The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, his Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy counterpart, Wale Edun; and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Bashiru Adewale Adeniyi, joined by the Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Nasir Idris, in the Benin Republic on Tuesday to hold bilateral talks on free trade movements between the two countries.
The closed-door meeting between the two countries was held at Anguwar Sule Wara, a border town in the Benin Republic axis.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the consultative forum was based on the order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Benin Republic counterpart, President Patrice Talon, on how to chart a common front in an unhindered trade relationship between the two countries.
The meeting at the Segbana border post in Benin Republic is aimed at bringing the border crossing between Tsamiya in Nigeria and Anguwar Sule Wata in Benin Republic back to life through infrastructural development in line with the renewed hope initiative of President Tinubu.
The meeting is also to strengthen social and economic interaction as well as expand trade and commerce between the citizens of the two nations.
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Tugger stated that further progress had been made on strengthening relations between the two sister West African nations.
On his part, the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale-Adeniyi, said that the meeting was to advance the course of regional integration between the two countries already created by the two Presidents.
“For the past six months, the Nigeria Customs Service has been working together with the Customs Service of Benin Republic towards bringing the economies of both nations closer together through easy border crossing and bringing back to life the border post at Tsamiya in Nigeria and Anguwar Sule Wara in Benin Republic.
“One of our challenges is infrastructure which we have embarked on an improvement of facilities at the border for easy access of entry between the citizens of the two countries,” he said.
Other officials at the meeting include Mr Romuald Wadagni, Senior Minister, Benin Republic Ministry of Economy and Finance and Cooperation; Mr Olushegun Adjadi-Bakaru, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin Republic and Mrs Adidjatou Hassan, General Director of the Benin Republic Customs Service, among others.
Governor Nasir Idris was accompanied by the Secretary to the Kebbi State Government (SSG) Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida; Head of Service, Alhaji Sufyanu Garba Bena; some commissioners; Special Advisers and top government officials.
