State of the Nation: Why FGN should open borders for influx of staple foods – Iche
By Onome Naomi
The Nigerian borders have since the era of former president Muhammadu Buhari been ordered to close to prevent the smuggling of contraband and to avoid other concerning situations, mostly that Nigeria should be a producing state more than a consuming nation. The federal government gave grants to the agricultural sector, especially rice farmers, to cultivate rice enough to meet the demands of the citizens but was cut short due to the farmers and herders crisis. Farmers are forced out of their farms for fear of being invaded and killed by herdsmen.
Recently, Comrade Prince Saviour Iche, a human rights advocate who carried out a survey of the Seme Badagry area, recounted his ordeal with customs officials, stating that his usual charitable gesture of giving to the less privileged during the year had led him to seek a market survey of food items in a bid to ascertain why there is a consistent increase in food items. He said a bag of rice, which goes for N120,000 in Lagos and some other areas of the country, was sold at N70,000 in Badagry, while at Cotonu it is sold at N50,000.
Iche stated further that
While returning from Seme, where he got a bag of rice at N70,000, it was found that a bag of rice in Lagos has skyrocketed due to the exchange rate, increased transport fare, and customs interference. N1000 is now equal to 2600 CFA, while the former exchange rate is N1000 to 300 CFA; meanwhile, rice and other essential commodities for day-to-day consumption remain contraband.
More so, customs authorities challenged the single bag of rice being transported from Seme to the Iyana-Oba area of Lagos State. I began to explain that the food items seized are meant for the less privileged since it’s easier to get more of the items at cheaper prices in Seme to cater to a considerable amount of people in need.
After much conversation recounting the reason behind the purchase, my words were met with defiance as they insisted they were simply carrying out an order from above. It is noteworthy that uniformed personnel carry out instructions that are binding, but the federal government should give exceptions if they are insistent on border closure.
What the farmers produce in Nigeria cannot sustain the number of masses in demand, hence the hike on these essential commodities leading to hardship. Many families now do 0-01 or 0-1-0 or 1-0-0; an imminent starvation due to scarce resources to meet the demands of the citizens for sustenance. We also borrow money from international governments and organizations just for the sake of consumption instead of investing in production companies. It will only get worse if we continue this way.
The Buhari administration initiated the closing of borders to enable Nigerians to produce what they eat, and it’s not a bad idea; however, the initiative would have been given time to succeed before imposing border closure. Rice goes through a period of cultivation before harvest; moreover, not many people are available for farming due to insecurity.
As Africans, we are enemies of ourselves. During the survey to seme, another interesting piece of information found is crucial to address. As a road user, it is impossible to drive to the nearest country in Africa through the borders without paying exorbitantly for some documentation. African governments are not helping the citizens of Africa at all if we can’t intertrade or interrelate without costing a fortune.
Iche stated that miscalculation has led Nigeria into a critical state of inflation; it is expected that Tinubu’s administration will consider opening the borders to drop the hike in food items until we can produce enough to cater for the masses. Also mentioned is that the N70,000 minimum wage for workers has not been rendered by some governors; those who are paid N70,000 as minimum wage still cannot cater to their immediate families due to the hike in food items.
The government should lift the ban on importation; make farming attractive to the masses, including the youths; make the Bank of Agriculture ease up on stringent rules to get a loan or grant, for many are discouraged when asked to bring some certain documentation before funding can be given; protect farmers from herdsmen invasion; and make funding and security of farmers a major concern, Iche added.
About the writer
Comrade Prince Saviour Iche is a Human Rights Advocate, the President of Ambassadors of Peace and Enlightenment Foundation ‘AMPEF’ (Voice of the Voiceless Media), He’s also the president of Private Entrepreneur, a multiple award winner for his advocacy on human rights activities amongst other achievements.
