Economic Issues
Excess loamy less famine: Why the Seme Smuggling will not end -By Kareem Itunu Azeez
It is however unfortunate that for past four months alone, over a million metric tons of rice have been smuggled into Nigeria, that is equivalent to about 20,000,000, bags of 50kg rice, that’s a whopping revenue been disbursed in the most useless form of manner…
Her closest neighbour is Benin, and it’s heavy smuggled in goods is a produce which Nigeria should be exporting out of her country considering the landmass and importantly, how fertile this lands are, loamy, clay, or even the Sandy, compared to Benin, who’s landmass and population fall Short the quality of what Nigeria has. meanwhile, through the Seme boarder rice has been imported to save the lives of many poor Nigerians who hardly could survive a day without tasting rice. And even though the government announced the restriction, smugglers have devised another means of moving vehicles, beverages, tooth picks, wheat and other perishable goods into the country which included using officers of the border command to smuggle the items into the country.
However there seems reasons why this country is falling behind it’s usual norm of what makes it the giant of Africa, they once were. there was a time when this country was the highest exporter of yam across the world, there once was a time when it was the major exporter of cocoa, even after the post colonial era, unfortunately today it’s hands and lands have become weaken that it hardly could sustain it’s children, how much more been exported to further lands.
Nigeria, with soil so fit for agriculture that, a drop of grain, if not cared or observed will spring into fruit trees, that’s how blessed the country is, but industrial revolution, poor governmental decision, corruption of the highest order, and nonchalant attitude to the climate condition has almost sent the country into a nationwide famine, you will almost agree with this stand if you witness the amount that which people find it so hard to eat or even store for future use, it’s now a case of “Eat at sight”
This excessive hunger and low circulation of food in the country has allowed the citizens to look elsewhere for survival, which is why the widely and most illegal route to smuggling is always patronise, “The Seme Boarder” and a big reason why the smuggling will never end at least for anytime soon, irrespective of any amount of sanctions by the government, using the famous phrase, “Man must survive “
It is however unfortunate that for past four months alone, over a million metric tons of rice have been smuggled into Nigeria, that is equivalent to about 20,000,000, bags of 50kg rice, that’s a whopping revenue been disbursed in the most useless form of manner, and it’s even more sad because this could have been prevented if only local production of this staple foods is encouraged by the federal government of the country, but with high tarrif and rich business manipulators, and may other corrupt vices, the smuggling will never end.
It is high time we look inward and encourage locally made production of food, and importantly give proper orientation to the youths that farming isn’t bad after all, without forgetting to end monopoly of production in this area, when the market is free, when crony system is deleted, then local producers will automatically focus on improving their output, and ultimately return back to the good old days when there was excess loamy and indeed we take advantage of them.
If looking inward therefore is what the country is prepared for, then the words of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has to be in practical terms rather than mere theory, he said,
“ Nigeria has no business importing rice… We have a massive amount of land, we have water, we have cheap labor, but we’re using these things to make a market for others. To make Nigeria a world producer of food, we had to reposition agriculture away from ‘farming’ [towards] a money making business.”
Hopefully if his words are to go bye, then this is the time to encourage local producers of farm products, this is the chance we have been waiting for, when we cut off high tarrifs given to our local producers, when we provide stable supply of electricity, and when we give usable road for movement of farm produce, from rural to urban areas, then an average person will see no reason to smuggle anything into the country. moreover when the custom duties are sensitive and alert, for importing goods, and if the securities are on red alert the smuggling may drastically reduce, but for now it will take a long while for the smuggling to end.
In a land where there’s excess loamy but the farming are less.
Kareem Itunu Azeez writes from Lagos state, a Political Scientist, and a content creator.
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Ikareemazeez@yahoo.com
