Is It A Sin To Live In Boarder Town? By Bala Salis Zango

I don’t know when living in boarder town turned to be a sin in Nigeria, until recently when Office of the Comptroller General of Nigeria Custom services released a circular suspending supply and sales of petroleum products at filling stations within twenty Kilometers (20 km’s) to any of the Nigerian boarder. Unless if Nigeria government has shifted back its boundary line with neighbouring countries by 20 Km’s (in that case we can now know that we have been disowned by our country). Already the past three months has been period of hardship and terror to the inhabitants of boarder towns, fallowing the decision of Nigeria authorities to close all land boarders. Any patriotic citizen will of course support this expedient decision (to close all land boarders and subsequent banning importation of some listed contraband products, we equally produce in Nigeria). Considering how smuggling and importation of certain products sabotage our nation’s economic growth, and security risk the country is exposed to.
However, I have some reservations on the decision to suspend supply of petroleum products to filling stations within 20 km’s to the boarder, of which my hometown Zangon Daura falls within this distance. This decision is inhuman, unfair, unjust and violation of our rights as Nigeria citizens to enjoy what other Nigerians are enjoying. Our people have been forced to abandon their vehicles, motorcycles and has adversely affected even businesses of some people like bakeries, welders, vulcanizers, cools-shop owners, etc. Perhaps, one of their reasons might be: petroleum products are smuggled out of the country. The question is, whose fault? Those living in boarder towns or men of the Nigerian customs services employed and paid with tax payers money to curtail smuggling?
The customs boss, Hamid Ali has by this action portrays his men of the Nigerian custom services as inept, unhonest, lazy and ineffective. Where are they when goods are still smuggled in and out of the country? Either they are not discharging the duties they are employed to perform or else money exchanges hands. Why shall we pay for the price of offence we have not committed? Anyway, already Member representing Daura, Mai’aduwa, Sandamu Federal constituency Honourable Fatihu Muhammed has said it all in the floor of the House, that Nigerian boarders have been closed, but still open.
I hope our elected representatives will expedite actions to save us from this unwarranted hardship, so that we can live like any other Nigerian.