until the closure of this border, which has left many of us jobless. I wonder how government wants us to survive now that they have closed the border. It is the only thing we are enjoying here, because we don’t have social amenities here except constant electricity and the supply is not from Nigeria but Cameroon.”
Some Okada riders told Weekly Trust that business has suddenly nose-dived, because the government’s decision has stopped influx of people through the border.
Ibrahim Babagana, an Okada rider said: “Our fear now is that if this border is not re-opened soon, many of us may be forced to leave this town that we have been staying for years. The influx of people to this place especially on market days means many passengers for us. Now that has stopped with the closure of the border. Now I hardly go home with N500 in a day unlike before when I go home with N2,000 and on market days, with over N3,000.’’
Weekly Trust gathered that the residents depend on hospitals in Cameroon whenever they are sick while pregnant women also go there for anti-natal due to the absence functional health care system in the town.
Maji Modu, a resident lamented: “Now we cannot go to hospitals in Cameroon whenever we are sick, because the border has been closed. One of my wives is pregnant and since the closure she cannot go for anti-natal care.’’
Weekly Trust also gathered that since the border was closed, the Banki market which used to be a beehive of activities every Wednesday, is now a ghost of its former self. According to the traders, most of their customers come in from Cameroon to buy goods and transport it back to their country.
Emeka James, a motor spare parts dealer from Anambra State who said he has been living in the town for 20 years, lamented that since the border was closed he has lost most of his customers.
“Most of my customers are from Cameroon, but now they have stopped coming since the border was closed. I want to appeal to the Federal Government to reopen the border, because we depend on it for our survival,’’ he added.
Weekly Trust inevstigations showed that Immigration and Custom personnel are having difficulties enforcing the restriction of movement due to lack of clear demarcation of the border.
Houses close to the border are just stoned throw from some houses is Amichide, a Cameroonian town close to Banki.
A senior immigration officer at the border post in Banki who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity said: “To a large extent, we have been able to control the influx of people through this border, but it cannot be hundred per cent because this place has not been properly demarcated. The beacon that are used to demarcate the border are in zig-zag now. That is why you see houses between the two border communities scattered in between themselves.
“How do you manage a situation where a compound is in Nigeria and the fence and even another gate is in Cameroon? Another thing is that Banki and Amichide people inter-marry,’’ he added.
In Baga town, another border community, the residents said they are yet to come to term with the effect of the closure of the border with Chad Republic. Some of the residents of the town told Weekly Trust that their existence is dependent on the commercial activities that once thrived at the border community.
It was gathered that a fish dam in Baga town in Kukawa local government area of the state is at the centre of inter-border commercial transactions daily, because it links neighboring Chad Republic.
Weekly Trust gathered that about 20 to 30 large canoes conveying essential commodities such as sugar, flour, cosmetics, beverages, cotton textiles and even drugs worth millions of naira used to be transported by boat to Chad before the closure of the border four weeks ago.
Alhaji Muhammed Ruwa, Vice Chairman, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria at the Fish Dam, told Weekly Trust that activities in the area created jobs for least 1,000 people.
“Over 50 people in both Nigeria and Chad could make a living from only one canoe. This is made possible by the long chains of activities that involve the canoe in question. For instance, labourers in Chad must upload a fish consignment on a canoe before it comes into the country. And when it finally arrives, it must be unloaded here by other labourers. There are also the ferrymen apart from the many drivers of pick up vehicles and trucks with their apprentices who transport the fish to Maiduguri or any other part of the country,’’ he said.
Weekly Trust observed that with the closure of the borders, places like Fish Dam have retrogressed into mere shadows of their old selves as only a fleet of empty canoes could be seen lining the shores. Weekly Trust gathered that over 500 people working in the area have been forced out of their jobs while some have relocated to other parts of the state in search of other jobs.
Weekly Trust also gathered that the development has led to increase in price of the commodities affected by the closure of the border while prices of goods in other towns close to the border have also increased.
Malam Garba Modu, a fish seller in Doro Market in Kukawa local government area said, “the largest carton of fish, which used to be sold at N30, 000 is now N42, 000. And a smaller carton which was sold at N15, 000 is now N25, 000 because the fish importation has ceased. It will be difficult to get fish again if the borders remain closed for long’’.
Another trader, a potash seller at the market said the price of his commodity has even doubled owing to the shutdown of the border.
“A bag of potash used to sell at not more than N1, 500 before, but now we can’t go below N3,000. We have been worse hit by the government’s action because we may not be able to sell our goods in time since potash is normally not one of those things that are on high public demand,’’ he lamented.