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By Steve Agbota
Maritime stakeholders have decried the Federal Government’s failure to implement the zero food import policy three months after its announcement.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had approved the implementation of zero percent duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on selected basic food items, with the policy slated to run between July 15 and December 21, 2024.
According to the guidelines, the items on which the policy was to be implemented are; husked brown rice, grain sorghum, millet, maize, wheat, and beans are items qualified to benefit from the policy.
Clearing agents and importers who spoke with Daily Sun said that the purpose of the initiative has been defeated due to the conditions attached to its take off.
Daily Sun learnt that the delay in implementing the policy is as a result of the Federal Ministry of Finance’s inability to publish a list of importers qualified to participate in the process as required by the guidelines earlier issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in August.
When Daily Sun contacted the National Public Relations of the Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, he said the role of Customs, as an agency of government is to implement government policies.
“We have issued a guideline based on the approval of the federal ministry of finance. So it does not lie on Customs alone. There are other variables that involve importation of items. So if someone has fulfilled the requirements and we have a letter showing the approval, as a responsible agency, we are bound to implement that policy or directive,” he said.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the former acting President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Kayode Farinto, said the government realised that Nigerians should have food and rolled out the initiative but the implementation has been bastadised.
He said the intention of the government to have food in surplus is already defeated, saying there won’t be food except government now gives a directive expressively stating that every Nigerian can bring in food.
“I predicted that after three months there won’t be food. Do we have the food now? No! The reason is because of the criteria given. The intention of the government is to cushion the effect of hunger but it has been bastardised.
“I just traveled abroad, I saw food stuff, ordinarily I would have brought it in a container but I can’t bring it in. They said if you don’t have milling company you cannot import.
“I predicted it. I said at the end of 90 days, there won’t be food and there is no food now. You can go to the port now and see if there is any food item. It is a 90-day window and we have hunger in the land. With N1000, you cannot feed yourself again. Government says let’s bring in the food and after 90 days we close the window,” he said.
An importer of wheat, Emeka Offor, said, “How long will it take the ministry to implement the policy and give Customs the directives to kick off the exercise?
“Up till now, the ministry has not been able to give the list of importers or companies who are qualified for this initiative. In the next two months, the period giving to the policy to operate will elapse. Our hopes are dashed already.”
According to him, the prices of foodstuffs cannot come down soon since the government has failed in its first policy to bring down the price of commodities in the market.
He said inflation would continue to rise while Naira will continue to fall against dollars, saying government has failed to curb the ongoing food crisis in the country.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the President of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said that what the Nigerian government is not doing what other governments are doing in other countries.
He said the ministry of finance and the rest of them are not serious, saying the government and the ministry of finance is playing politics with people’s life.
“Most of the people coming into government now, don’t understand how government is being run. They should stop playing politics with people’s life. It is people’s life that going down. There is need to sit down and revive the economy. Government should sit back and be serious,” he said.
He said there is need for them to sit down and see how they can address the issue in order to ease the tension in the country.
