NIGERIA’S BORDER CLOSURE, THE ECOWAS AND DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS IN POST-COLONIAL WEST AFRICA

Abstract

The central objective of this paper is to analyze the implications of Nigeria’s border closure policy on its economic relations with other West African countries. It is evident that the intersections between the politics of border closure and economic relations in sub-Saharan Africa have attracted considerable scholarly attention in recent times. However, the extant literature on this subject reveals a gap, as there is scant research focusing on the implications of Nigeria’s border closure policies on its economic relations with other West African countries since the country’s return to democratic rule. This paper fills this gap by interrogating the complex dynamics of Nigeria’s border closure policies and how they have shaped internal imbroglio, tensions, and frictions arising from economic distress and inflationary pressures. The study also examines the impact of border closure on strained diplomatic rapprochement and economic relations between the Nigerian state and its immediate neighbours within the West African sub-region. The data used for this study were collected through secondary sources obtained from the review of related literature. The major findings of the study indicate that although the policy was necessitated by the need to address cross-border security infractions, smuggling, terrorism, and economic protectionism aimed at shielding domestic industries and boosting local agricultural production, it has produced significant consequences not only for economic relations and cooperation within the sub-region but also for the diplomatic and domestic policies of the affected West African states.