Soni Ehi Asuelimen
Most times, we seem to be carried away by dissipating too much time on
mundane issues than on substance. This is why the lies of two ministers
over claim that Thailand is shutting down most of its rice milling plants
because of the brazen lie that tremendous local rice production is
responsible. We were expected to applaud the Mohammadu Buhari
administration for the phantom miracle. I know some have decided to ignore
the propaganda lies of APC administration. But that could be a fatal
error. Lies serially repeated can suffocate truth and be erroneously
perceived as truth over time.
Agriculture minister Audu Ogbe said recently that rice mills in Thailand
from where most of imported rice comes from were closing shop because of
Buharis bogus rice production success. The information minister Lai
Mohammed followed quickly by telling that Thailand was begging to
establish rice mills in Nigeria to help mill Nigerias phantom surplus
rice.
However, the Thailand ambassador to Nigeria shunned diplomatic niceties to
deny the claim of Audu Ogbe, explaining that he never in the wildest
imagination uttered such claim in his discussion with the Agric minister.
Statistics easily accessible show rice mills in Thailand are doing well
and creating jobs from the failure of Nigeria to improve domestic rice
production to feed teeming population and create jobs. If Ogbes
foundation was a lie, then Mohammeds building crashes. Sadly, the two
ministers are above 70 years old, grandfathers. What lesson to children?
For this international embarrassment, for which no rejoinder to the
ambassadors denial has come forth, the two ministers still their jobs
under a confessed sleeper Buhari.
It is this kind of official lie that misled government since 1978 to
restrict rice importation, amongst other edible commodities, to fill the
serious gap in domestic production. Yet for 40 years of restricting rice
import, and encouraging massive smuggling nationwide via prohibitive
tariff and levies, domestic rice production has not improved beyond 40
percent of domestic demand.
Briefcase rice producers have cashed into the official deceit. They
propose to federal government to provide land for them to grow rice, but
ask for import duty waivers to import rice to fill the shortfall. Twenty
years after government conceded, the briefcase farmers are yet to produce
rice in Nigeria, but are making killing profits importing rice, enjoying
import duty waivers and undercutting domestic rice producers who dont
enjoy government assistance.
Under the Jonathan administration, several of these rice importers
shortchanged government by not paying or underpaying taxes to the tune of
several hundreds of billions of Naira. Since then, nothing has been
reported on government forcing the rice importers, largely foreign
companies, to pay up on dodged taxes, a criminal offence, or any sanction
imposed for slapping government laws and policies on import quota
limitation.
In fact, the Buhari administration is detested today because of two policy
actions, namely dramatic petrol pricehike from N97 to N145 per litre in
one swoop and the sudden and devastating devaluation of the Naira that saw
one dollar trading for up to N500, down now to N360 from N100 during
Jonathan administration. The policy inspired by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), swallowed ignorantly and navely by Buhari, has provoked
massive inflation, devaluation of living conditions, massive factory
shutdowns and unemployment so much there is palpable anger in the land and
the confused illiterate government is confounded on what to do.
Riding on the crest of popular people support that enthroned him, I had
thought Buhari would reverse the failed food import restrictions by
General Obasanjo in 1978 as military head of state, continued mindlessly
by other administrations. We ban or restrict importation of basic food
items (rice, frozen fish, meat, poultry) we cannot produce and allow the
people to suffer nutritional deficiencies, ill health, short life span,
low productivity. While Nigeria and Buhari administration continue with
primitive agric methods of roaming cattle rearing, African nation,
Botswana, here has three million cows, produced through ranching, for
300,000 human population and exports the excess processed production to
the United States of America. So, what makes it impossible for the dumb
Northern states and federal government to ranch cattle and process into
finished frozen products and containerized to Lagos and other urban
markets? About 100 cows processed can fit into one 40 feet refrigerated
container. Is this not better than walking 100 lean and emaciated cows
from Sokoto to Lagos, a distance of over 1000 kilometers, what can
comfortably fit into one container?
What grieves me most is that the dumb and unprepared dummy politicians
thrown up for political office continue to repeat old errors and expect
right results. Regrettably, dumb and similarly greedy electorate vote them
back into power, as we are about doing again and again to continue the
vicious circle of cluelessness. Lord have mercy!
Lest we forget, the West African Rice Development Association had about 15
years ago identified 47 varieties of rice that can be cropped all year
round, three or four times a year, suitable for all types of land: swamp,
dry, upland and lowland. So, there is no excuse. With irrigation, all
season production is feasible and possible. Why do we continue to live in
stone age using and being contented with primitive subsistence farming and
still expecting elusive food self-sufficiency and security?
For[SP1][SP2]instance, the Customs department has in the past 12 years
demonstrated the futility of continuing with the regime of food import
restrictions and prohibitive tariff when local production hardly covers 50
percent demand. Republic of Benin ports and economy are booming because
of Nigerian importers trying to dodge inefficient seaports administration
on discharge of cargoes, oppressive import duty and levies on restricted
food items all of which have made smuggling to thrive, with smugglers
ready to die in face off with the Customs than die in installments from
joblessness. What is the sense in buying a bag of from India for N1000 and
paying N1600 import duty and levy bringing landing cost to N2600 (six
years ago) when the same bag via Republic of Benin attracts N300 duty,
thereby making smuggling attractive and inevitable.
The Customs had in the past years counseled the federal government to
slash oppressive taxes and levies in order to reduce the attraction for
smuggling and reduce the casualty of men killed in confrontation with
smugglers nationwide. Sadly, we have a government that listens only to the
selfish advice of political businessmen who produce political and
propaganda rice than the real stuff. How long can we continue using failed
policies and expect success results?
Asuelimen wrote viasoniasuelimen@yahoo.com(