Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive to reopen the country’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger, along with the immediate lifting of various sanctions against the neighbouring nation.
According to Ajuri Ngelale, his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, this decision is in line with the decisions taken by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit that took place in Abuja on February 24, 2024.
The leaders of the ECOWAS agreed to remove the economic sanctions imposed on some nations, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and the Republic of Niger.
The restrictions on commercial flights to and from Niger’s ECOWAS no-fly zone have been abolished, and Niger’s air and land crossings with Nigeria have reopened as a result of the sanctions being lifted.
President Tinubu’s directive encompasses the immediate cessation of various punitive measures previously imposed on Niger.
These include the termination of commercial and financial transactions between Nigeria and Niger, unfreezing of service transactions such as utility services and electricity provision to Niger Republic, and the release of assets held by the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and commercial banks.
Additionally, the suspension of Niger from financial assistance and transactions with institutions like EBID and BOAD will be lifted. Furthermore, travel bans previously imposed on government officials and their families will be revoked, facilitating a resumption of normalcy in diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and Niger.
