midolian:
of course I get your point. The government was too strict to have closed the border outrightly but it's all for good, I maintain.

If the government's to wait till there is enough to go round before closing the border, there will never be enough to go round. This is because people like you and I are already too used to foreign rice and are not ready to give the local ones a chance...and for as long as we have foreign rice flying around, we would continue to go for them...thereby discouraging producers of the local ones

For instance, I used to buy my rice(foreign) from baruten local government in Kwara state for as low as 11500, at max 12k. But since the border was closed, I only bought a small rubber Paint of rice for #1500 with the hope that before we finish consuming it, the borders will be opened again. Bro, I am saying this for you to know I am also feeling the heat...but truth is, I have been into agric business for sometime now, and I have noticed when there is too much of a farm produce in the market, we the sellers don't gain much..in fact sometimes, we lose(like it was experienced last year).

That's the essence of being in business. Sometimes you make profit and sometimes you don't. The thing is every Nigerian man wants to always make profit, even at the expense of others.

I still maintain even if every foreign rice is shot into space, our local rice will still be expensive. That's the greed I'm talking about and beside, how many farmers do we even have in the country.

Take yam for example bro. Do we import it? No. But yet it's still very expensive. The farmers are fvcking greedy. I've been to Kishi and Ebgeti bro, what I saw there made me believe people in rural areas love money more than those in urban areas.

It's all a very complicated situation bro.

lilfreezy:
Them don open office for custom officials. This is where they will make heavy money as they will be the only legitimate smugglers in the country

Seems you know.

They've been making a killing since the past 3 weeks. It costs at least N1,500 to pass through the border now if you don't have a passport......but that's not what they're told to do. Someone said he paid as much as N3,000. And as always, even other agencies are keying in on the free money.

Let me not forget the bulk of the seized items are shared by same officials and some resold at night time.

Asquare84:


Because the price of chicken and other local products have gone up if your brain is working then it will be the reason for you to start making money by rearing poultry and farming rice that they easiest way to make money

if you're smart you should know theory is very different from practical. You don't just go into a business without knowing the nitty gritty.

Topmaike007:
if the border is still open our people will not farm... Can you allow your kid to study agriculture on school, because that is where our problem as a nation comes from

That is an unsound comparison.

So while I wait for my rice to grow, what do I eat?

Besides, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that farming is taken seriously? Are they grants, and other easily accessible facilities to improve production? What about security? Are you asking people to go to farms at the risk of being killed or kidnapped?

So these are things we must consider. Nigeria can not produce enough rice to feed the country in a very little time. Closing borders would not solve anything, and would only be an unfair punishment. The government should have assisted farms, with subsidies, so that, while a quantity of imported rice is selling for N250, local rice is going for N150 or less. Doing that, you won't need mouth to advice people which one to go for. But now I'm hearing Abakaliki rice is going for N400, while imported rice, of same quantity is going for N250.

It would be good for any country to be self reliant, as per foodstuff, but it's not something you achieve in a very little time, especially with the lack of necessary instruments, institutions and facilities.

God bless you my brother. Don't mind that nitwit.

NOC1:

Is that all you can make out of that article, are you a smuggler?
We better keep quiet when we have nothing to say. Your country should come first before any other thing.

I love this. Let us all unite and build our country to the envy of other countries

ORIENTATION101:
Very Good Nigeria is not doing Big Brother again. You neighboring countries have been milking us since.

The importers in your countries pays billions of dollars annually to ur respective government on rice duties. then smuggle the rice freely to Nigeria to sell and still make money without paying tax. What nonsense.

Buhari please cut of Benin,ghana,Togo,niger lights their debts is too much. Nigeria cannot be giving light freely when we citizens re paying high fees to enjoy power.

No more economic Big Brother again period

musicwriter:

Seems you know.

They've been making a killing since the past 3 weeks. It costs at least N1,500 to pass through the border now if you don't have a passport......but that's not what they're told to do. Someone said he paid as much as N3,000. And as always, even other agencies are keying in on the free money.

Let me not forget the bulk of the seized items are shared by same officials and some resold at night time.

yet some people still believe this government is fighting corruption when they're enabling it.

goldman777:
Why are you promoting regional integration with a single currency called eco when we shut our borders to our fellow regional countries buhari is confused I swear.while regional bodies like the eu and euro currency grows just watch Nigeria and west African currency ECO slide uselessly into Oblivion

Will you keep quiet

joseph1832:
yet some people still believe this government is fighting corruption when they're enabling it.

