Buhari and the
On 15th October, the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), announced that “all goods, for now, are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders and that is to ensure that we have total control over what comes in”. He added: “We are strategizing on how best the goods can be handled when we eventually get to the point where this operation will relax for the influx of goods.” With that statement, it became clear that the land borders between Nigeria and her neighbours that had been closed since August were not about to be opened soon.
Considering the negative impact smuggling of goods through our land borders has created for local businesses and national security, it is difficult to fault the decision. For instance, data from ‘India and Benin Republic Bilateral Trade Report’ between 1st to 24th November 2016 reveals that within a 24-day period, India exported to Benin Republic 3340 shipments valued at about 75 million dollars. “Top products which India exports to Benin are - Rice (HS Code - 1006) which accounted for 31.75% of total exports followed by Motor Vehicles…”, the report states. And we are talking of just one country!
With a population of 12 million people, which thereof, N499,426,900; timber and parts thereof, is about half that of Lagos, we must question why N379,128,600; tomato paste, N109,000; vegetable Benin Republic is reputed to be the 5th importer oil, N170,103,972; wines/alcoholic beverages, of rice in the world and the largest importer of N10,567,500 and other goods N37,421,900. second hand vehicles and clothes. The issue is While interested readers can check out the that in clear violation of ECOWAS statutes, Benin online edition for the breakdown of seized items Republic authorities have for decades made the from 2016 to 2019, the quantum of smuggled smuggling of goods into Nigeria a mainstay products in 2018 was alarming as items valued of their economy. Niger, Chad, Cameroun and at whooping N56,258,550, 658.32 were seized. countries that do not even border Nigeria are Records of the seizure by the NCS were, animal/ also neck deep in this unwholesome practice. wildlife animal products valued at N4,348,057,579;
Great economies of the world are sustained by arms and ammunition, N106,647,607; bags/ the strength of their local production. In Nigeria, suitcases, N16,145,900; beverages/confectioneries, the influx of smuggled items has practically N11,658,400; boats/canoes/vessels, N12,520,000; killed local initiatives. A recent report by the ceramics and articles of ceramics, N15,700,800; Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection cosmetics/perfumes/deodorants, N1,990,000; Department in the Statistics Office of the NCS elect/electronics/parts thereof, N96,771,092; on smuggled products from 2016 to date is fish/fish products, N2,282,000; footwears, revealing. An overview of the report shows N184,864,982; fridges/used compressors/air that the NCS seized items valued at N8.056 conditioners, N19,639,225 and furniture and parts billion in 2016, N9.812 billion in 2017, a whooping thereof, N4,718,000. Others were insecticides/ N56.258 billion in 2018 and N1.806 billion from repellents, N16,659,600; machinery/mechanical January to June this year. Yet, the items seized appliances/parts thereof, N51,691,568; maize, may amount to a tiny percentage of those that NN1,248,000; and motorcycles/bicycles, N7,917,332; eventually entered our shores. narcotics/Indian hemp/hard drugs N529,824,417;
In 2016, commodities valued at N8,056,098,567.15 pharmaceuticals/medicaments N38,145, 257, 037; billion were seized by the NCS. A product by plastic/articles of plastic, N16,192,000; petroleum product breakdown, and their monetary values, are products, N78,846,440; rethreaded and used as follows: Artefacts, N115,727,471; bags/suitcases, pneumatic tyres, N65,994,278; poultry products, N82,200,750; beverages/confectioneries, N5,870,655; N136,188,500 and printed books/materials, boats/canoes/vessels, N1,075,000; ceramics and N99,000. There were also rice, N2,516,234,000; articles of ceramics, N11,670,016; cosmetics/ scrap metals, N186,135,943; soaps/detergents/ perfumes/deodorants, N896,500; electronic/ toiletries, N35,557,200; spaghetti/noodles/couscous parts thereof, N4,777,150; fish/fish products, N200,273,200; spirit/beers N18,236,500; sugar/salt, N19,210,000; footwears, N147,279,950; fridges/ N57,809,068; textiles fabrics and articles thereof, used compressors/air conditioners, N14,471,000; N765,816,545; timber and parts thereof N90,000,000; furniture and parts thereof, N143,450,511; and tomato paste N130,967,180; tobacco and cigarettes, insecticides/repellents, N33,070,000. Others N5,310,500; vegetable oil, N229,101,436; wines/ included were: Machinery/mechanical appliances/ alcoholic beverages, N4,296,000 and other goods, parts thereof, N29,766,500; motor cycles/ bicycles, N313,303,401. N61,547,420; motor vehicles, N2,634,385,382.65; Whatever may be the misgivings over the narcotics/Indian hemp/hard drugs, N495,344,674; closure of our land borders, we cannot allow pharmaceuticals/medicaments, N389,727,800; our country to become a dumping ground for plastic/articles of plastic N10,919,420; petroleum smuggled goods that feed the economy of our products, N4,119,281.50; rethreaded and used neighbours. But if we are to tackle the issue of pneumatic tyres N287,004,650; poultry products, smuggling, we must also look inwards. Growing N1,063,021,200; and raw hide/processed leather, up, many of us actually thought smuggling N52,000,000. Others were rice, N1,170,690; soap/ was a legitimate profession, given the impunity detergents/toiletries, N149,249,000; spaghetti/ of perpetrators. It was not uncommon to hear noodles, N23,881,064; spirit/beers, N7,636,000; that someone was a ‘Fayawo’ (smuggler) and sugar/salt, N348,600; textiles, fabrics and articles there are many Nigerians who have become
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