26 items that remain banned despite border reopening See Full List

 President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, December 16, approved the reopening of four land borders, after more than one year of closure.

The minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, who announced the reopening of the four borders, added that the remaining ones will be reopened on or before Thursday, 

December 31. Ahmed, however, noted that the ban on importation of rice, poultry, among others remained enforced despite the reopening.

In this piece, Uprightblog lists all the items that are banned from being imported to Nigeria, according to Nigeria Customs Service. 

1. Rice 

2. Live or dead birds like frozen poultry 

3. Pork and beef 

4. Bird’s eggs, excluding hatching eggs 

5. Refined vegetable oils and fats (includes mayonnaise) 

6. Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose 

7. Spaghetti/noodles 

8. Cocoa Butter, Powder and Cakes 

9. Fruit juice in retail packs 

10. Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters, but excluding energy or health drinks and beer and stout 

11. Bagged cement 

12. Medicaments such as paracetamol tablets and syrups, Cotrimoxazole, Metronidazole, Chloroquine, etc. 

13. Mineral or chemical fertilisers containing two or three of the fertilising elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, excluding organic fertiliser 

14. Soaps and detergents 

15. Mosquito repellant coils 

16. Rethreaded and used tyres but excluding used trucks tyres for rethreading of sized 11.00 x 20 

17. Corrugated paper and paper boards, excluding baby diapers and incontinence pads for adult use and exercise books.

18. Telephone recharge cards and vouchers 

19. Carpets and other textile floor coverings 

20. All types of footwear, bags and suitcases, excluding safety shoes used in oil industries, sports shoes, canvas shoes 

21. Hollow glass bottles of a capacity exceeding 150mls of all kinds used for packaging of beverages by breweries and other beverage and drink companies

22. Used compressors, used air conditioners, used fridges/freezers 

23. Used motor vehicles above fifteen (15) years from the year of manufacture 

24. Ballpoint pens and parts including refills 

25. Tomato paste or concentrate put up for retail sale 

26. Waste pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani on Wednesday, 

December 16 has said the closure of land borders inflicted hardship on Nigerians and worsened the economic situation of the nation. 

The former Kaduna federal lawmaker added that the border closure did not yield any result. 

Sani countered the earlier claim made by the federal government that the 16-month border closure helped boost the country’s agricultural output or rice production, noting that it wasn't true.

Some Nigerians on social media have also reacted to the reopening of the borders. 

Samuel Ajakaiye said on Facebook: 

"Nigerians should ask Pmb to tell us what we have achieved the period under border closure and what necessitated the immediate reopening?" 

Ogonna Udeaja commented:

Oh, I don't remember the borders anymore. We survived with the closure and will continue to survive. Let it remain permanently closed."

Alfred Emmanuel Alfred said: 

"No sir, not now oo, ur people are still counting corona cases"