Is that the government or is it the same greedy Nigerians you referenced?

Anytime the government tries to enforce some form of regulation, this is what happens. In 2017, when there was fuel scarcity in December, there was a ban/warning on hoarding.

Next thing DPR officials are shutting down any station that has fuel in their tanks and is not selling no matter the reason. There were big queues at the dpr offices paying up to 250k to unseal their stations.

We are opportunistic predatory bastards and most of this countries problems can be traced to the unrestrained greed and corruption of individual Nigerians

dre11:




…no respite until neighbouring countries end smuggling

•Customs inaugurate 2 armoured anti-smuggling vessels

•Niger bans importation of foreign (parboiled) rice from Benin






https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/09/border-closure-benin-niger-economies-under-pressure/

Securing all the borders is sure a very tough task,but why can't the customs raid selling points i,e markets,to confiscate all the ban goods, simple logic,if you can't sell,there is no point smuggling it.

dre11:




…no respite until neighbouring countries end smuggling

•Customs inaugurate 2 armoured anti-smuggling vessels

•Niger bans importation of foreign (parboiled) rice from Benin






https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/09/border-closure-benin-niger-economies-under-pressure/

Buhari should include humans especially herdsmen n their cows in this border security exercise I think that would be great.

Local rice production cannot meet demand until the government can work with farmers to improve production, rice shouldn't be banned

midolian:
of course I get your point. The government was too strict to have closed the border outrightly but it's all for good, I maintain.

If the government's to wait till there is enough to go round before closing the border, there will never be enough to go round. This is because people like you and I are already too used to foreign rice and are not ready to give the local ones a chance...and for as long as we have foreign rice flying around, we would continue to go for them...thereby discouraging producers of the local ones

For instance, I used to buy my rice(foreign) from baruten local government in Kwara state for as low as 11500, at max 12k. But since the border was closed, I only bought a small rubber Paint of rice for #1500 with the hope that before we finish consuming it, the borders will be opened again. Bro, I am saying this for you to know I am also feeling the heat...but truth is, I have been into agric business for sometime now, and I have noticed when there is too much of a farm produce in the market, we the sellers don't gain much..in fact sometimes, we lose(like it was experienced last year).

ornicus:

Is that the government or is it the same greedy Nigerians you referenced?

who is the government? Isn't it the same greedy Nigerians that make up the government, no matter how small they are compared to the bigger population.

Anytime the government tries to enforce some form of regulation, this is what happens. In 2017, when there was fuel scarcity in December, there was a ban/warning on hoarding.

Next thing DPR officials are shutting down any station that has fuel in their tanks and is not selling no matter the reason. There were big queues at the dpr offices paying up to 250k to unseal their stations.

what excuse do the people who refused to sell petrol have? Bro when things like this happen, there are always people who will benefit massively from it. Those people whose filling station were shut down have no connection in high places whatsoever that's why their filling station was shut down.

We are opportunistic predatory bastards and most of this countries problems can be traced to the unrestrained greed and corruption of individual Nigerians

well you can say that again. The love for money and the zeal to oppress our fellow Nigerian is the root cause of this.

joseph1832:
yet some people still believe this government is fighting corruption when they're enabling it.

As always its poor people that are paying the price for their madness. The other day I saw an aged woman coming from Seme (border) who bought some rice in polythene bag that she'll cook for her children but customs seized it. Yet, the customs rule states its not a crime since its not marketable quantity. I saw another woman crying bitterly for reasons I don't know.

The rice importers are already on holiday now and are relaxing somewhere enjoying their money, while waiting for the situation to ease off so they can continue business as usual.

Corruption at the border is not a new thing. How did you Atiku made his money?

joseph1832:
yet some people still believe this government is fighting corruption when they're enabling it.

joseph1832:

what excuse do the people who refused to sell petrol have? Bro when things like this happen, there are always people who will benefit massively from it. Those people whose filling station were shut down have no connection in high places whatsoever that's why their filling station was shut down.

Heh. It was simply double/triple shakedown time.
During scarcity, once fuel in a station drops below a level, it is typically held in reserve for owner, family friends, police /security and staff of whichever company logo the station is carrying. Anyway, that's a story for another day I guess.

