The Rice Ban: The Conspiracy You Need To Know About It!

So I decided to pay a visit to one of Nigeria's raw food business hub, the Iddo market where they sell rice in bulk at the depot. Iddo has a rail terminus built way back into time and it is also close to the Lagoon which makes it a market that attracts every living souls in the commerce industry of food trading in Nigeria and neighboring African countries. It is a place you don't want to miss when it comes to buying your grains (especially rice) in bulk and resell or supply other little suppliers and make good profits. Iddo depot as it is popularly called is a place to be. A very dirty place not minding the revenues it generates to the state and country, you see littered cooked foods all over the place, open drainage systems (the one popularly called gutters here) are being used as port of defecation. The bridge between the rice warehouses (terminus area and G'Cappa area) are occupied by food vendors and the deranged ones with young Mallams and commuter drivers as place of cohabiting whenever the need arises.

I choose to give this broad intro before I delve into the subject of discussion to prove a point. Iddo can be likened to Apapa too, a seaport area of Lagos that is supposed to be more beautiful than Victoria Island, Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi etc if you ask me, Apapa should be like Nigeria's New York because what this place generates into the coffers of the nation is mind boggling. Alas, Apapa is so badly planned that you think it is one giant ghetto. You see dirty drainage systems all round, pot holes all over the roads and huge trucks with big containers packed by the road sides and in the process causing traffic logjam.

Back to my intention, I had visited Iddo market to confirm some things about the mad increase in prices of local rice triggered by the closure of border against importation of foreign rice (Thailand, India, Brazil, Taiwan etc) knowing fully well that our annual local rice production (especially concentrated up North) is not sufficient enough to meet up with our annual local rice consumption. I prod further, why this closure of our borders and ban on rice? My first port of call was when iI was directed to see to see one Edo man who is into rice business at the terminus side of the market who on learning that I came purposely to buy rice in bulk especially the Thailand brand quickly changed towards me and said, "my brother there is no Thailand Rice anywhere and those who have it will not sell it to you because of fear it is better you go for the local ones" and I replied, "but I used to see the foreign ones around?" he just looked at me and said, "those ones are the ones they bought before the ban by Buhari". Many thoughts ran through my mind with the speed of light with each thought jostling for supremacy and justification but I did not budge to their attentions I only focused on one thing, which was "wrong timing". Oh yes, that is what it is and the truth and nothing but the truth. How can you close your border to a commodity you have not perfected ìts local production and profit maximization for the benefits of the nation and you expect a positive result?

After this assurance, another thought flashed through my mind immediately with a rider saying, "Rice Production Up North And The Futuristic Danger Of Pillaging The Agrarian Potentials Of The South", immediately, I got the memo as my mind asked me, copy that? What Nigerians must quickly get into their heads is this; President Buhari has proven beyond reasonable doubts that he is for a particular section of the country than for others and he is not pretending about it. The CBN Governor, Emefiele, is a classical example of a slavish Southerner being used by his Fulani overlords to plunder the wealth of this nation to forcefully develop the north. Right from the helipad at Katsina, the dry seaport at Kaduna, the directive from "above" to move seized containers from the south to up North with immediate effect, the billions of Naira donated by the CBN sometimes last month towards the north development and huge funds paid to rice millers who end up rebagging rice seized from Southern rice merchants in Lagos and down to opening of borders up north with little or no serious supervision like it was down south tells a lot.

My curiosity within prompted me to ask questions and I obeyed. I asked one young Alhaji from the North after exchanging pleasantries that I want to buy rice and it must be Thailand brand. The young man exclaimed, "aahhh Oga you no go fit see that one ooo because Baba (referring to Buhari) ordered the custom officers to even shoot anyone caught with a handful" to which I retorted, "are you saying custom are empowered to kill anyone with foreign rice?" and he said yes. I kept mute for a second and I continued, "but we no dey produce enough local rice now to meet up with wetin Nigeria dey consume every year", he replied, "kai my brother I just tire". He later introduced me to one of his friends, Kadiri, a very jovial and vocal dude, dark skinned with original dark brown teeth typical of Hausa chewing "goro constantly". He joined in the conversation and said, "walahi Baba no good here, he no suppose close the border because our people like the foreign rice better". I asked him why is he saying that, he replied, "the local rice is not too good because if you cook some, you will see it becoming white, full of stones, too dirty, tasteless and not rising but the foreign rice is sweeter and good to eat when you taste it". At this juncture I faced him and said, "but you vote for Buhari now so why you dey complain". He declined by saying he never did likewise his other friend, the young Alhaji, which made me to say, "but you be Fulani now" he said "babu Oga, I be Hausa ooo" this was echoed by the young Alhaji too.

