BY: Oliseama Okwuchukwu
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Thursday approved N52bn for the electronic monitoring of Nigeria’s loose borders with neighbouring countries in Buhari’s absence.
The Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), who spoke on the border projects, said 86 border posts would be covered.
He added that the 1,400 illegal smuggling routes along the borders would also be monitored electronically on completion of the projects.
The minister said, “You will recall that when we came, I made the observation that our borders are very porous and diverse and that it is impossible to man these borders physically. Therefore, there is the need for modern technologies to be able to monitor our borders. We also thought of the capacity to respond to emergencies at the borders.
“It is on this note that I presented a memo today (Thursday) for this e-border solution. This process started in 2012 but we picked it up to move forward when we came in. The project is to be completed within the next two years and it will cost about N52bn.
“There is a pilot project already which has been very successful; it was installed to monitor two borders.
“This project is going to cover 86 border posts in the country. We will be able to also monitor 1,400 illegal routes that are used for smuggling and all kinds of cross-border criminal activities.”
In addition, the FEC approved N202.6m for the completion of the Ingawa Dam in Katsina State and the Mangu Dam located in Plateau State.