The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the commencement of the distribution of seized food items starting on Friday (today).
In a statement released to journalists in Lagos, the NCS Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi, revealed that customs officials would not be directly involved in the distribution process.
According to the statement issued by the service’s National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, Adeniyi disclosed that the rice would be packaged in 25kg bags and sold for N10,000.
The target beneficiaries, he outlined, include artisans, teachers, nurses, religious bodies, and other Nigerians within the operational areas of the NCS.
The objective, he emphasized, is to establish direct communication channels with members of these groups to ensure the utmost effectiveness of the initiative.
Adeniyi warned against the resale of food items, stressing the NCS’s commitment to transparency and accountability throughout the distribution process.
“It is imperative that beneficiaries of this exercise understand that the items are not to be resold. We take a strong stance against any form of profiteering or exploitation of this initiative. We urge Nigerians to report any incidents of misuse or unauthorized resale of the seized food items.
“We will not hesitate to take decisive action against any individuals or entities found to be in violation of the terms of this program.
“We are here to shed light on the commitment of the NCS to protecting our society by ensuring the availability of essential food items. In recent months, the government has been addressing the challenges faced within our economy.
“Items are moving out massively to neighboring countries. Some of the items included, over 20,000 bags of assorted grains, 2,500 cartons, and 963 bags of dried fish.
“Others are dried pepper, tomatoes, cooking oil, macaroni, salt, sugar, garri. This trend is not sustainable as it puts pressure on our productive capacity and threatens our food security,” the NCS Comptroller General said.
