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Ibraheem Dooba, Naij.com guest contributor, brings forward the data released by the Nigerian Customs Service a week ago and explains how major rice importers in Nigeria deceive the government on millions of naira.
The rice importers have devised the strategies to deceive Nigeria’s government about the import payments. The main method they employ is to simply exceed the concessionary quotas approved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. In this regard such major rice importers as Olam, Stallion/Popular Foods, BUA, Millan Nig. Ltd, Ebony Agro, Atafi Rice Industries Ltd and Arewa Rice Mill are complicit in the scam. Together they’ve exceeded their import quotas by 652,944 metric tons. According to the public notice released by the Nigeria Customs Service on April 14, 2015, these rice importers owe the federal government N21 billion.
This chart contains the major rice importers in Nigeria eceeding the concessionary import quotas approved by the Federal Minstry of Agriculture. Released by the Nigerian Customs Service on April 14, 2015.
According to the above chart, Stallion/Popular Foods is the biggest defaulter exceeding its quota by 475,017.33MT and owing N15.4 billion. Arewa Rice Mill owes the smallest amount for exceeding its limits by only 20.4MT which brings its liability to less than a million naira – N664, 876.
This chart represents quota violation by the major rice importers in Nigeria. Released by the Nigerian Customs Service on April 14, 2015.
The Customs Service has given the owers time up to Friday, April 17, 2015, “to pay up outstanding liabilities due to it or face appropriate sanctions.”
However, some Nigerians believe that asking the importers to pay something they would have normally paid for the allocated quotas is not a punishment as they’re asked to pay the same amount for committing an infraction. If the customs continues to implement this method of punishment, the importers will disregard the limits and import whatever they want rendering the quotas meaningless.
Therefore, the assertion of some Nigerians that the Customs Service may be complicit in scamming the government is not without reason.
Dr Ibraheem Dooba
Dr Dooba is a data scientist, a teacher and a columnist.
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.
The post FIGURES: How Big Rice Importers Defraud Nigeria’s Government appeared first on NEWS.NAIJ.COM - Nigerian & worldwide news..
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