Stories by Isaac Anumihe
As the Christmas season approaches, one of the greatest challenges of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is how to curb smuggling. Like every other festivity, all commands at the borders, seaports and airports have reinforced their security as the rate of smuggling is expected to increase despite a Federal Government policy banning rice import into Nigeria.
But how effective is the ban when imported rice continue flooding the Nigerian markets and are even cheaper than the local rice?
It is more worrisome when you discover that customs officials are located at every nook and cranny of the country, but the effect of their presence is not felt when smuggling is being discussed. Foreign rice is readily available in Nigerian markets and are far cheaper than the local ones, an indication that all the efforts the government has put in place to ensure that smuggling is reduced have proved abortive.
According to a document issued by the NCS, smuggling is an act performed by a person which involves exporting or importing goods without paying customs duties.
“It is a false declaration and concealment of goods; willful under-payment of customs duties, trafficking in prohibited or restricted goods and use of unapproved routes and ports” the document said.
According to a high-ranking Customs officer who was reluctant to have his name in print, smuggling as a destroyer of the economy robs the nation of its revenue and affects provision of social services to the community.
“It can destroy health through the importation of expired, fake and substandard drugs. Smuggling paralyses our local industries, drains the foreign earnings of the nation and encourages acts of criminality that can lead to armed robbery and other heinous crimes,” he said.
It has been recorded that the rate of smuggling in Nigeria is so high that goods worth N7 trillion are smuggled into the country yearly.
A World Bank report of 2016, states that an astonishing N1.45 trillion worth of assorted goods are smuggled into Nigeria through Benin Republic Border alone, every year, a situation that prompted the Senate to commence investigation on smuggling.
Recall that in March, last year, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ali (retired), said the presidency had given approval for the reversal of an earlier policy in October 2015 which allowed rice imports through land borders, once appropriate duty and charges were paid.
He said the service had observed that dwindling revenue from rice imports through the land borders hardly matched the volume of rice arriving in neighbouring ports, adding that the border commands indicated an upsurge in rice smuggling. The Comptroller noted, however, that revenue began to dwindle from January 2016, with importers blaming access to foreign exchange as their major impediments. He observed that between October 2015 and March 17, 2016 when the importation was allowed, a total of 24.992 metric tonnes of rice valued at N2.34 billion were imported through the land borders and the total revenue generated for the period stood at about N1.69 billion, considered lower than the projected revenue to be generated with the removal of import restrictions.
Speaking to Daily Sun, the Public Relations Officer of Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of customs, Mr Jerry Attah, said that the unit is not unaware of the expected increase in the activities of smugglers during festivities.
“When we enter Yuletide season smuggling tends to be high because a lot of people want to make double gain. I think it will be a bit difficult this time round because the administration of Comptroller Muhammadu Uba Garba does not leave any stone unturned. As I speak to you, between last week and now we have about nine trucks loaded with rice intercepted at various locations. That is to tell you that he has challenged all the team leaders to redouble their efforts in curbing smuggling. As I speak to you it is already yielding results. I think that is a clear message to smugglers that this is not the time to put their money into that kind of illegal business because it will not pay them.
The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ will never relent and we will never relax. As a matter of fact, additional manpower, has been added to federal operations and other commands. The same thing applies to Ogun State Command. There is reward for hard work. You need to prove why you will be retained on your duty post. You prove why you should be retained in your patrol station. You should prove why you should be retained in your checkpoint. So, because of that, everybody wants to make sure that he works to ensure that smuggling is brought to the barest minimum” he said.
Also, the co-ordinator of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Dr. Osita Chukwu, challenged government officials to first purge themselves of the mentality of foreign rice before they ban rice importation.
According to him, local rice production is grossly inadequate to serve the Nigerian consumers. He suggested that the government should relax the importation and set up a regulatory body to control the influx.
“The government is economical with the truth. If they say that they are producing rice nobody is seeing the rice. The rice mills are there but there is no power to process the commodity. It is not the kind of process you are talking about. We are talking about mechanised farming.
Because of the ban on rice from Thailand, Nigerians in that country are being demonised and sent back home. They said that their diplomatic relationship with Nigeria is no longer favourable to them. My brother came back from Thailand last week. He is doing his masters in University of America in Thailand. It is not possible to ban importation of rice when the local production is not adequate. For instance Lagos is over 21 million. The local rice cannot even serve Lagos State consumers not to talk of Nigeria.
What the government should do is to give room for the importation of rice but have a regulatory body. Boost the necessary facilities like energy, logistics and provide fertilizer for the farmers.
When I visited the Ogun State Command, the comptroller told me that smugglers have over 1,000 gateways and there is no way the government can completely eliminate smuggling. People are hungry and so the Federal Government should not ban rice import.
Unfortunately, none of the government officials eat local rice. I went to Oriental Hotel for Nigerian Shippers Council gala-nite, what we ate was foreign rice. The government should start the ban from among themselves. In Aso Villa they are cooking foreign rice everyday and in the ministries they are sharing foreign rice. The smugglers should continue to smuggle the commodity so that Nigerians will not die,” he said.