After this lively discussions, I decided to move around the market to explore the wares within and I was shocked to notice that I couldn't set my eyes on any foreign rice except a 10kg pack of Rising Sun from Thailand out of the over 15 brands of local rice I saw at the market well displayed. I took time to ask questions ranging from prices (N15,000 to N16,000) to State of production (with Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna and Sokoto accounting for the States with the highest suppliers. It now dawned on me the conspiracy behind the over concentration of local rice milling factories up north when in actual fact rice paddies and plants can be encouraged and supported down south, a fact to this was the Ofada rice production plant and paddy grown and owned by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Senior Pastor, Kingsway International, in Ogun State not to mention the famous Abakaliki rice grown at Abakaliki in today's Ebonyi State way back in the late eighties not forgetting Anambra too and other fledgling rice milling plants down south neglected by federal government intervention funds under Buhari but only concentrated up North in order to make the north a force to rule over south in the areas of rice production without being challenged by the south rice potentials long neglected knowing fully well that we consume rice predominately as one of our popular foods in this part of the world.
Still on my findings, a lady trader of Yoruba extracts once narrated a sad tale that happened within the Iddo market complex on a certain day just last month (August) after the ban. She said that on that day, they had resumed like every other day only to meet with fierce looking soldiers and custom officers fully armed with sub machine guns blocking entrance to the market while some invaded the market forcing open locked shops without the owners in there and carting away sizable numbers of bags of rice and even went with trailer loads of rice only for this rice to be resold to some of the rice merchants of northern extraction at ridiculous prices, this was when the conspiracy to forcefully empower the north and consolidate the monopoly power of rice dominance within the country into their hands was further established within me. My research gave me the following local rice brands; Tomato King, Big Bull, Labana, NaijaSweetRice, Super Champion, Uncle Chef, Umza Classic Rice, Famous Rice, Lake Rice, Mama's Choice, Famco, Royal Stallion, Rising Sun (foreign), Mama Pride etc. Out of this, Tomato King, Big Bull, Lake Rice, Royal Stallion, Mama Pride and NaijaSweetRice were considered the best out of the packs.

As I took my leave to my destination, I ponder on what brought me here and I shook my head at the mental madness exhibited by the so-called Southern leaders against their people even in their own geographical location all the way from the north, when they should be defending the interests and economic survival of their people like an average northerner would do for his or her people. I can only imagine the damaging effects this conspiracy of silence from our southern leaders in the face of oppression has in stock in the not - too - far - distance. Nigeria is my country for now but it is very certain that we have a president that wants to tell us that this is not "Nigeria but Northern Nigeria"!

Ratello!

Cc: Lalasticlala

More pictures

As you rightly said, if Buhari is favouring the Northern part of Nigeria interms of rice production, what has the Southern Governors do concerning that?
Because the last time i check Buhari is not holding them to ransom? We are our problems in this part of Nigeria; until we come together, the North will continue to have that entitled way of life.

Hmmmmm

Their Nigeria is doomed.

Buhari won't stay longer than 3yrs+. This conspiracy of silence is to let him do all his doing which will be undone when the baton is changed.


Btw, OP you finish work here.

Ethnic sentiments will kill us in this country Chai!!!!

Did buhari stop any southern state from farming rice in commercial quantity then stopped the northern part from buying the said rice?
How then do you encourage our local farmers?
This Op prefer our country to be a dumping ground on things we can produce locally.
How do we grow our GDP?
How do we increase the value of our Naira?
What is stopping the southern states from going into partnership with her northern counterpart just as Lagos and kebbi state did?

Make your points more concise. It takes you way too long to establish the thesis for aguement. The background information should only be a paragraph. The conversation details you had about their voting isn't necessary.

How can you close your border to a commodity you have not perfected ìts local production and profit maximization for the benefits of the nation and you expect a positive result?

Lol everyone knows the price is going to jump. They're banking on increased production to meet supply. Im only expecting a shortage with raising cost and higher inflation in CPI. The chart below shows a strong correlation.

