By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

As Federal Government announces the reopening of some land borders, rice millers under the auspices of Rice Millers Association of Nigeria, RIMAN, Sunday, proposed stringent measures to curb illicit businesses carried by criminal-minded persons undermining the prohibition of some items by the government.

This was made known by the National President, RIMAN, Peter Dama, in an interview with Vanguard, following fears of connivance by some government security personnel with those who smuggle prohibited items into the country.

Dama charged security personnel representing the country a the borders to be diligent, honest, and patriotic in enforcing the law in the interest of economic growth and development.

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Some of the proposed measures include increase of tariff on imported rice and should be made to pass through the seaports; engaging neigbouring countries on treaties signed in regards to movement of goods and persons; not to allow Nigeria to be a dumping ground for foreign goods; joint border patrol teams be re-established; punitive measures meted out to offenders of the law, and others.

He said: “The Nigerian custom personnel should be honest in carrying out their duties. They should not compromise their positions by collecting bribes and allowing rice to come into the country through unauthorized routes.

“The Nigerian government should raise the tariff of imported rice and no foreign rice should be allowed into the country through land borders except through our sea ports.

“Our government should also engage our neighbouring countries, and not to accept the dumping of foreign imported rice in their countries with the intention of transporting them to Nigeria.

“A joint border patrol team should be set up to monitor the exportation of rice to Nigeria through unauthorized routes. There should be punitive measures for any violation of these measures.”

The RIMAN boss further stated that, “The boarder communities who depended on this illegal trade should be made to engage on legitimate trading with their neighbours instead of helping to destroy our economy by facilitating smuggling at the boarders.

“The Nigerian government should deploy drones and other technologies to monitor our porous borders. The Nigerian Customs Service should be properly equipped adequately including other security agents to man our borders.

“The Ministry of Finance should ensure immediate review of our tariff on imported rice and also that our Customs personnel are well remunerated with good welfare packages that will not make them compromise with smugglers.

“The Ministry of Trade and Investments together with NAFDAC should notify Nigerians about the dangers of consuming imported rice that have been stored and preserved in silos with chemicals abroad and the dangers it posses to the health of Nigerians.

“The trade agreement entered into with our neighbors should not be allowed to make our country a dumping ground for foreign products that we can equally produce as this will affect our investments that will lead to job losses for our citizens while creating jobs for other nations.”

He also urged the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture on intensifying public awareness on the issues of smuggling as criminal offence, dangers of consuming imported rice, aiding and abetting smugglers, negative impact of smuggling on the economy as it creates unemployment and collapsing of investments.

Vanguard News Nigeria