President Bola Tinubu has directed the opening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger, and lifting of other sanctions against the country with immediate effect.
A statement by the President’s spokesperson Ajuri Ngelala says the directive is in compliance with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja.
ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
The President has also directed that the following sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger be lifted immediately:
(1) Closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and Niger Republic, as well as 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, as well as 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 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 approved the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea.
In July, a group of military officers overthrew the democratically elected government in neighbouring Niger Republic, sending shock waves through coup-plagued West Africa. Within days, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS announced a raft of sanctions on Niger Republic, the strictest the bloc has ever imposed on an errant member state.
Members of the 15-nation bloc (excluding the four members suspended since falling under military rule – Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, along with the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union, agreed to close all borders with Niger Republic.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
