The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on
Monday said that the nation’s land borders would remain closed until
neighbouring countries agree to implement mutual anti-smuggling policies.
Emefiele said this after he met with President Muhammadu
Buhari in Aso Rock.
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It can be recall that Nigeria had closed its land borders since August, in order to curb smuggling of goods into the country.
Emefiele told State House correspondents after the
closed-door meeting that Nigerian rice and poultry farmers have particularly
benefitted from the border closure.
He said they (farmers) have been able to sell off
accumulated produce, hitherto hindered by illegal importation and smuggling of
the items into the country.
The CBN governor said “In November 2015 President Muhammadu
Buhari, the CBN and some state governors went to Kebbi State to launch the Wet
Season Rice Farming. Since then, we have seen an astronomical growth in the
number of farmers who have been going into rice farming and our paddy
production has gone up also quite exponentially.
“Between 2015 and also now, we have also seen an
astronomical rise in the number of companies, corporate and individuals that
are setting up mills, integrated mills and even small mills in various areas.
“We have been embarking on a programme where we are saying
if you are involved in the business of smuggling or dumping of rice in the
country, we close your account in the banking industry. And that is very
effective.
“Recently, and this is the absolute truth, about two weeks
before the border closure, the chairman of the Rice Processors Association –
incidentally, he owns Umza Rice in Kano – called me and said that all the rice
millers and processors are carrying in their warehouses nothing less than
25,000 metric tons of milled rice.
“This rice has been unsold because of the smuggling and
dumping of rice through Republic of Benin and other border posts that we have
in the country and that he would want us to do something about it.
“Secondly, we also have members of the Poultry Association
of Nigeria who complained that they have thousands of crates of eggs that they
could not sell; even some of the processed chickens that they could not sell,
also arising from smuggling and dumping of poultry products into Nigeria.
“A week after the borders were closed, the same rice millers
association called to tell us that all the rice that they had in their
warehouses have all been sold.”