In furtherance of its mandate to strengthen cross-border trade and women’s economic empowerment, the President of the ECOWAS Federation of Business Women Entrepreneurs (FEBWE), Nigeria Chapter, Princess Omotola Basirat Omole, led a high-level courtesy visit to strategic government agencies at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post on Wednesday, 9th July 2025.

The FEBWE delegation, accompanied by Alhaji Fatai Adegboyega Shokunbi, Chairman of FAMS Embassy Suites and Mr. Emmanuel Essien, Administrative Consultant of ECOWAS FEBWE NG, was warmly received by the heads of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and Port Health Services.

NDLEA

During the engagement, the Commander of the NDLEA commended FEBWE's initiative and expressed willingness to collaborate, particularly in curbing drug trafficking incidents involving women. He acknowledged that while the border remains peaceful, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of active traders.

Alhaji Fatai Shokunbi, on behalf of the delegation, urged the agency to begin a sensitization campaign, especially to educate women traders on legal and health-related border activities. The Commander of Enforcement also provided insights on their operational framework under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), reporting no significant hitches so far.

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)

The Seme Command Comptroller, Mr. Abdullahi, emphasized the service’s readiness to work closely with FEBWE Nigeria and assured of prompt cooperation on all official requests, advising that communications be formally documented in advance for administrative processing.

The Lagos State Border Patrol Comptroller, Mr. Peter Adoyi Adache, was also present and aligned with the collaborative stance of the Immigration Service.

Port Health Services

The Officer in Charge of Port Health Services assured the delegation of continued support for seamless health screening and compliance at the border, especially in anticipation of the upcoming regional trade events.

The visit served as a key step in building inter-agency collaboration and reinforcing FEBWE’s advocacy for safer, better-coordinated, and more inclusive border trade operations.

Issued by:

ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria Chapter Media Office

Contact: ec@febweecowasnigeria.org

+234 912 222 3338