It now dawned on me the conspiracy behind the over concentration of local rice milling factories up north when in actual fact rice paddies and plants can be encouraged and supported down south,

I took time to ask questions ranging from prices (N15,000 to N16,000) to State of production (with Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna and Sokoto accounting for the States with the highest suppliers.

You told us northern states have highest supplies. Why's it suprising they would also have more integrated rice mills?

they should be defending the interests and economic survival of their people like an average northerner would do for his or her people.

Alot of Nigerians like these dumb economic policies. When the forex ban on food was announced you get half comments supporting move. Buhari banned items celebrated. Few people connect low growth and rising unemployment rate to these policies.

The OP only sees problems (largely due to his tribalism) without seeing the great solutions.

Anambra and Ebonyi are going to commercial rice farming.
In the 1980s in the present Osun State, only the elite families ate imported rice, the majority of the population ate rice locally produced within the State.
Why can't Osun repeat the feat with improved rice seeds, commercial and sophisticated Agricultural practice?

Ofada is a Town in Ogun State known for rice farming and their local rice is known and consumed all over the S/West but this burgeoning rice industry became comatose with the Advent of mass rice importation during the military rule.

The North has been farming rice several decades before this order was even put in place.....

The question here should be..... "what have the Southern leaders done to encourage rice production"?......

FG can as well help but the Southern leaders need to stimulate rice farming/production first.....


[...NB..... Ebonyi and Anambra states are doing something about rice production.... Other Southern states should also wake up]......

Well, you already said it at the beginning.. This is just conspiracy theory..

So Southern governors, senators, house of reps are also in align with Buhari?

This Una tribal way of thinking have to change oo before its too late

It's all Ruga Rice Biz. Buharinomics and Robin Hood's Tactics of levelling the South Economy with the Almajiris in the North.

Osinbajo is a Prof of Law and not of Economy. Can someone please beg him to recruit the Services of NOI in the Finance Ministry once more.

Ratello, I dont want to believe dementia has set in at such a young age!
IN THE BEGINNING, efforts by govt to encourage local rice production was termed a SCAM by you and your likes. Now that you have been shamed, you are now chanting a new incantation.
Continue, I love the confusionin the enemy's camp.

Who even eats rice sef?


Rice is for loosers.

Rice wey no dey bellefull person na it Nigerians dey fight over.

Onyenna:
The North has been farming rice several decades before this order was even put in place.....

The question here should be..... "what have the Southern leaders done to encourage rice production"?......

FG can as well help but the Southern leaders need to stimulate rice farming/production first.....


[...NB..... Ebonyi and Anambra states are doing something about rice production.... Other Southern states should also wake up]......

Fvvk Rice man,

What is wrong with encouraging/favouring local production at the expense of foreign products?

What exactly is the conspiracy here?

Are you saying NIGERIA is conspiring against Thailand by placing the importation ban on their products thereby supporting our local farmers and producers?

This poorly written incoherent piece is nothing but anger and disappointment over the economic growth and prosperity of the Northern part of this country.

All this doesn't really matter as long as we have rice in abundance and it's not too expensive, let all states go into rice production to feed it's denizens..The empty lands in some states is enough to go into agricultural farming but it's a lie the governors would prefer doing rubbish day in day out and that's why the country is so messed up always waiting on the federal government who mostly isn't lucid..

Charleys:


Fvvk Rice man,

Lmao!!

Ratello:
The Rice Ban: The Conspiracy You Need To Know About It!

So I decided to pay a visit to one of Nigeria's raw food business hub, the Iddo market where they sell rice in bulk at the depot. Iddo has a rail terminus built way back into time and it is also close to the Lagoon which makes it a market that attracts every living souls in the commerce industry of food trading in Nigeria and neighboring African countries. It is a place you don't want to miss when it comes to buying your grains (especially rice) in bulk and resell or supply other little suppliers and make good profits. Iddo depot as it is popularly called is a place to be. A very dirty place not minding the revenues it generates to the state and country, you see littered cooked foods all over the place, open drainage systems (the one popularly called gutters here) are being used as port of defecation. The bridge between the rice warehouses (terminus area and G'Cappa area) are occupied by food vendors and the deranged ones with young Mallams and commuter drivers as place of cohabiting whenever the need arises.

