The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has cited the need to learn from lessons learned during the auctioning of seized food items in Lagos State as the reason for the delay in commencing the program nationwide.
Speaking on Tuesday during a presentation at the sectoral debate series organized by the House of Representatives, Adeniyi revealed that President Bola Tinubu directed the NCS to auction seized food items at Nigerian borders to vulnerable Nigerians.
However, the implementation of the program commenced in Lagos but was halted due to unspecified reasons.
Adeniyi explained that the directive from the President includes selling imported seized foodstuff to local markets nationwide.
He emphasized that this initiative aims to address hunger and food scarcity faced by Nigerians.
Responding to questions from lawmakers during the session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Adeniyi elaborated on why the program was temporarily discontinued by the NCS.
“We started in Lagos but you know what happened.
There was a stampede. No matter the number of bags of rice you share or sell, it will not be enough.
We have to focus on one place at a time. We will use the lessons we learnt in Lagos to coordinate this programme when we resume,” he stated.
The delay in the nationwide auction of seized food items by the NCS highlights the challenges faced in implementing the program effectively, with lessons learned from the Lagos pilot serving as a guide for future efforts.
