The Nigerian Customs Service has attributed the current difficulties faced by Nigerians due to the economic changes made by President Bola Tinubu's government to illegal exportation by disloyal Nigerians.
The service also mentioned that it requires the cooperation and collaboration of all involved parties to deal with the severe food shortage being encountered.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated this during a visit to the Lamido of Adamawa, Dr. Barkindo Mustapha in Yola on Thursday.
Adeniyi, represented by the acting Controller in charge of the Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘D’, Joseph Adelaja, mentioned that they were at the palace to seek the monarch’s cooperation in addressing the actions of unscrupulous businessmen contributing to the current food insecurity in the nation.
He explained that the purpose of the visit was to seek cooperation, particularly information on the activities of hoarders whose actions have led to soaring prices of food items.
He expressed, "Due to the current economic reforms happening in the country, we are faced with food insecurity. This food insecurity is caused by the unauthorized exportation of essential commodities.
"We are urging everyone to support us in this struggle with the necessary information to address the problem of hoarding which has caused a significant increase in the potential prices of essential food items. Food security is the concern of every Nigerian. Prices today have risen considerably like never before because disloyal individuals are exporting food intended for Nigerians.
Adelaja, accompanied by other senior customs officers, condemned the actions of disloyal businessmen.
He stated, "People are hungry and you are exporting food out of the country to feed other nations.
This is not in the best interest of the country and we must all work together to address the problem decisively."
In his comments, the Galadima of Adamawa, Mustapha Aminu, who represented the Lamido, emphasized the essential role of customs in national food security and sustenance.
He urged the customs to remain committed in its economic and security role while pledging the support of the Emirate to the customs in achieving its goal of addressing the current economic food crisis.
Sunday PUNCH reports that amid the free fall of the naira to the United States dollar, traders who deal in grains have devised a way to sell their wares to neighboring countries for higher profits.
Many of them, who spoke to our correspondents, claimed that they preferred to sell their wares to the countries because they had stronger currencies compared to the naira.
This, several experts have said, may lead to hoarding and an artificial grain scarcity and can cause the price of the goods to further head north, thereby leading to a food crisis if nothing is done about it.
This is coming at a time when the country is battling severe hunger, as the prices of staples have increased by over 300 per cent.
The country is also witnessing the highest inflation in 28 years, with the food inflation rate in January hitting 35.41 per cent.
Nigeria’s yearly inflation rate went up to 29.90 percent in the same month from 28.92 percent in December 2023, according to official data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
For example, a bag of long grain rice is now being sold for nearly N80,000 compared to N45,000 in December 2023. A crate of eggs is now being sold for almost N5,000; in December, it was sold for N2,700.
Many other food items have also experienced a significant increase in prices due to various market forces, mainly the sharp decline of the naira.
