The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to facilitate free movement of goods and people among member countries through sustenance of activities of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation (ALCO).
The Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said this while receiving ALCO’s Secretary-General, Idrissa Kone, in Abuja,
Adegoroye saluted the vision of the founding fathers of the organisation, saying that its advantages could not be over-emphasised.
The ALCO is an initiative of five coastal African countries of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria.
It was established in 2002 with objectives aimed at prevention, treatment, care and support of HIV/AIDS, and to facilitate trade and transport relations in line with protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Adegoroye, who lauded efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in promoting regional integration in Africa, said Nigeria must do everything possible to sustain and improve on the initiative.
The Minister restated the Federal Government’s desire to fulfill its outstanding commitments to the organisation, while urging ALCO to explore other sources of funding for its activities.
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Speaking earlier, the ALCO Secretary-General, said the organisation had recorded a lot of achievements along the corridor in the last 20 years of its existence.
Kone said the achievements were mostly in the promotion of regional integration among the five member states.
He urged the Nigerian government to work towards reducing the number of checkpoints and harassment of people by security agencies along the Nigerian border roads.
According to the secretary-general, the numerous checkpoints has constituted a major challenge to the free movement of people and goods in the country.
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