I want to bring to light the difficulties travelers encounter when trying to cross the borders between Nigeria and Benin Republic (Seme border).
Do you dare to travel to the neighbouring countries to Nigeria by road, I advice you add a day to your estimated travelling schedule (that is if you finally make it through the frontier).
For those of us who are adventurous, who love travelling to discover new places, who have made some interesting travels and some in difficult conditions, can testify that this is one place that is completely out of the ordinary.
Given that Nigeria is an active member of the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS), Nigerians who wish to travel either on a business trip or on a leisure trip, once in possession of your international passport or your ECOWAS passport, you are authorised to travel. But at this border, reverse is the case.
I have taken this frontier a couple of times and I have either been obliged to consider renouncing my plans to visit Benin, even worst, I have shed tears twice due to their aggressive manners. When approaching the border, you meet series of check points, police and custom posts all with their Kalashnikov. When coming back into the country from Benin try counting the check points, they are about 22. I have never in all my travels, seen so much gun in the air like as much as you will encounter at this precise border. You only see such situations in areas where there is war or rebels in view, like in N'Djaména Tchad.
Last June when I went visiting my family and after being frustrated with the inconsistent power supply, I decided in August to take a trip to Grand Popo in Benin. To my greatest disappointment, things were still the way they were.
On your arrival, you are greeted with a row of desks without positions written on them, with men and women who are not in uniform and they all demand you make a stop in front of each and every of these desks. Some claim to be from the health, NAFDAC, and a whole lot of others that I really do not remember what the call themselves.
The most annoying part of all this is that while passing in front of all these desks, you are demanded by these so called officials of the state and the country to pay money before you are allowed to go to the next table.
When you refuse to pay because you are fed up of the situation, they threaten to throw you in jail. Even the Hausa tribe at the customs that we used to be proud of are now the ones you should beware of. They believe the country belongs to them and so they can do whatever they wish and nobody can call them to order.When you refuse to pay, they equally refuse to let you go because they do not want to loose out on their piece of the days ration. They find it difficult to believe you when you tell them that you did not pay their other colleagues because they are if I may say, all corrupt.
What worries me most is that in this their shameless act, no one is exempted, even other foreigners are subjected to these treatment. How do we imagine to be purged of the image the world have about us as regards to corruption.
My advice is not only that these people at the border comprising of the corrupt custom officers, the immigration officers, the so called NDLEA officers who after searching your car ask you to pay them to have searched your car, the health officers who do not know how to read the yellow fever card, and the touts who do work for these state officials should all be taken away and sent to centres where they should be educated on how to be true civil servants. There should equally be put in place a high standard or some particular personality requirements. This is important because we should consider the fact that this is the first port of entry into the country and if we keep having such unqualified and some of them uneducated individuals who keep denting the country's image and efforts, the country will find it difficult to advance.
After much said, I am proud to be a Nigerian and that is why I wish issues be discussed and this will help Nigerians in every part of the world to proudly talk of their country to ears who wish to listen.
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