The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, revealed that the delay in expanding the auctioning of seized food items beyond Lagos State is due to the lessons learned from the initial phase of the program.
Adeniyi made this known during his presentation at the House of Representatives’ sectoral debate on Tuesday.
He explained that President Bola Tinubu had directed the NCS to auction seized food items to vulnerable Nigerians, with the program initially starting in Lagos but halted temporarily due to unforeseen challenges.
Adeniyi emphasized that President Tinubu also instructed the sale of imported seized food items back to local markets across the nation.
He stated, “Mr. President has directed that we sell directly to needy Nigerians food items produced locally but which were seized. This is one of the ways to address hunger and food scarcity we are facing. We have started this in Lagos.”
Responding to inquiries from lawmakers, Adeniyi mentioned that the program faced disruptions in Lagos due to overwhelming demand, leading to a temporary suspension.
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He assured that lessons from the Lagos experience would guide future implementations.
Furthermore, Adeniyi disclosed that the NCS had intercepted 120 trucks smuggling grains out of the country, which would be redirected to local markets, aiming to stabilize prices.
In a related development, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, attributed the current food scarcity to various factors including smuggling, flooding, currency policies, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that President Tinubu had mandated the ministry to ensure availability of grains for cultivation and consumption nationwide.
Kyari also highlighted efforts to support farmers, including engaging with the World Food Programme to stabilize prices and encouraging all-season farming through irrigation facilities, with the backing of the President.