I choose to give this broad intro before I delve into the subject of discussion to prove a point. Iddo can be likened to Apapa too, a seaport area of Lagos that is supposed to be more beautiful than Victoria Island, Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi etc if you ask me, Apapa should be like Nigeria's New York because what this place generates into the coffers of the nation is mind boggling. Alas, Apapa is so badly planned that you think it is one giant ghetto. You see dirty drainage systems all round, pot holes all over the roads and huge trucks with big containers packed by the road sides and in the process causing traffic logjam.

Back to my intention, I had visited Iddo market to confirm some things about the mad increase in prices of local rice triggered by the closure of border against importation of foreign rice (Thailand, India, Brazil, Taiwan etc) knowing fully well that our annual local rice production (especially concentrated up North) is not sufficient enough to meet up with our annual local rice consumption. I prod further, why this closure of our borders and ban on rice? My first port of call was when iI was directed to see to see one Edo man who is into rice business at the terminus side of the market who on learning that I came purposely to buy rice in bulk especially the Thailand brand quickly changed towards me and said, "my brother there is no Thailand Rice anywhere and those who have it will not sell it to you because of fear it is better you go for the local ones" and I replied, "but I used to see the foreign ones around?" he just looked at me and said, "those ones are the ones they bought before the ban by Buhari". Many thoughts ran through my mind with the speed of light with each thought jostling for supremacy and justification but I did not budge to their attentions I only focused on one thing, which was "wrong timing". Oh yes, that is what it is and the truth and nothing but the truth. How can you close your border to a commodity you have not perfected ìts local production and profit maximization for the benefits of the nation and you expect a positive result?

After this assurance, another thought flashed through my mind immediately with a rider saying, "Rice Production Up North And The Futuristic Danger Of Pillaging The Agrarian Potentials Of The South", immediately, I got the memo as my mind asked me, copy that? What Nigerians must quickly get into their heads is this; President Buhari has proven beyond reasonable doubts that he is for a particular section of the country than for others and he is not pretending about it. The CBN Governor, Emefiele, is a classical example of a slavish Southerner being used by his Fulani overlords to plunder the wealth of this nation to forcefully develop the north. Right from the helipad at Katsina, the dry seaport at Kaduna, the directive from "above" to move seized containers from the south to up North with immediate effect, the billions of Naira donated by the CBN sometimes last month towards the north development and huge funds paid to rice millers who end up rebagging rice seized from Southern rice merchants in Lagos and down to opening of borders up north with little or no serious supervision like it was down south tells a lot.

My curiosity within prompted me to ask questions and I obeyed. I asked one young Alhaji from the North after exchanging pleasantries that I want to buy rice and it must be Thailand brand. The young man exclaimed, "aahhh Oga you no go fit see that one ooo because Baba (referring to Buhari) ordered the custom officers to even shoot anyone caught with a handful" to which I retorted, "are you saying custom are empowered to kill anyone with foreign rice?" and he said yes. I kept mute for a second and I continued, "but we no dey produce enough local rice now to meet up with wetin Nigeria dey consume every year", he replied, "kai my brother I just tire". He later introduced me to one of his friends, Kadiri, a very jovial and vocal dude, dark skinned with original dark brown teeth typical of Hausa chewing "goro constantly". He joined in the conversation and said, "walahi Baba no good here, he no suppose close the border because our people like the foreign rice better". I asked him why is he saying that, he replied, "the local rice is not too good because if you cook some, you will see it becoming white, full of stones, too dirty, tasteless and not rising but the foreign rice is sweeter and good to eat when you taste it". At this juncture I faced him and said, "but you vote for Buhari now so why you dey complain". He declined by saying he never did likewise his other friend, the young Alhaji, which made me to say, "but you be Fulani now" he said "babu Oga, I be Hausa ooo" this was echoed by the young Alhaji too.

