Nigerians Appreciated My Decision To Close Land Borders – Buhari

Outgoing Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has said his decision to close land borders was appreciated by Nigerians as it was meant to encourage Nigerians to produce food for their consumption.

Buhari spoke on Tuesday while inaugurating the new customs headquarters that reportedly cost N19.6 billion to construct.

The edifice is located in the Maitama district of the federal capital territory (FCT).

In his words, the president said while the move was initially criticized, people later appreciated the decision.

“Please note that from Lake Chad to Benin Republic is more than 1,600 kilometres, only God can effectively guard the borders.

So you need a person who has the energy and the competence to supervise. I deliberately closed the borders because knowing Nigerians, they order rice, give some to Niger and the rest, and then they bring the rice here.” he said.

“With our potential, we have people, we have land, and weather – how many nations are as lucky as Nigeria in the world, very few nations.

“So closing that border, 1,600 kilometres, Nigerians insist they eat boiled rice – you eat what you grow or you die. I tried to make my point and later Nigerians appreciated it.”