The Customs authorities have launched a nationwide sale of confiscated goods, featuring a bag of rice up for auction at a price of N10,000.
At a press conference held yesterday in Lagos to inaugurate the sale of these food items, the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adeniyi, underscored the service’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding food security and ensuring the availability of essential food items across the country.
Adeniyi noted that the NCS had obtained government approval to distribute the seized food items to deserving Nigerians at discounted rates. The target recipients include artisans, educators, healthcare workers, religious organizations, and other members of the Nigerian populace.
“In recent months, the government has been addressing the challenges faced within our economy, particularly the lagged effects of insecurity and the current exchange rate issues.
“These challenges have exacerbated concerns about food security, leading to a concerning trend where food items are moving out massively to neighbouring countries.
“Some of the items include: Over 20,000 bags of assorted grains (rice, beans, maize, guinea corn, millet, soya beans, 2,500 cartons and 963 bags of dried fish. Others include: Dried pepper, tomatoes, cooking oil, maggi, macaroni, salt, sugar, garri. This trend is not sustainable as it puts pressure on our productive capacity and threatens our food security.”
“One concerning trend noticed is the outflow of food items in huge quantities, posing a threat to our food security. It should be noted that the condition for the export of any item is only met upon fulfilling sufficiency internally.“In this regard, food items deemed not to fulfil these conditions are showing up in our interceptions made at the borders,” he stated.
Adeniyi emphasized that the customs officers will be diligently overseeing the entire supply chain to prevent any improper use or diversion of the food items. It was also mentioned that the service has implemented strict guidelines and eligibility requirements to guarantee that the items are allocated solely to individuals experiencing authentic need.