By David Orji
Thousands of residents of Lagos State trooped to the Nigerian Customs Service command office in Lagos on Friday to buy the N10,000 rice sold by the services.
The service had announced that it would commence the sale of rice confiscated from smugglers in different parts of the country at give away prices.
Many who trooped to the Office of the service at the Onike area of Yaba were seen loitering around as others went into to premises to tender their N10,000 with their NIN for one bag of rice.
The sale of the rice is part of the strategic moves by the Federal Government to lessen the impact of the sudden rise in the prices of food in the country.
A bag of rice as at Friday stood about between N80,000 and N90,000.
The food crisis in the country has created tension with many protesting against hunger.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had earlier announced that his organisation was set to sell rice through its offices nationwide .
According to the statement, sales will be conducted at the Service’s Zone ‘A’ Headquarters on Harvey Road in Yaba. With vulnerable Nigerians set to buy a 25kg bag for N10,000
He said: “The trend of essential food items being smuggled out of the country is alarming and poses a severe threat to our food security. We have secured approval from the government to dispose of seized food items, primarily rice, at a subsidized rate of N10,000 per bag to eligible Nigerians.
“Some of the items to be sold include 20,000 bags of assorted grains (Rice, beans, Maize, Guinea corn, millet, soybeans; 2,500 cartons and 963 bags of dried fish; dried pepper, tomatoes, cooking oil, Maggi, Macaroni, salt, sugar, and garri.”
Stating that prospective beneficiaries must possess a genuine National Identity Number (NIN), he added that the campaign’s target categories include Nigerians living in the operational regions who are Craftsmen, Teachers, Nurses, and religious organizations.
Revealing that NCS had put in place comprehensive measures to boost security protocols throughout the process, Adeniyi asserted that the intention of the exercise was to reach out directly to the public through these organized structures, ensuring the maximum impact of this exercise was achieved, as well as the security and integrity of the initiative.
“Our officers will be closely monitoring the entire supply chain to prevent any misuse or diversion of the food items.