Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has alleged that female dairy hawkers, known to sell yoghurt made from cow milk and millet, have been supplying drugs to bandits.

He made the allegation while receiving Sheikh Ahmad Gummi-led Bandits Repentance Initiative (S-GULBAR Initiative) in Sokoto on Saturday.

To buttress his point, the governor shared an experience he once had with one of his counterparts.

“A counterpart of mine, a serving governor once narrated to me an incident. He told me that he once visited a hamlet and wanted to patronize local women coming back from the market where they had gone to hawk dairy products and stuff.

“When he called out on them, one of them ran away. He asked what was the problem and was told that she wasn’t carrying dairy products in her calabashes but drugs.

“My colleague told me that much of the drugs used by the kidnappers and violent marauders get to them in this way.

“For this reason, we must act to overcome this menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. Otherwise, we will only end up killing the snake without severing its head. We should also be mindful of the role that drugs play in fueling banditry and other vices,” he said.

The Governor emphasized that Islam is a religion of peace and propagating this would assist in “salvaging our brethren who were neck deep in this unfortunate trade of kidnapping, Boko Haram and wanton destruction of lives and property”.

He commended the S-GULBAR Initiative for its vision of salvaging budding talents being wasted as terrorists in the North and pledged to assist it.

“This noble mission that you have embarked upon is timely, commendable and is what we as state government should support so as to ensure that peace and prosperity return to our domains,” he added.

Recalling the golden era of Islamic excellence “when, according to one of the Sultans of Sokoto a woman could trek from Sokoto up to Cameroun without being accosted or molested by anyone,” Tambuwal added: “The subterranean moves by some shadow parties to trivialize these issues and turn them into ethnic and religious ones will not help us at all as a nation.

“The truth of the matter is that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes have injuriously wronged all manner of people- those of their ethnicity, tribes, religion and all manner of affiliations. They do not select who their victims should be. They are just bunch of wayward characters who bonded themselves into groups and camps to carry out their nefarious activities.”

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of S-GULBAR Initiative, Sheikh Gumi, noted that if the situation of insecurity in the Northern part of Nigeria is “left unchecked and leaders and followers are not united, it won’t augur well for the region and the country; and, “will engender chaos and disunity.”

“This is why we decided to come and meet ‘the physicians’ who have the requisite prescriptions on how to tackle this malady,” the Islamic scholar, who later held a closed door meeting with Gov. Tambuwal, said.

“God willing, if we all cooperate in our different ways and capacities, we shall overcome these problems. That is why we are here.”

The group also met separately with the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, at his palace.

The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (Rtd) has said he owes no one explanation over his recent appointment as one of the non-career ambassadors.

Buratai disclosed this while speaking with journalists after a special gala night organised for him by members of the 29th Regular Course Association of the Nigerian Defense Academy in Abuja on Saturday.

Buratai and other Service Chiefs “voluntarily resigned” their positions on 26 January 2021, after months of calls for their sack following a spate of insecurity in different parts of the country, especially in the northeast, and the seeming failure of the security agencies to contain it.

Buhari had immediately appointed Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff as replacements.

However, the President released a list of nominees as non-career ambassadors of the country on 4 February 2021, just nine days after their resignation as Service Chiefs.

Consequently, the leading opposition party in the country, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), kicked against the move, calling on the President to withdraw the list.

In a statement by the spokesman of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP described the appointment as a plot to shield the ex-Service Chiefs from investigation over the “killing of innocent Nigerians and crimes against humanity” under their inglorious watch.

PDP also charged the Senate to eschew all partisan considerations and stand on the side of the people.

However, while responding to a question from our reporter, Buratai said he would not respond to the PDP’s statement, insisting that he is not a politician.

He said: “It’s an honourable retirement and also an honourable appointment.

“I’m not a politician, so I have no word for the opposition.”

‘I have done well’

He said he stood out while in charge as the country’s Chief of Staff, saying: “I am happy that in July last year, my officers at the Army headquarters compiled a compendium of my achievements.

“In fact, I can’t even remember all the projects that we have executed. Is it in term of infrastructure? Is it in term of capacity building? Is it in terms of training?

“Since I was appointed, there was never a dull moment in terms of training.

“Remember the various exercises, these are training exercises from ‘Python dance’, ‘Crocodile smile’, and even the latest one ‘Exercise Sahel Sanity’.

“Is it in the area of medical? In terms of education of our children and wards, the Nigerian Army University are all great achievements.

“I think you can write volumes and volumes of books in terms of the achievements depending on the perspectives you want to take.”

Buratai said the impacts of his efforts as the Chief of Army Staff may not be felt immediately.

He, however, insisted that the country would be having highly qualified officers in the next five to 10 years, “who can carry this military profession to higher heights.”

