How Nigeria Customs Service is sabotaging Buhari’s local rice production initiative

LAGOS, Nigeria – Efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to make Nigeria self reliant in rice production as  well as attract foreign investment has been sabotaged by the Nigerian Customs Service  as the agency is alleged to have stalled farming operation of a multibillion Naira rice farm in Ogun and Niger states of Nigeria for over eight months.

The agency in the last eight months has stopped SKAPOMAH Global Limited (SPL), for two planting season. This allegations was raised by Mr. Seun Adegoke, the Managing Director of the company, saying the action of the Nigerian Customs has led to over 1000 job losses.

According to Adegoke, contrary to insinuation by the NCS that the paddy rice were imported, the company sourced species of rice impounded by the agency named Faro 44 from Ogun, Kaduna and Kano states. He said the company acted on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture which specifically recommended Faro 44 to all rice farmers in the country because of its nutritional value.

“This is to let the world and every concerned Nigerian aware that government’s efforts to ensure local food production is being sabotaged and frustrated by the Nigerian customs through harassment and intimidation.

“We have it on record that this harassment has made our farming operations at SGL Farms to lose millions of naira. They had technically stalled our farming operations in a farm that has over one thousand workers strength in the last nine months.

“Our problem with the customs service started January, 2021 when we wanted to relocate our rice paddy due to failed irrigation facility at our farm in Anigbado, Yewa North, LGA, Ogun State.

“We brought in the rice paddy in November last year to the farm from Oyo, Kaduna and Ogun States to our farm in Anigbado, Yewa North LGA, Ogun state hitch free but when study came out that the rice paddy would not yield very well on the farm, our farm extension officers advised us to plant the seed at a suitable location at Gbakogi, Katcha LGA, Niger state in anticipation of planting during the dry season.

Consequently,  we were making effort to move the rice seed to better location when men of the Nigeria Customs Service swoop unto our farm and stopped the entire operation process, their actions has stopped us for two planting seasons this year.

The implications is loss of our financial commitment to our financial institution, investors, loss of labours, and inability to produce local rice in line with President Muhammadu Buhari policy. Customs alleged that the paddy were not Nigeria grown, this is a tin lies because we bought this paddy rice in the country

“We have provided all necessary paper work and receipts from various seed companies who supplied us these paddy but everything has been fruitless. We have had to be hoping and remain optimistic for over 8 months but nothing seems forthcoming. The same paddy that went through their checkpoints weeks earlier. We were however forced to plant some and kept writing and engaging the agency knowing that rice seeds or any agriculture seeds doesn’t stay on ground forever. Luckily we made some harvest from the planted area but the problem and denial still continued.

“Our investors and financial partners many of whom are retirees and people who took loans are already frustrated, in fact our excuses are no longer acceptable.  They have now taken to involve the EFCC with the impression that we may have diverted funds meant for agriculture into private businesses.

“I must also state that some investors we  gave payment guarantees have now concluded that we are fraudulent. This situation is now at the peak and we simply do not see any end in sight. It has always been from one unit or agency to the other.  We cannot continue business if we have produce crops that we cannot move out. This is inhumane and totally against government’s drive that Nigerians should invest into agriculture.

“This is a call to relevant and concerned Nigerians to help intervene. Many of our investors are battling one ailment or the other, some are in serious financial mess and even workers salaries are now a luxury as the company cannot access any inflow to settle all these liabilities.

“We must also remind the public that the corpse of our security staff Shola Adeleke who died in police custody hasn’t been released and Mr Hakeem Elegbede is still being held in police custody for the past 3 months without charge over the fabricated charge of suspected murder of a so called Fulani herder whose corpse the police have failed to provide.

“Our suspicions regarding Nigeria Customs Service came by the fact that a team was sent to the farm on Saturday 29th August 2021 and officers were telling us such a big farm ought to be in the North and not in the South. Our question thus is: are there no lands suitable for agriculture in the South? This has confirmed our fears that some officers are more interested in frustrating Southern farmers.

“Another surprising narrative is that the Ayetoro police station that arrested our staff months earlier on frivolous murder charge suddenly turned around saying we are not under their jurisdiction. Isn’t it strange that police officers will make arrests in another jurisdiction without recourse to  the police station under whose jurisdiction the so called crime falls?. All these and many are challenges we have been faced with but we trust that the truth shall always prevail”, he said.