President Tinubu has mandated the reopening of land and air borders with the Republic of Niger
President Tinubu has mandated the reopening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger and the removal of other sanctions against the nation, effective immediately.
This directive was disclosed by Ajuri Ngelale, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, in a statement on Wednesday, March 13. Ngelale emphasized that these directives align with the decisions made by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government during its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja.
During the summit, ECOWAS leaders unanimously agreed to lift economic sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. President Tinubu’s instructions include the immediate lifting of the following sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger:
1. Closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and Niger Republic, as well as the ECOWAS no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger Republic.
2. Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between Nigeria and Niger, along with the freeze of all service transactions, including utility services and electricity to Niger Republic.
3. Freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and the freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger, state enterprises, and parastatals in commercial banks.
4. Suspension of Niger from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID and BOAD.
5. Travel bans on Government officials and their family members.
President Tinubu has also authorized the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea. These sanctions were imposed following the military coup in Niger Republic on July 26, 2023, which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
