The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has re-echoed its call for the opening of the nation’s borders.
The Parliament, which made the call, yesterday, during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Second Ordinary Session in Abuja, said the call was in tandem with the ECOWAS Protocol on free Movement of Persons and Goods.
The protocol, the parliament further said, was established to facilitate trade liberalization and the removal of trade barriers among members.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Moustapha Cisse Lo, said: “In respect of border issues, I have already condemned the closure of the border between Nigeria and Benin and between Niger and Nigeria during the opening ceremony of the Second Extraordinary Session of Parliament held in Monrovia in September.
“Still on this issue, I also welcome, from this rostrum, the tripartite meeting held between Nigeria, Niger and Benin here in Abuja on Thursday, as well as the initial resolutions aimed at putting in place, a permanent framework for dialogue to address all the aspirations of the parties. I reiterate my call for the opening of the borders between our states and the observance of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and Goods in the ECOWAS region, which aims to facilitate trade liberalisation and the removal of trade barriers between our States and our peoples.”
THISDAY