Muhammad Bashir
Worried by challenges of rising food costs, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has enjoined traders at Dawanau International Grains Market, Kano to avoid any act that will jeopardize the availability and affordability of food for Nigerians.
While visiting the market on Friday, Adeniyi emphasized the need for vigilance against hoarding of food supplies, underscoring the gravity of the ongoing situation. “While we remain confident that you will abide by the rules, we will deploy intelligence to ascertain the level of compliance,” he promised.
“This directive underscores the government’s commitment to mitigating the effects of food shortages and ensuring equitable distribution of resources amidst the current national crisis,” said the CGS.
Adeniyi disclosed that President Bola Tinubu who identified the ongoing hardship and food scarcity in the country, has directed the Customs to ensure food items were not illegally exported out of the country when people were in dire need of them.
The CGS urged the Dawanau grains dealers to assist the government by complying with the directive banning the exportation of food items to provide enough food to the people. He promised that the Customs Service will set up machinery to address issues around the operation of their warehouse.
“The President has asked me to request your understanding that during this period, we will implement the laws forbidding the exportation of certain grains such as beans, rice, and millet, among many others. We do not want those that are locally produced in Nigeria and those that are already imported to be re-exported out of the country.
“You are a very big stakeholder in this particular business before today. I had a meeting with transporters.
“I met with journalists to get their support and understanding, and that’s why I’ve also come to this market because we know that this is the biggest market, the reason we must take an interest in where your exports are going,” he explained.
Adeniyi also promised that the Customs will collaborate with other agencies as Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Central Bank of Nigeria to resolve contentious issues.
The President of the Dawanau Market Development Association, Muttaka Isah denounced what he termed “unfounded allegation” that members were engaged in hoarding grains.
“I want to seize this opportunity to deny this baseless allegation and to inform Nigerians that we do not hoard foodstuffs; whatever grains we procure from the growers and other sources, we store them in our warehouses for a while before we supply them directly to our customers in the markets.
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“So, we store these grains for operational convenience and to protect the foodstuffs from foreign bodies that might spoil them.
“Another challenge bedeviling this market is the near absence of operational understanding between our traders who import beans and the operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, especially along the Nigeria-Niger International border,” said Isah.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dawanau Development Association, Abdullahi Maidoya expressed appreciation for taking the time to interact with the market’s leadership and listen to their concerns.
Maidoya commended the Comptroller-General for his commitment to fostering a conducive business environment for traders within the market.
He lauded the promise made by CGC Adeniyi to facilitate seamless business conditions, acknowledging the significance of such efforts in alleviating the challenges faced by businesspeople operating in the market.
In another development, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service made a comprehensive inspection visit to the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport and some Bonded Terminals under the jurisdiction of NCS Kano/Jigawa Area Command.
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