…Nigerian Customs Service can’t fight smugglers alone-Ali

By Gabriel Ewepu

THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, weekend, expressed worry over renewed activities of rice smugglers as it will jeopardize Federal Government’s gains in boosting local production of the commodity.

Abubakar stated this during meeting of the Steering Committee of National Task Force on the Illegal Importation of Rice through the Land Borders at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

He also explained essence of the meeting which he said was because of increased rice smuggling activities and how to strategise to stop smugglers.

However, he pointed that with huge investment and improvement made in the rice subsector, the government will not allow it to be hampered by nefarious activities by smugglers of the commodity, and will also ensure the gains made in the agricultural is sustained following  appreciable contribution from it to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

He said: “The ministry is very concerned about the increase in smuggling and has convened this meeting to discuss critical issues in order to strategize and come up with concrete measures to enable the committee carry out its duties effectively.

“The resumed smuggling of foreign rice, especially through the land borders is constituting a serious threat to these achievements. Therefore, if the smuggling is left unchecked it will jeopardize all government efforts to enhance the domestic rice industry and make them ineffective.

“The Federal Government and private sectors have invested a lot of resources in rice production and processing over the years because of the government commitment to the development of the sub-sector through its various interventions.

 “The Ministry has been supporting farmers especially smallholders and rice processors with quality seeds of improved varieties, production and processing machinery and equipment  including the provision of modern rice mills of various capacities, per boiler, dryers, colour sorters in order to boost rice production and improve the quality and market competitiveness of domestic rice.”

He also pointed that, “Nigerian rice industry had recorded significant progress in terms of investment due to an increase in the quality and quantity of the milled rice and it has in turn, increased the competitiveness, consumer preference and patronage of our milled rice.

“There is no better time than now to maintain the rice production momentum in order to achieve self-sufficiency for food and nutrition security, job creation,wealth generation and import substitution.”  

Meanwhile, the Comptroller General, Nigeria Custom Service, Col Hameed Ali (rtd), said the Nigerian Customs Service cannot fight alone in the operation of the border patrol.

Ali also said the meeting became imperative to discuss on curbing insecurity and smuggling of rice into the country across land borders.

“The Nigerian Customs Service cannot fight alone in the operation of the border patrol but needs other security agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps to beef up the joint operations of the task force”, he said.

Also the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Trade Malpractice, Dahiru Ado, commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Nigerian Customs Service, and other partners in their sustained efforts in tackling the menace of illegal rice importation through the land borders into the country.

Ado further stated that the committee will not relax but will continue to track vessels that bring in rice into the country through neighbouring countries including the Benin Republic including effect arrest of those involved in the act.

 Meanwhile, some of the resolutions reached at the meeting include Nigeria Customs should continue in its border patrol operations; Procurement of additional equipment to strengthen its operations; Deployment of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to compliment the larger border patrol coordinated by the Nigerian Customs Service.

Others are stiffer penalties should be meted out to rice smugglers; and Nigerians should be encouraged to eat and patronize locally produced rice in order to discourage the smuggling of foreign rice into the country.

The meeting had in attendance representatives from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Mohammed Yakubu, who is also the Secretary of the Steering Committee, Representative of the Commandant- General, Nigerian Civil and Security Defense Corps, A. E. Obekwe, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission, Mr Babatunde Irukera.