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Sterope:
Local rice production cannot meet demand until the government can work with farmers to improve production, rice shouldn't be banned

It may also never meet demand without radical action.

Obj did the same with furniture and imported juice, and the economy is better off for this. Of course rice is a staple food, so one may argue that this is different.

The real problem may be quality. The last bag I bought was full of stones and some other stuff

Fufu government.. Create job's

ornicus:

Heh. It was simply double/triple shakedown time.
During scarcity, once fuel in a station drops below a level, it is typically held in reserve for owner, family friends, police /security and staff of whichever company logo the station is carrying. Anyway, that's a story for another day I guess.

you make it sound like every filling station owner does this.

Well like you say, story for another day.

joseph1832:
you make it sound like every filling station owner does this.

Well like you say, story for another day.

I was in the downstream industry in one of the major marketers for 14 years. Regulators are the same everywhere. Shakedown people.

musicwriter:


As always its poor people that are paying the price for their madness. The other day I saw an aged woman coming from Seme (border) who bought some rice in polythene bag that she'll cook for her children but customs seized it. Yet, the customs rule states its not a crime since its not marketable quantity. I saw another woman crying bitterly for reasons I don't know.

The rice importers are already on holiday now and are relaxing somewhere enjoying their money, while waiting for the situation to ease off so they can continue business as usual.

Wait lemme understand this story well

The old woman went to Benin to buy rice?

slimthugchimee2:


Lol what sort of stupid story is this

The old woman went to Benin to buy rice?

That's the question you should answer. Did the old woman go to Benin with handheld polythene bag to buy rice?

Iamgrey5:
Good !

How can Benin Republic with a population of 16millon become the sixth largest importer of rice in the world and the largest importer of rice in Africa.

Sometimes I doubt anything like Pan-africanism ever existed.

Yet, the president of Benin wants Nigeria to open its borders for further exploitation.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-rice-importers-in-the-world.html

This is a tremendous post and thanks for the link!

........
P34c3
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...

ORIENTATION101:
Very Good Nigeria is not doing Big Brother again. You neighboring countries have been milking us since.

The importers in your countries pays billions of dollars annually to ur respective government on rice duties. then smuggle the rice freely to Nigeria to sell and still make money without paying tax. What nonsense.

Buhari please cut of Benin,ghana,Togo,niger lights their debts is too much. Nigeria cannot be giving light freely when we citizens re paying high fees to enjoy power.

No more economic Big Brother again period

So long as we still rely on Kainji dam in Niger state, we dare not try it. This is a sacrifice we will continue to make to all these West African corridor nations. There was an agreement that we will be providing them electricity in order not to build another dam along that axis of river Niger on perception or logic that building another dam in river Niger along that corridor will reduce the water current and inhibit efficiency of our Kainji dam.

The import rice from Thailand, India and The US into their countries and their governments collect income duties and boost their economy. At the end of the day, they smuggled the rice into Nigeria and our Government will get nothing. Some idiots will still blame government for closing the border and same people will shout no jobs. May God grant our Graduates wisdom and understanding to support the truth.

slimthugchimee2:


Wait lemme understand this story well

The old woman went to Benin to buy rice?

yep. she entered seme via okada or bus or car. bought polythene of rice, and the wicked customs men seized it from her

Regarding the video of people using Okada to smuggle foreign rice into the country, the Nigerian Customs Service should seize the rice and permanently destroy the Okadas. That would drive home the point that people should not Economically Sabotage Nigeria!

FG is on the right path. There's no gain without pain.
Nevertheless, ban medical tourism, overseas education for ALL government officials' ward. The 'pain' should go round.

Fight importation of fuel that will be more beneficial to the citizens than rice importation.... useless government

pawesome:
oga..it will make things more expensive like it is already.. Rice is almost 21k for a bag hia in the north from the supposed 16k... Noatter what they do, there will be smuggling because the system is corrupt

What a poor and defeatist mindset. Why dont you fix the corruption issue?

urahara:


Many Nigerians don't " refuse " to consume local rice.they go for foreign ones because they are way cheaper. It's not by force for a country to produce everything.The u.s with all their level of advancement still imports coffee ,honey and live animals. Of what use does buying expensive rice benefit the impoverished masses.

We can produce rice.