The honour

Speaking of the gala night staged in his honour, Buratai said it showed that he did well as the country’s Chief of Army Staff.

“It feels great [to be celebrated by my colleagues] at this point in time.

“It means a lot to me in terms of respect, in term of the show of love.

“It’s something of pride that you have been recognised for the service you have rendered to your nation and people,” he said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to speak out on President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to go back on their party’s campaign promise of implementing an administrative restructuring for better governance of the country.

The PDP also tasked the APC leaders to respond to their members in the senate who, through their spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru, have declared that restructuring, as promised by APC, is only a “slogan.”

The Presidency had on Thursday, asked prominent Nigerians agitating for restructuring of the country to channel their demands to the National Assembly.

But the opposition party in a statement on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, asked the APC bigwigs to give clarifications on the “revelation” that neither the APC nor its leaders had submitted any memorandum for the promised restructuring and devolution of power upon which they rode to power in 2015.

“The PDP calls out APC leaders including its Caretaker Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni; its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Governor Nasir el-Rufai, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed among others, to speak out on Mr President’s recent declaration on restructuring as well as the position of the senate.

“Our party holds that the inaction of the APC in the face of the dismissive declaration by the Buhari presidency that Nigerians, who they had promised restructuring, should now channel their demands to the National Assembly, only goes to further validate the assertions among Nigerians that the APC is a deceptive power-grabbing platform, which is not interested in governance or fulfilling its promises to Nigerians.

“It is very disappointing that almost six years after riding to power on the promise of restructuring, the Buhari Presidency has made no concrete effort towards forwarding an executive bill to the National Assembly on the matter; only to now ask Nigerians to carry their burden to the legislative houses, ” part of the statement said.

But efforts to get the APC officials’ comments proved abortive as they didn’t respond to calls or text messages sent to them at the time of filing this report.

* Fear grips processors, growers want govt intervention
* We’ve seized thousands of bags – Customs
* Nemesis catching up with millers – Experts

Imported rice has flooded Nigerian markets despite the ban imposed on the product by the federal government to encourage local production and self-sufficiency, Daily Trust reports. Findings have revealed that the recent reopening of some land borders has aggravated the illegal importation of the commodity.

Stakeholders in the value chain, including local processors and growers, have expressed dismay over the development, saying it would reverse the gains recorded in the last few years.

However, some observers have blamed millers for mopping up paddy rice and processing it in piecemeal, to attract more profit, thereby sabotaging the effort of the federal government in making rice affordable to Nigerians.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in December, 2020, directed that the four borders that were closed in 2019 be reopened. Some traders told our correspondents that even while the border closure lasted, the commodity was a common sight in almost every shop.

The new trend is now a source of worry not only to processors who are struggling to compete with their counterparts abroad in terms of quality, but also growers who are apprehensive that if the trend continues, they may be forced out of business.

Situation in states Lagos

Reports from Lagos along the Mile 2 Badagry Expressway up to the Daleko Rice Market revealed a remarkable presence of foreign rice. The product is being illegally imported from the neighbouring Benin Republic before being repackaged for distribution to different parts of the country.

The centres for rebagging are opposite the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (ACOED), Iyana-Era; the Igbolerin Junction by Jolag; and the Alaba Rago Market, all along the Mile 2- Badagry Expressway.

At these centres, smugglers, mainly women, bring in foreign rice in small bags which they repackage in bigger ones for onward distribution.

At the Igbolerin Junction, one of the smugglers told our correspondent, who disguised as a customer, that they ferried the rice from Benin Republic into Nigeria through unapproved routes near the Seme Border after paying tokens to urchins known as “crossers”.

The smuggler explained that, “It is the crossers who will then bring the rice to J-5 Park at Seme, from where they are handed over to their owners. At J-5 Park, owners are charged by the bus drivers according to quantity. It costs at least N2,000 to transport a bag of rice from Seme to the Alaba Rago Market.”

At the Rago market, which is a big distribution point for foreign rice, merchants said the profit they got far outweighed what they got from local rice and our reporter saw foreign rice in bags with local names aimed to beat customs officers.

According to a Ketu-based marketer, Khadija Amar, Nigerian rice is no longer selling, saying many people have lost interest in consuming it.

Amar said, “A bag of local rice which we ought to sell at over N20,000 is now being sold at N17,500. Some of us have N3,000 shortage, and for others, it’s N4,000. So we prefer to deal in foreign rice. Another dealer, Miss Ibeh Mary Abigail, said, “We have foreign rice everywhere in the market because it moves faster than local rice.”

Rivers

Reports from Port Harcourt in Rivers State showed that many markets and shops now have large quantities of foreign rice in stock. At the Mile 1, Mile 3, Borokiri, New Road, Oyigbo and Eleme markets, foreign brands of rice are gradually taking over the markets and are openly displayed without any challenge.

