Burkina Faso President, heads ecowas committee to study nigeria’s land border closure

The Burkina Faso President, Roch Kabore has been appointed to head committee set up by the authority of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government, to study and make a full report on Nigeria’s land border closure with her neighbours.

Penpushing reports  the decision to set up the committee was agreed  on Sunday at an extraordinary session of ECOWAS leaders convened on the margins of the 33rd AU Summit to discuss the issue and other pressing regional matters, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, explained  during interview with journalists that  after the three-hour closed door ECOWAS session  ‘‘the President of Burkina Faso is charged with undertaking a full study of the situation, make a report and then we take it from there.’’

Penpushing further reports that, the Minister was not specific when the report will be presented , but said, ‘‘as soon as possible, there are no timelines. But he is supposed to start very quickly, study the situation from all the affected countries and present his report.’’

The Minister added that the meeting attended by President Mohammed Buhari and chaired by the ECOWAS Chairman, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, also discussed West Africa′s new single currency, the Eco, and the situation in Guinea Bissau after the Presidential election.

Penpushing also reports that, the Minister emphasized that, nothing has changed in respect of Nigeria position on the Eco currency, adding that Nigeria’s position was that the convergence criteria have not been met by majority of the countries, therefore there has to be an extension of time on the take-off of the single currency.

Nigeria and other English-speaking West African countries had condemned their French-speaking counterparts for agreeing to adopt Eco as their new currency later this year with or without their English-speaking counterparts.

Penpushing reports that, that move caused division within ECOWAS over the Eco, despite years of discussions and agreements on the issue, while on Guinea Bissau, Onyeama said ECOWAS leaders recognised that there was an appeal of the Presidential election result and they are waiting for the Supreme Court decision on the matter.

Meanwhile, Nigeria closed its land borders last August to check smuggling of agricultural and petroleum products, emphasizing that the border closure has been positive for the economy as local production of food such as rice increased while local consumption of petrol has also reduced.