The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to crash the soaring price of food items, especially rice, in the country as it is set to auction the food items seized from smugglers across the country.
It was gathered that the food items seized by officers of the service and forfeited by the court to the federal government are Rice, groundnut oil, palm oil, and noodles, among others.
However, speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, a senior Customs officer said a bag of 50kg of rice will be auctioned at N20,000 to the public.
According to the source who craved anonymity, the aim of the federal government was to bring down the soaring prices of food items especially rice and as well make it affordable to Nigerians.
“Rice is sold for N75,000 per 50kg in the local market; we will sell ours at N20,000 to bring the price down. When there is a supply glut, the price of food items will all come down,” the senior Customs officer said.
In a statement made available to the press yesterday, the NCS national public relations officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the decision to dispose of the food items was in response to the critical challenges of the soaring costs of essential food items in the country.
Maiwada also stated that the modalities for the disposal will be communicated through NCS formations nationwide, with a firm commitment to transparency, fairness, and public safety.
He revealed that the service had launched a strategic anti-smuggling operation and public engagement in its commitment to prevent the unlawful exportation of vital food resources for individual economic gains.
“Furthermore, to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians and improve access to essential food items, the Nigeria Customs Service will facilitate the direct disposal of food items forfeited to the federal government. These items will be certified fit for consumption by relevant agencies and made available to ordinary Nigerians nationwide through equitable distribution
