RIMAN Commends Closure of Borders to Curtail Rice Smuggling
The Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), commends and support President Buhari over the closure of Nigerian Borders in order to check mate the importation and smuggling of foreign rice into the country, in addition to other illegal goods.
2. The Federal Government’s decision to close the borders is in the best interest of the country as this will enhance more production and milling of Nigerian Rice; that will bring about job creation, poverty alleviation and boosting generally of the Nigerian Economy.
3. Following the closer of the borders Nigerian Local Rice now floods across the country, moribund rice milling factories have started operating in full capacity all over, thereby creating Jobs for the teaming unemployed youthful Nigerians.
4. Nigerians are now purchasing and eating fresh quality nutritious, healthy and tasty Nigeria Rice as against foreign rice that has been stored in silos for over five years with chemicals which leads to unexplained development of different diseases e.g. cancer that afflicts Nigerians.
5. With the increase demand of Nigerian Rice, as a result of this closure and good patronage of Nigerian Rice, RIMAN therefore urges the Nigerian Government to sustain the border closure for the Development of the country’s rice value chain. The boarders be reopened only when there are diplomatic solutions to rice smuggling into Nigeria.
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6. RIMAN also calls on Nigerian Local Rice consumers to be patriotic by patronizing only Nigerian Rice as this will further help the country in reaching self-sufficiency in local rice production.
7. RIMAN condemns completely, the criticism by some senators, on the decision of the government to close the borders as their stand doesn’t seem patriotic. Rather we members of Rice Millers Association of Nigeria – RIMAN, commend Senator Adamu Aleiro and eight other Senators who sponsored the motion “The impact of boarder closure on Nigerian Economy”, Which resolved to support the president over the border closure. On this note, RIMAN believes that the Senators and the Senate that upheld this motion are behind the people of this country and believe in the slogan of the Administration that says “We must eat what we produce”.
8. Rice Millers Association of Nigeria again call on the Federal Government not to succumb to any black mail or pressure to give in on the call to reopen the closed borders.
9. RIMAN further commends and acknowledge all the efforts of Nigerian Security agencies for a Job well done at manning our boarders against smuggling.
10. However, RIMAN will appreciate if all the secret routes being used by smugglers are identified by the government and properly blocked in spite of its porous nature. We also suggest that technology be imported and deployed to man the country’s porous borders.
Signed
Peter Dama
Chairman, RIMAN – Rice Millers Association of Nigeria
[email protected]
