In his welcome address at the LEADERSHIP conference and Awards yesterday in Abuja, the chairman, LEADERSHIP Group Limited, Sam Nda-Isaiah commended the decision of the federal government to close down its borders. According to him, the decision was an excellent one.

Nda-Isaiah noted that lessons have been learnt and the nation has shown its mettle as a regional superpower. He said that the very bold decision of the President Muhammadu Buhari to shut Nigerian borders has been commended even by some of his greatest detractors like former President Obasanjo, even though he himself did not do it when he was president.

He said: ‘‘So, it was an excellent idea that the borders were closed. Lessons have been learnt and we have shown our mettle as a regional superpower. The very bold decision of the president to shut Nigerian borders has been commended even by some of his greatest detractors like former President Obasanjo, even though he himself did not do it when he was president.

‘‘We have seen the positive effects. For too long, our neighbours have taken us for granted. You can imagine the entire economy of a country, Benin Republic, built on smuggling into Nigeria. Benin Republic built a special port for that. That country is probably the greatest economic saboteur of the Nigerian nation,’’he said.

Consequently, he advised that it is time to reopen the borders and dominate the region. The APC chieftain said that Nigeria must now force its neighbours to peg their currencies to the naira. He explained that if the country insists and put adequate structures on ground, other West African nations might even like it.

He said: ‘‘The time to move to the second level. Now that it is clear to all that the West African economy is totally dependent on the Nigerian economy, it is time to reopen the borders and dominate the region. We must now force our neighbours to peg their currencies to the naira, and if we insist and put the structures on ground, they might even like it. And any country that does not play ball completely shut out again.

‘‘The economic and political benefits of such action can only be imagined. Another reason to reopen the borders at this point is that those whose duty it is to man the borders, especially the customs people, have turned the border closure into a personal advantage. The closed borders are now their personal toll gates. That should not be allowed to continue.’’

Some state governors were also awarded as governors of the year 2019. They include Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Ben Ayade of Cross River, Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara.

Others include:  Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar; Julie Okah-Donli, NAPTIP DG; Timipre Sylva, State Minister of Petroleum; and Suleiman Bogoro, TETFUND Executive Secretary.