Eminent Nigerians and other stakeholders have continued to mount pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the importation of rice through the land border in order to reduce the skyrocketing price of the commodity in the market.
A freight forwarder, Alhaji Tajudeen Adetayo, has appealed to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the ban of the importation of the commonest staple food in Nigeria, rice which has affected its accessibility to the Nigerian masses.
This appeal was made on Thursday, 16th of June, 2016 during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). According to reports, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in October 2015 lifted the ban on rice importation through the borders but the service went back to the ban in March 2016, due to heavy smuggling of the commodity.
Adetayo, who is Chairman, Freight Forwarders Association Badagry (FFAB), pleaded that government should allow duty payment on rice through the border posts to generate more revenue.
According to him, a committee should be inaugurated by the Federal Government to look into issue of rice importation in the country. He noted that the Ogun Command of the Customs Service generated over N1 billion within the short period the ban on rice through the border posts was lifted.
Adetayo said that some people would continue to smuggle as long as government imposed a restriction on rice importation through the border posts. Rice is currently being sold at the local market at cut-throat prices during to the pains of its importation and smuggling into the country at the risk of seizure by security operatives.