Land borders closure, see what RIFAN says will happen if President Buhari……..

From RT-LT – Nat. President RIFAN Mallam Aminu Goronyo, Nat. Organizing Secr. Alh. Wodi Muhamadu, MD New Nigeria Comm. Marketing Company, Abubakar Musa, Chief Livinus Ngawangwa (JP) and others.

The National President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Mallam Aminu Goronyo has promised that his members would not hesitate to vote out President Buhari if he decided not to effect the decision on banning imported rice through the land borders saying Nigeria has got no gain expending   five million dollar on rice import daily.

In his office at the top hill of Maitama, Abuja, RIFAN President, Goronyo with some of his members commended the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for the spirited effort he has exhibited in repositioning the agricultural sector especially in the backward integration of rice productivity which he said has positively impacted in reducing import deficit being incurred daily, and thereby promised a protest against any opposition to the decision. 

Mallam Goronyo said that the association would support the Nigeria Custom and any other in the fight against any smuggler that insisted on violating the closure decision of the Federal Government by the time it is finally effected to curb smuggling and importation through illegal routes.

The RIFAN President while responding to the question whether his association has got the capacity to produce enough paddy for millers to feed the nation said that this present administration has experienced high foreign exchange that had made rice importers to be running at a high loss, and this thereby pointed to the fact that the local rice farmers have been the ones feeding the nation. He stressing that the farmers’ present production level was a good evidence of farmers’ capacity to feed the nation.

His response with Food Farm News read thus “No Nigerian rice importer has the capacity to import rice into Nigeria with the view of make profit going by the rate of a dollar to Naira in the country. You know if you buy the foreign rice, you will sell at a loss. No one will want to engage in such business venture, so  If this has been the case it means that the rice we have been eating are being grown locally by our farmers. Therefore we have more than enough capacity to produce more than enough rice for Nigerians to eat. So the plan to close the land borders by the government is a welcome idea. The RIFAN welcomes the idea, it is a good development and we are going to defend the move. Sincerely speaking anybody that attempts to say no to this will be protested against.

 Seriously, even if President Buhari today says he has revised his decision to let rice come into the country through the land border, then we will protest against it. We will protest against him, and he will loss his votes, no more vote for him, and we will vote him out.  So we support the border closure and we are ready to defend it”

It means the rice association will join the custom in the struggle with smugglers?

Of course, not only the Nigeria Custom Service, we will join anybody who is ready to defend the borders’ closure, and it is only the enemies of this country that will say they do not welcome the idea “

Meanwhile some Nigerians have raised objections saying that many other things that would ensure sustainability must be well put in place before the Federal government can embark on such decision adding that the rule of the free trade law must be observed as regards this crop so as to allow the forces of demand and supply to determine market forces of the crop with competitiveness towards quality and standard without violation of human rights.

Prominent among such voices was Senator Shehu Sani who has expressed that closing of the land borders would encourage smuggling pointed that the measure would suffocate legitimate businesses in the country.

In his twitter, Sen. Sani has said that relevant security agencies should be able to tackle the issue rather than shutting the border s. Our layers of security operative should be able to combat or prevent smuggling without suffocating legitimate businesses and stifling border communities”