A trader at Mile 1 who pleaded anonymity, said the rice was brought in from Lagos and Calabar.

Plateau

In Plateau State, our correspondent who visited the Yankwalli Market reported that foreign rice had flooded the market with many shop owners displaying it unchallenged.

Aminu Mubi, a dealer in the market, told Daily Trust that although there was foreign rice in the market even before the ban on border was lifted, the product was flooding the market now and threatening local rice.

Mubi explained that, “When the border was closed the price of a bag reached N27,000, but it has dropped to N23,000, and there is a possibility that it will drop further.”

Kano

In some supermarkets in Kano, foreign rice is now freely on display unlike in previous months, but the price has dropped. At the Singer Commodity Market, a 50kg bag of foreign rice is now selling at N23,500 instead of N26,000.

A dealer at the market, Sanusi Hassan, said, “The local rice is now endangered as people prefer to buy foreign rice which is sold at almost the same price as the local rice.”

Hassan added that, “Government must do something to salvage the situation and protect the local industry.”

Abuja

A visit to some markets in Abuja indicated that foreign rice is still sold in large quantities with traders displaying it outside their stalls.

A trader at the Wuse Market, Agatha Ezekiel, said she sold a bag of foreign rice at N26,000 and local rice at N19,500.

Katsina

In Katsina, our reporter observed an influx of foreign rice, but some of the traders said it had nothing to do with the recent border reopening, as Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic at Jibia, Kwangwalam and Mai’adua were still closed.

A trader, Tasiu Sani, said, “All our goods are old stock and that is what we are selling.”

Daily Trust gathered that the goods come in piecemeal on daily basis through bush paths under the name “Hatsin Hajiya” in which a bag is divided into three to pass checkpoints.

Growers lament

Some rice farmers said they watched with dismay the resurfacing of foreign rice in many markets across the country despite the effort to sustain local drive. Abdullahi Lapai from Niger State attributed the ugly situation to the activities of smugglers, who he said were gradually having a free time following the border reopening. Lapai said, “If the local processors are unable to sell their produce, it will affect the price of paddy, which will in turn discourage local farmers from more production.”

The National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, said bringing in foreign rice would draw the country back from the gains made so far.

According to him, smuggling does not really happen often unless it is aided by law enforcement agents and the citizenry. Ibrahim said, “If there is any contraband displayed in a shop and it is freely sold, then it goes beyond government and the officers charged with border control. The entire citizenry must stand against it for it to stop.”

Processors on edge

A rice processor, Alhaji Nasiru Yahaya, raised alarm that many local processors were in shock following the influx of foreign rice, adding that the situation was affecting local producers.

Alhaji Yahaya further said most of the processors borrowed money to invest when the government announced the country’s rice sufficiency drive.

He explained that, “This is not about us only, millions of direct and indirect jobs will be lost if local brands are relegated to the previous position.”

A small holder miller in Sabon Wuse, a Niger State community along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, Nuru Jiya, said the volume of local rice sales had reduced drastically following the presence of foreign rice in many shops.

‘Nemesis catching up with processors’

An agriculturist, Ibrahim Kunle, said although there was the need for relevant authorities to check any form of smuggling, local rice processors should get no one’s sympathy, noting that they were the architects of the current hike in the price of local brands. Kunle alleged that, “We all know when some of these processors are deliberately causing artificial scarcity of local brands with the aim of hiking price.

“What they do is to mop up paddy from farmers and store them instead of milling them and selling. This is causing serious concerns even to the government.”

Another agriculturist, Mallam Audu Ishak, said, “These people will go and take money from the government, promising heaven, but let me tell you, they are part of the problem, and thank God government is now realising that.”

A stakeholder who craved anonymity, said government was being careful in giving money to some of the processors because of the way some of them betrayed agreements.

Although these claims against the processors have not been confirmed, a source at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture told our reporter that government was concerned about the continued rise in the price of local rice despite the huge effort and resources being committed to rice production in the country.

The Director General of the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Andy Ekwelem, promised to get back to our reporter when a call was put across to him but did not up to the time of filing this report.

What should be done – Experts

Experts in the sector want relevant security outfits to intensify border patrol to further check the activities of smugglers.

Mathew Inawole, an agric economist, said effective border control would go a long way in reducing the volume of foreign rice crossing into the country, adding that there should be a total clampdown on those selling the foreign brands as they were contraband.

Mallam Abdullahi Baba, an agriculturist, said government should orientate the citizens on the dangers involved in eating some smuggled items.

Customs react

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone A, Theophilus Sunita, in a telephone interview, said the zone, as an enforcement unit of NCS in charge of Lagos and Ogun states, had always been on top of its game.

Sunita said several thousands of bags of foreign rice had been seized by operatives from the zone from diehard smugglers.

He added that, “However, we rely on members of the public to avail us with useful and timely information.”

