• Customs explains delay in import duty waiver policy

To cushion the effects of rising food prices, the Federal Government yesterday kicked  off  the sale of 30,000 metric tons of milled rice at a subsidised rate of N40,000 per 50kg  bag.

The initiative, spearheaded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is targeted at civil servants and other categories of Nigerians.

The sale follows previous efforts by the administration, including the release of 42,000 metric tons of assorted food commodities to vulnerable groups.

The government has emphasised that these measures are also aimed at improving food security across the nation.

At the kick-off ceremony in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari,  hailed the President’s commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian goes to bed hungry.

“This food intervention is timely, given the current economic challenges facing the country.

 “We are dealing with global disruptions in food chains, and Nigeria has not been immune to the challenges”, he said.

 To ensure fairness and transparency, Kyari said the government has put in place several checks, including the “one man, one 50kg bag” policy and verification procedures through the National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers.

These measures, he said, are designed to prevent multiple purchases and ensure that the rice reaches the intended beneficiaries.

He however urged citizens to cooperate with the agencies overseeing the sales process and assured Nigerians that the initiative would help reduce the price of rice and other food substitutes.

“Let us work together to ensure that the dream of the Administration to upheld the fundamental right to food for all Nigerians is achieved.

“It is expected that with the injection 30,000MT, with the allocation of 1, 000 trucks per state,  it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer  food  substitutes and alternatives.

“The Federal Government being aware of the potential challenges associated with the sale of an important staple such as rice, at this critical period has deployed a multi-disciplinary machinery of government, as well put  in place certain processes and conditions to ensure the transparency, wider reach and success of this programme”, Kyari added.

On the procedure to access the rice, the Director of Food and Strategic Reserve at the Ministry,   Haruna  Abutu,an engineer, outlined a transparent and simplified procedure for rice distribution across the country.

Abutu emphasised that the distribution process will ensure that each eligible person can receive one bag of rice in an orderly manner.

To qualify, he said individuals must possess a National Identification Number (NIN), while those in public and civil service must also be registered on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform.

At the point of sale, he said buyers will be required to provide their NIN, which will be verified through a specially developed platform. Once verified, payments are made electronically via ATM cards, linking the payment directly to the sales operation.

A receipt and unique code will be issued upon successful payment. The code, along with a treasury receipt, will indicate the specific time and location for rice collection.

 Abutu assured the people  that multiple points of sale would be established nationwide, preventing overcrowding and ensuring a smooth process for all.

He said: “We have decided to make everything in a transparent manner, for you to qualify to earn one person, one bag, you must have a NIN and those of us in the public and civil service sector, we are all registered on Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)  platform.

“These are the critical criteria, once you have any of this, at the point of sale, you have state operators, if you approach them, they will ask of the NIN, once it’s given, they will log into the system, because already, we have a platform that has been created or a model that has been developed, with the NIN, all the information concerning the buyer will come out.

“To proceed to payment, it’s electronically done using ATM card, once the payment is made, that same payment  is linked to the initial sales operation and it will pop up that you have paid and at that point in time, receipt will be issued and a code number will be given to the person, with that code number you will proceed to where you will be issued with treasury receipt to  show that you have paid.

“At that point in time, that print out will indicate point and time of collection, we will have many points of sale . This will eliminate any form of stampede and this will go round the country.

 Customs explains delay in import duty waiver policy

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has explained why it has not begun the implementation of import duty waiver on maize, husked brown rice and wheat.

NCS Spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada said the list of beneficiaries was yet to come from the Ministry of Finance.

The Federal Government had, as parts of the Presidential Accelerated and Stabilisation Advancement Plan, directed  the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) to give a 150-day duty-free window to allow the importation of maize, husked brown rice and wheat, as part of measures to combat rising food inflation across the country.

Following this directive, the NCS  last month announced that the guidelines for the suspension of Customs duty and taxes on imported food items were to begin a week after..

Maiwada spoke yesterday while fielding questions from reporters  at a joint  news conference of security agencies, organised by the Strategic Communications Inter-agency Policy Committee Office of the National Security Adviser, in Abuja.

He said: “The issue of food security. You made mention of the policy that was announced by Mr. President and we have issued a statement on the guidelines on how to benefit from that policy. Well, I would like to discuss in such a way that the common man would understand how these things work.

“People think that me and you can just go and import rice. No, that is not what the policy is all about. We have policy issues that have a long-term effect. We have the medium-term and we have the short-term effects.

“So, while formulating policies that are related that have a short-term effect, we have to do it in such a way that it will not have adverse effects on long-term policy issues. Our responsibilities as an agency of government, Nigeria Customs Service, is to implement government policies.

“That’s why the statement we issued is based on the guideline issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance. They have issued a guideline on how to achieve, what are the conditions, and what are the requirements for you to benefit from that zero import duty.

“We have three lines, six lines of tariff  with the HS code, harmonized system code, with initially a duty of 35% duty and leave you some of the items and they have all been waived.

“However, the policy stated clearly that you must be a miller, you must be a taxpayer, you must have been into operations for a certain number of years and there will be a quota that will be issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

“The list of those who benefit from those exemptions will come from the Ministry of Finance and our role as an agency of government is to implement the directives of the government. So we are policy implementers, not formulators.

“By the time we get lists, within the twinkle of an eye, we are going to implement those directives from the Federal Ministry of Finance.”

Published Date: September 6, 2024