As the coronavirus pandemic continues to have devastating economic effects, Nigeria's President has given Customs a new order.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari
President Buhari has issued an order to the Nigeria Customs Service NCS to release for immediate distribution, bags of rice seized from smugglers.
Buhari said this directive will help reduce the suffering brought about by coronavirus and serve as part of the palliative measures by the Federal government to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, announced this during a media briefing in Abuja on Monday morning.
"The President has approved grains from the Stategic Grains Reserves. The Nigeria Customs Service has in its custody a lot of rice that has been seized and there is one hundred and fifty trucks of rice that is now been handed over to the humanitarian ministry for distribution to the states across the country'' she said