The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has relased 247 truckloads of food items worth billions of naira for distribution to Nigerians in order to soothe pains caused by the lockdown.
Joseph Attah, Customs’ Spokesman explained that the items valued at N3.250 billion with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N2billion was released from warehouse on the order of the President, adding they have been certified for public consumption by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Contained in the truckloads are: 158 trailer load of rice estimated at 46,000 metric tonnes, 30 trucks of vegetable oil with 36,495 units of 25 litre kegs, and 3,428 kegs of palm oil.
Others are 54 trucks containing 136,705 cartons of tomatoes paste, 2,951 cartons of spaghetti and 1,253 packets of noodles, 828 bales of wrappers (Ankara) and 2,300 rolls of lace fabric.
Attah said the items were those seized by the agency, clarifying that the provision of section 167(2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP C45 LFN 2004 says seized items upon condemnation and forfeiture to the Federal Government by a competent court of jurisdiction are kept in government warehouses pending government directive on its disposal.
“Accordingly, in compliance with the Presidential directive, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col, Hameed Ali (Rtd) has already approved the release of relief items to boost the Federal Government continuous efforts to alleviate sufferings associated with the painful but necessary ongoing lockdown in some parts of the country,” he noted.
As at the time of filing this report, locations and places where the items will be distributed are yet to be disclosed by the Customs.
Scooper had earlier reported that the President on Monday ordered the distribution of 150 trucks of rice seized by Customs to the 36 states of the Federation.
Ms. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, made the order known during a news conference in Abuja. The news conference was on the fiscal stimulus measures in response to COVID-19 pandemic and oil prices fiscal shock.
Ahmed said the seized trucks of rice had been handed over to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management for onward distributions to Nigerians.
She added that in addition to this, the President had also approved distribution of grains from strategic grain reserves across the country.
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