Percy Onyeka
On Monday, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service announced the deployment of more personnel to Nigeria’s land and maritime borders, joining the crackdown on hoarders and smugglers of food goods and other agricultural produce.
It stated that the action was taken in support of the Federal Government’s initiatives to guarantee food security in Nigeria and stabilize food prices across the country.
“To support the Federal Government’s efforts to stabilise food prices and ensure food security, the NAQS has initiated a nationwide crackdown on the smuggling and hoarding of agricultural commodities,” the agency announced in a statement issued in Abuja.
It added, “The decisive action is part of the agency’s mandate to regulate the handling of agricultural products in Nigeria, ensuring they are safe for consumption and available at fair prices to the Nigerian populace.
“In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration, we are fully committed to ensuring that Nigerians have more food on their table, by strengthening our borders and clamping down on the smuggling of hoarded agricultural commodities.”
The Establishment Act of 2017 states that the purpose of NAQS is to stop foreign pests and diseases from invading the nation and spreading to affect plant, animal, and aquatic resources as well as products.
To reduce the danger to agriculture, food safety, and the environment, the agency must also encourage sanitary and phytosanitary measures with regard to the import and export of agricultural products.
The agency in its statement on Monday, noted that “Food security is a paramount concern for the Nigerian government, and we are committed to ensuring that agricultural commodities are not smuggled out of the country through our ports and land borders.
“We believe that our efforts to clamp down on smuggling practices will not only help to stabilise food prices but also promote transparency and fairness in the agricultural supply chain.”
It stated that more officers of the agency had been deployed to the borders to tackle the menace of food smuggling and hoarding.
“To combat the illegal smuggling and hoarding of agricultural commodities, NAQS is enhancing its surveillance and control measures at all entry and exit points.
“Officers of the agency are working tirelessly across the country’s borders and control posts, conducting rigorous inspections, and monitoring to ensure no agro commodity is exported.
“This initiative reflects a comprehensive approach to tackling some of the recent challenges facing the agricultural sector and aims to ensure food security and promote sustainable development.”
The agency’s acting Comptroller-General, Dr Godwin Audu, urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to the hoarding or smuggling of agricultural commodities.
He said community participation and collaboration were vital for the success of this campaign.
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to stop the hoarding and smuggling of food outside Nigeria following the recent astronomical hike in the cost of food items nationwide.
On Monday, it was reported that the Nigeria Customs Service had declared that it intercepted 15 trailers that were fully loaded with food items and were heading out of the country through the Sokoto State border.
It said the trailers were stopped and the food items were returned to Nigeria, adding that this was part of measures to stabilise the prices of food items across the country in line with the mandate of the Federal Government.
Additionally, on Friday, reports surfaced indicating that the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services had been appointed to a committee by the Federal Government to crack down on grain hoarding by dealers.
In the study, it was also mentioned that the administration had ruled out importing food as a means of addressing the high cost of food and the nation’s economic difficulties.
It said that this was one of the decisions made during the emergency meeting that state governors, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and President Bola Tinubu had at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Techrectory with Agency Report
