The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, says that the Service will on Friday begin to distribute the food items it seized.
Adeniyi, who disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Lagos said customs officials were not permitted to participate in the exercise.
A statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, quoted Adeniyi as saying that rice would come in 25kg, and be sold for N10,000.
Adeniyi said: “The target groups included artisans, teachers, nurses, religious bodies, and other Nigerians within our operational areas. The intention is to reach out directly to members through these organised structures to ensure the maximum impact of this exercise” .
He warned that the food items must not be resold as the NCS was fully committed to transparency and accountability in the 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 unauthorised 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 programme.
“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 neighbouring 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,” Adeniyi said.