After this lively discussions, I decided to move around the market to explore the wares within and I was shocked to notice that I couldn't set my eyes on any foreign rice except a 10kg pack of Rising Sun from Thailand out of the over 15 brands of local rice I saw at the market well displayed. I took time to ask questions ranging from prices (N15,000 to N16,000) to State of production (with Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna and Sokoto accounting for the States with the highest suppliers. It now dawned on me the conspiracy behind the over concentration of local rice milling factories up north when in actual fact rice paddies and plants can be encouraged and supported down south, a fact to this was the Ofada rice production plant and paddy grown and owned by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Senior Pastor, Kingsway International, in Ogun State not to mention the famous Abakaliki rice grown at Abakaliki in today's Ebonyi State way back in the late eighties not forgetting Anambra too and other fledgling rice milling plants down south neglected by federal government intervention funds under Buhari but only concentrated up North in order to make the north a force to rule over south in the areas of rice production without being challenged by the south rice potentials long neglected knowing fully well that we consume rice predominately as one of our popular foods in this part of the world.
Still on my findings, a lady trader of Yoruba extracts once narrated a sad tale that happened within the Iddo market complex on a certain day just last month (August) after the ban. She said that on that day, they had resumed like every other day only to meet with fierce looking soldiers and custom officers fully armed with sub machine guns blocking entrance to the market while some invaded the market forcing open locked shops without the owners in there and carting away sizable numbers of bags of rice and even went with trailer loads of rice only for this rice to be resold to some of the rice merchants of northern extraction at ridiculous prices, this was when the conspiracy to forcefully empower the north and consolidate the monopoly power of rice dominance within the country into their hands was further established within me. My research gave me the following local rice brands; Tomato King, Big Bull, Labana, NaijaSweetRice, Super Champion, Uncle Chef, Umza Classic Rice, Famous Rice, Lake Rice, Mama's Choice, Famco, Royal Stallion, Rising Sun (foreign), Mama Pride etc. Out of this, Tomato King, Big Bull, Lake Rice, Royal Stallion, Mama Pride and NaijaSweetRice were considered the best out of the packs.

As I took my leave to my destination, I ponder on what brought me here and I shook my head at the mental madness exhibited by the so-called Southern leaders against their people even in their own geographical location all the way from the north, when they should be defending the interests and economic survival of their people like an average northerner would do for his or her people. I can only imagine the damaging effects this conspiracy of silence from our southern leaders in the face of oppression has in stock in the not - too - far - distance. Nigeria is my country for now but it is very certain that we have a president that wants to tell us that this is not "Nigeria but Northern Nigeria"!

Ratello!

Cc: Lalasticlala

ethnic intellectual...with a poorly research write up...no research data to back up your imaginary claims ...the north has about 65 percent of land mass of Nigeria ...so by natural selection the arable farming land is there .....stallion rice owned by Indians and hold large farm in nassarawa state and several southerner work there as accountant,farm manager etc ....choscharis also own a farm and a mill ,and Anambra and ebony state .....so u want rice to grow in the gully erosion in south east or what ? THEN university of Nigeria can do a research on it ....u don't want in land port up north but to jam pack Lagos then logistic cost goes up...no body stops a southerner to buy farm in nassarawa state to produce rice ....u need to describ a northerner teeth in your crude ethnic driven research write up ( academic don't reason like that) Nigeria will not be a dumping ground get this inside your head

Won't be surprised if it's true...they are desperate to remain relevant. The onus lies on us to wise up

Good insight

This Op is half-baked. If you have your money, PMB has not stopped you importing rice into the country.

This is Nigeria

Afamed:
This Op is half-baked. If you have your money, PMB has not stopped you importing rice into the country.

He just did.

Charleys:


He just did.

He stopped you from smuggling rice into the country.

Smuggling and comsumption of foreign rice is detrimental to the nation's quest to move from over-dependence on crude oil and preserve our foreign exchange. Only smugglers are complaining.

Rice is currently being smuggled in waves in bros daylight in d northern borders and customs and d smugglers are all together in it... Golden Standard foreign rice retails for between 13k and 14500 in Katsina...

Hell!
Let the rat get out of your head for your own good!

Hell.

what you just saw and accounted for are real and true..,but funny enough, nairaland will never bring it to front page for all to see..l

Cars we cannot produce, Phones we cannot produce, even ordinary touchlight we cannot produce the only thing that government say let us produce is now conspiracy theory? The last time I even checked, rice is not the only food in Nigeria.

If rice is too expensive, go and develop one small plot and plant enough rice for you and your family, if we all do our own small small bit, rice will become sufficient.

FG should just solve the issue of security and falani herdsmen menace so that PDP will have nothing to campaign with. Security (which I suspect they have a hand in) is now the major weapon they have. They also use hardship but security is the major one.

Thought u will bring benefits of the closure of our borders but as usual u are jst an anti Buhari mugu who cares less for the well being of the country.

As for ur write up its Trash .

At this juncture I faced him and said, "but you vote for Buhari now so why you dey complain". He declined by saying he never did likewise his other friend, the young Alhaji, which made me to say, "[/b]but you be Fulani now"[b]

@the bolded revealed ur true colors