We’re working with security agencies to clamp down on smugglers – CBN

Responding to the allegation that rice millers could not successfully bring down the price of the commodity because the apex bank had collected the loans given to them, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) acting Director, Corporate Communication, Osita Nwanisobi, said, “Rice millers are not funded under the Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) as the programme is to encourage production by smallholder farmers.”

Nwanisobi explained that, “The bank established the Paddy Aggregation Scheme (PAS) to provide working capital requirement for rice millers to off-take paddy during the peak season and help moderate prices during peak and off-peak seasons.

“The PAS is a short-term facility that allows millers to mop up paddy at harvest and control a significant stock that can guarantee production during the off-peak season. The millers are also qualified to access the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) to finance their operations.”

On disbursements, he said, “N321.96bn has been disbursed to 1,709,249 farmers that cultivated 1,830,511 hectares in 36 states and the FCT as of end of 2020.”

On paddy rice hoarding, Nwanisobi said, “The news of paddy hoarding by millers has been going round since November 2020, and the bank has actively engaged the millers and measures have been taken to sanction defaulters.”

He added that, “Our holistic strategy is to enhance efficiency along the value chain and facilitate seamless transition of paddy from the farmers to the millers. The CBN has also requested beneficiaries of the ABP to repay the loan using output of their farms so that millers can have access to paddy quickly.”

He reiterated that, “The CBN has been working with security agencies and fiscal authorities to clamp down on smugglers and the effects of those collaborations will be felt in the market in the shortest possible time.”

A private firm, SecureID, has the concession to manage the Abuja-Kaduna e-ticketing platform for 10 years and recoup up to N900 million before handing over to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NCR).

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this on Wednesday during the official launch of the e-ticketing platform held virtually.

The minister said the online ticketing which marks the beginning of automation of ticket sales in all major stations in Abuja- Kaduna train service is in line with global world best practices and will enhance efficiency, save time, promote accountability, reduce ticket racketeering, reduce leakage and promote economic growth.

The Minister further stated that it is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) valued at N900 million of which the concessionaire ( SecureID) will provide, then run the facility for 10 year to recoup its investment before reverting ownership to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Board, NRC, Ibrahim Alhassan Musa , said that the e- ticketing solution finally brings to an end the persistent allegation of ticket racketeering at the train Station.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Secure ID Solutions, Kofo Akinkugbe, the launch heralds the nation’s entry into the new age of multi- model ticketing in public transportation while allowing for passengers convenience, efficiency and accountability for operators and provide data for government for better decision making.

Kofo further stated that the e- ticketing solution after a successful pilot program as of Thursday has issued 25,000 tickets online and informed intending commuters on the Abuja – Kaduna rail corridor to assess the e – ticketing solution online.

According to her, all solutions offer a increased customer experience such as convenient ticket purchase 24 hours a day, seat selection, secure online payments, no physical interaction amongst others.

Suspected bandits on Thursday stormed Nahuche village in Bungudu local government area of Zamfara state and abducted residents including women.

Residents told our correspondent that the armed men stormed the village and started firing shots in the air.

“We were all scared and there was pandemonium in the community as everyone was running helter-skelter. The armed criminals came on motorbikes but stationed them at the outskirts of the community and marched into the village”

“We can’t give the exact number of people kidnapped now but some of our women were among the victims and we have alerted the security operatives to go after them,” a resident said.

Meanwhile, governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle said he received a text message concerning the attack.

Matawalle spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau.

Buhari orders speedy response

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Major-General Babagana Monguno to coordinate an immediate response to rising cases of bandit attacks on communities in Zamfara State.

President Buhari, in a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Garba Shehu, ordered that there must be a clear pathway to ending the resurgent banditry that had continued to cost lives and the displacement of thousands of families from their towns and villages.

The statement recalled that the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Hon. Nasir Magarya, recently wrote a letter in which he appealed to President Buhari to intervene and stop the incessant killings by bandits in the State.

In this respect, the presidential spokesman said a meeting will soon to take place that will deliberate on security and the issue of illegal mining fueling the crisis in Zamfara State.

He said that aside the NSA, the meeting will also be attended by retired Major-General Bashir Magashi, Ogbeni Ra’uf Aregbesola and Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, Ministers of Defence, Interior, and Mines and Steel respectively.

He added that the meeting will also be attended by the Directors-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The presidency said that beyond the problems of bandits and cattle rustlers, the scale of lawlessness has been aggravated by illegal miners who are harvesting resources they have no legal rights to exploit.

It said official statistics suggest that there are more than 20,000 such miners undermining this important part of the economy, operating in a manner that is extraordinarily harmful and destructive, stressing that “the result is chaos”.

The Presidency said the meeting is expected to address these and associated issues of corruption, government oversight and lawlessness.