"Without Interconnectivity, This Is Just Two Border Posts Sharing a Car Park" — Adeniyi

Victoria Silvanus

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR Ph. has called for deeper integration between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, stating that the Sèmè–Kraké Joint Border Post cannot operate effectively until both countries are connected through an integrated customs system.

Speaking during the assessment and commissioning of the Joint Border Post on Friday, Adeniyi said Nigeria and Benin share longstanding economic, cultural and social ties, adding that border procedures should reflect the close relationship between the two neighbouring countries.

“Nigeria and Benin have been one economic space for as long as there has been commerce on this coast. The border runs through families, markets and languages that were never divided by it,” he said.

The Comptroller-General noted that the Sèmè–Kraké crossing is one of Africa’s busiest border corridors, handling a significant volume of trade along the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor.

According to him, delays at the border have direct implications for businesses, traders and consumers across the sub-region.

“Every hour lost at this gate is multiplied across thousands of consignments and tens of thousands of travelers have ultimately paid for in the price of goods in markets from Cotonou to Lagos. Conversely, every hour saved here is saved for the whole region,” Adeniyi stated.

While acknowledging that the Joint Border Post has modern infrastructure, including offices, parking facilities and inspection areas, he identified the absence of real-time data exchange between the customs administrations of both countries as a major challenge.

“What was never delivered was the thing that makes a joint border post truly joint. Two administrations presently work under one roof, but they do not work on one system,” he said.

In one of the event’s strongest remarks, Adeniyi declared:

 “Without interconnectivity, this is not a joint border post. It is two border posts sharing a car park.”

He disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service and Benin Customs are working on a common data-exchange arrangement that will enable officers on both sides of the border to share declarations, manifests, transit information, risk profiles and enforcement alerts in real time.

The Comptroller-General said the initiative would significantly reduce delays, strengthen enforcement and improve trade facilitation between the two countries.

Beyond technology and infrastructure, Adeniyi highlighted the challenges faced by women engaged in cross-border trade, describing them as the backbone of informal commerce in the region.

He noted that women account for more than 70 per cent of informal cross-border traders across Africa and often support entire families through their trading activities.

“Studies show that a woman trading across a West African border typically supports more than three children and several other dependants through that trade. These are not marginal transactions; they are household economies,” he said.

Adeniyi expressed concern over reports of harassment, extortion and unnecessary delays faced by women traders at border crossings.

“Where a border is slow, opaque or intimidating, the trader with the least capacity to absorb the cost is the one driven around it. Once she is driven around it, she loses the protection of the law and the state loses revenue,” he said.

To address these challenges, he announced the launch of a dedicated facility designed to support women traders operating along the Nigeria–Benin corridor.

According to him, the centre will provide simplified customs procedures, information in local languages, accessible support channels and protection against unlawful demands.

“It gives me particular satisfaction to announce that the Nigeria Customs Service is launching a dedicated facility to cater for the special needs of women traders on this corridor,” Adeniyi said.

“The purpose is to bring women into the formal system on terms they can actually meet and provide a channel through which a woman who is badly treated at this border can be heard and answered.”

He stressed that the success of the Joint Border Post would not be measured by ceremonies or agreements, but by the practical improvements experienced by traders and travellers.

“Functional economic integration between Nigeria and Benin will be measured by whether a truck carrying goods from Cotonou to Lagos clears this post once instead of twice; whether a woman with a load of goods crosses in an hour rather than a day; and whether an officer on this side can see what an officer on that side is looking at,” he said.

Adeniyi thanked the Government of the Republic of Benin, ECOWAS, the European Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank for supporting efforts to strengthen regional trade and economic integration.