Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, on Thursday, March 25, 2021, vowed to make life difficult for those he said are hoarding and smuggling commodities in the country just as he announced that the Apex bank has successfully financed over three million farmers.
Emefiele’s comment is coming on the heels of President Muhammadu Buhari’s assurance of the Federal Government’s continuous support to commodity farmers in the country in a bid to ensure the bumper harvest and tackle the smuggling of goods into the country.
Governor Of Kebbi State Abubakar Atiku Bagudu who represented the President disclosed this during the flag-off of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria 2021 flag-off Northeast 2021 and second cycle 2021 dry season rice cultivation programme and 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and sales of paddies to millers.
The programme which was facilitated by the Central Bank Anchor Borrowers scheme saw the rise of rice pyramids contributed by states in the North East.
In his speech at the flag-off of the programme, Emefiele said there is no need for anybody to panic as food prices are high because it is already coming down.
“We will make life difficult for those who feel they will want to hoard commodities because they feel they want to take advantage of scarcity. We have been cultivating almost one million hectares during the dry season. Fortunately, the dry season affords us two seasons for rice so we will not have rice scarcity again. For those who think they can continue to smuggle rice into the country, we are sending a warning signal to you that you should desist from smuggling.
“Smuggling is a bad business. Snuggling undermines the progress of our economic plans and I will like to advise that you desist from that practice,” he said.
Source: The Nation
