According to a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who craved anonymity, the high rate of smuggling of the items into the country is now alarming.
The official said textile materials’ importers spend close to N1.29 trillion annually to ferry the items into the country. Describing those involved in smuggling as economic saboteurs, the official said smuggled textile materials have continued to flood the markets despite the efforts of the Nigeria Customs Service to curb the menace.
“From Lagos to Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna and Katsina, the smuggled textile materials are there. The smugglers are not only undermining the local industry, they also deprive the Federal Government of the needed revenue,” he said.
“Anybody that is involved in smuggling of textile materials, agricultural produce and other items are guilty of economic sabotage. Smuggling is inimical to the national interest, economic growth and rapid development.
“With the huge number of casualties suffered so far by the Nigeria Customs Service, it shows that smugglers have not only become more aggressive, but creative and determined to continue with their illicit business and that is why Nigerians need to support Customs in its war against smugglers by giving them useful information,” the official said.
Also, the Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Prof. Baba Abubakar, said rice, fish, wheat, fish and sugar importers spend N1 trillion annually.
Abubakar, who was represented by the Acting Director, Partnership and Linkages Programme, Yarama Ndirpaya, disclosed this during a seminar on Agricultural Biotechnology in Abuja.
He said Nigeria was the largest importer of US hard red and white wheat to the tune of N635 billion yearly; world’s number two importer of rice at N356 billion; spends N217 billion on sugar and N97 billion on fish imports every year.
