The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) has issued a call to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to prioritize border control in order to curb the smuggling of rice into the country, as soon as he takes office next month.

The Director-General (D-G) of RIPAN, Mr. Andy Ekwelem, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

Ekwelem explained that there has been a resurgence of rice smuggling into the country since the borders were opened in 2021, and this has negatively impacted the rice sub-sector and the economy as a whole.

In his statement, Ekwelem urged the incoming president to reposition the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and re-organize the current border surveillance system to enable the NCS and other security agencies at the borders to be more effective in halting the smuggling of rice into the country.

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He pointed out that the smuggling of rice across the land borders is the main challenge facing the Nigeria rice sub-sector and that the incoming administration must develop a strategy to deal with smugglers and economic saboteurs if food security programs and investments in the rice sector are to be protected.

Ekwelem stressed that Nigeria’s current border surveillance system should be re-organized to enable the customs and other agencies at the borders to carry out all-weather surveillance.

He called for the deployment of modern security equipment such as Long-Range Surveillance Drones, video monitors, and night vision scopes to Nigeria’s border security if they are not currently being used.

Ekwelem explained that the nation’s rice sub-sector experienced significant growth between 2020 and 2021 when the federal government closed the nation’s borders with the Benin Republic.

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However, with the opening of the borders in 2021, rice smugglers have increased their activities, which has had a very negative effect on the nation’s rice industry and the economy as a whole.

These steps, according to RIPAN, are necessary to protect the investments made by the government of Nigeria and the private sector in the rice sector and ensure the success of food security programs in the country.