President Bola Tinubu has commanded that Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger be opened immediately, as well as other sanctions against the country lifted.
This directive complies with the decisions made by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja.
ECOWAS presidents agreed to ease economic sanctions on the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
The President has directed that the following sanctions against the Republic of Niger be withdrawn immediately:
(1) Closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and the Niger Republic, as well as an ECOWAS no-fly zone for all commercial aircraft to and from Niger Republic.
(2) Suspension of all commercial and financial activities between Nigeria and Niger, as well as a freeze on all service transactions, including utility and electrical supply to the Niger Republic.
(3) The Republic of Niger’s assets in ECOWAS Central Banks, as well as its assets, state companies, and parastatals, in commercial banks, have been frozen.
(4) Niger’s suspension from all financial aid and transactions with financial institutions, particularly EBID and BOAD.
(5) Travel bans for government officials and their families.
President Tinubu has also approved the removal of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea.