It’s hardly news that Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring nations have been closed against the importation of items lately. This development which was explained as a move to curb goods smuggling by the Presidency has been greeted with mixed feelings from the populace, albeit tilting towards non-enthusiasm for the effects of this border lock up. As usual, we will try to examine the health aspects of the issue. In what possible ways could border closure affect health?
So far so good, the border closure seems to be further strain on an already struggling economy. The rising prices of Nigeria’s staple food, rice has not helped too. However, there’s a need to look at possible long-term effects of these development. A Nigerian consultancy, cardinal stone was quoted to state recently that “Nigeria, to its detriment, may have inadvertently subsidized (fuel) supply to a few West African countries for more than 12 years”. Furthermore, sales of gasoline in Nigeria fell by 12.7% after the border closure (further supporting the earlier claim) and could lead to subsidy savings of around 13.5 billion naira ($37 million) monthly and 162.1 billion naira annually. The border closure has the potential to herald renewed strength in the Nigerian economy if managed properly. What would the economy mean to health?
First off, an improved economy in simple term means more money to spend in a nation. Yes, it also means more money to spend in the health sector. The health sector could do a lot with an increased allocation. An increased allocation could start a revival of the dying health infrastructure in Nigeria. It could mean better pay for workers of the health system and their dependents. If we decide to dream of lofty heights, there’s a chance we could be a destination for medical tourism one day. Better health for all, more revenue for the country!
The news of the border closure has been greeted with joy and joy only in the nation’s agricultural sector. This is because locally produced rice has received a boost in sales recently. This sector of the economy now know they have more to do. There is a current drive in a bid to attain self-sufficiency in Nigeria’s most consumed food item. This means that farmers have a chance to produce and grow more, making lives better for them and 200m Nigerians in extension. Our much-needed economic diversification could kickstart with this. In time we could be producing enough to export to other countries. Our economy is further strengthened, and our health care delivery is better for it.
It must be noted that these effects might require some time to manifest fully. The truth however remains that we stand a lot to gain from the border closure move.
Remain healthy!
Reference: https://mg.co.za/
