Rice worth over $3 billion meant for the
Nigerian markets are said to be stuck in various warehouses in Benin
Republic due to the federal government’s policy banning importation of
the commodity through land borders and fierce customs anti-smuggling
drive, THISDAY investigation has revealed.
THISDAY findings
revealed that the annual routine of importing rice into the neighbouring
countries from July to December to make massive sales in Nigeria during
yuletide has hit a brickwall as the Comptroller General of the Nigerian
Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has insisted that his men
tighten the borders.
Nigeria shares major borders with Benin
Republic at Seme Border (Lagos), Idiroko (Ogun State), Shaki (Oyo
State),Chikanda (Kwara State) and other smaller openings. Prominent
among them is Seme where the highest volume of trade and largest
smuggling opportunity exists because of its easier access to Lagos,
Nigeria’s commercial capital city.
Seme border, which hitherto
was a major transit point for foreign rice importation and smuggling
also became a no go area for the commodity as almost daily seizures of
50kg bags of it have taken a good portion of the government warehouse .
A
competent source in Benin told THISDAY that most of the warehouses
where the bagged rice are kept before shipment into the country are now
battling for space.
According to the source, who does not
want his name in print, “some consignments of imported rice into the
small West African country that had no space at the usual and popular
stores were moved to makeshift storage areas and are exposed to rains,
weevils and other unhygienic forms of storage.
The source said:
“Popular warehouses no longer receive rice shipments as thousands of
bags earlier delivered to them since July could not be evacuated into
Nigeria as planned and as the usual case in previous years. Popular
Cherika warehouse in Akpakpa near Cotonou with a capacity to hold 25,000
bags is fully loaded with Thailand rice with no hope of evacuating them
into Nigeria except government relaxes its policy disallowing rice
imports through border or customs softening their round the clock
enforcement in Seme.
“Defezi warehouse close to the Cotonou Port
with is filled with over 40,000 units of 50kg bags of Indian and
Thailand rice. Defezi got occupied earlier due to its proximity to the
port but was not evacuated as the owners could not risk entering Nigeria
with it. Cica warehouse in Missebo area of the Cotonou outskirts that
suffered lack of patronage in the past due to distance from Seme border
and bad road presently have over 15,000 bags. Some are getting moulded,
caked with their bags torn and quantity reduced while under storage in
several odd arrangements endlessly awaiting shipment into Nigeria.”
THISDAY
checks revealed that while hope of smuggling them into Nigeria gets dim
by the day, there is a conscious efforts at attempting the smuggling of
the commodity without using bags. The unwholesome methods, our
findings revealed, require pouring grains of rice into various
compartments of vehicles like the booths, bonnets, inner part of the
doors, under the seats and other spaces meant for spare tyres and tools.
Sources
disclosed that attempts to try bringing in some hundreds of bags failed
as the smuggling bags ended up inside the customs warehouse in Seme and
Idiroko as seizures.
The seized rice, some of which are closed
to expiring and unwholesome for human consumption have become bad and
unqualified for donation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as
was done in the recent past.
Numbers made available by the NCS
revealed that over 37,000 bags of rice have so far been seized in Seme
and Idiroko between January and September 2016 with a recent clamp down
on 13 vehicles at a go in the Ogun State area all laden with smuggled
rice.
Nigeria Customs had in an October 2016 press statement
reiterated government’s ban on rice importation through the borders. The
statement signed by customs spokesman, Wale Adeniyi, reinforced its
resolve to protect government’s attempt to improve local rice capacity.
According
to him, ”We like to reiterate the position that importation of Rice
remains banned through our Land Borders, and we have the commitment of
Partner Government Agencies and Stakeholders to enforce this
restriction. While this restriction is in force, Rice imports through
the Ports are still allowed subject to payment of extant charges.”
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