A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Victor Akande, says Nigerians will praise the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government later over the closure of the nation’s land borders.
Akande, representing Ojo Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, made this assertion in an interview with the newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.
The lawmaker, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, said that the closure had security and economic benefits to the nation.
Akande said: “It is more beneficial to close our border than to allow it open for now.
“Nigerians might not understand this now, maybe because of the little pains it has brought; but the positive effects that will soon follow will make Nigerians praise the President for doing so.
“Security of our country is key and germane; if this step is not taken now, it may be difficult to control the movement of people, arms and ammunition into the country and win the war against insurgency,” he said.
The lawmaker urged Nigerians to be patient with the government, saying that the continued closure was in the best economic and security interests of the nation.
“We need closure also to battle problems of unemployment in the country. Our appetite for foreign goods and services is to our detriment.
“We create jobs for citizens of the countries where these foreign goods are coming from while our teeming youths do not get work to do.
”As long as our local goods are not patronised, it is a death sentence to employment opportunities in our country.
“The border closure will make us look inward and see what we can do for ourselves and even go back to agriculture. Nigerians will praise the government later for this step,” he said.
According to him, the closure will help put the nation on the path of economic growth and development through the revival of local industries.
“We will have a sense of self-sufficiency. It is an avenue for us to develop. People are cultivating and producing rice everywhere now which is good for us,” he said.
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