To cushion the effects of the recent hardship in the country, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has commenced selling of rice at cheaper prices to Nigerians across the country.
The move is one of the efforts of the government to reduce the pain the citizens are facing occasioned by the hike in the price of foodstuffs across the entire nation.
Read Also: Customs to commence distribution of seized food items nationwide
The spokesperson of the agency, Abdullahi Maiwada, told the BBC that the rice they are selling is part of the goods that were seized by the agency, as they were smuggled illegally.
According to him, before they commenced the process of selling the rice, they had to take it to the court where they got permission to sell it to the needy people of the country.
Abdullahi Maiwada said that the sale of the rice started on Friday in Lagos, as a test before the agency later expand to other states of the country where it has such goods that were seized.
The agency’s spokesperson said that they sell a 25 kg bag of rice for N10,000.
Below are the eight steps to follow in buying rice from the Nigerian Customs Service;
Use of NIN – He said that the agency uses the NIN number to identify the people it sells the rice to, so the person who has the NIN number will be able to buy it.
People who are close to where the agency seized the goods – Abdullahi Maiwada said that the agency only sells rice to people who are close to where it seized the rice, “so anyone who comes from far away will not be able to buy rice, he said.
Handicraftsmen – The spokesperson of the Customs said that one of the groups of people that the agency sells rice to are handicraftsmen. He said this was done to support them in developing their businesses.
School Teachers – The board said that school teachers are among the group of people who will benefit from the purchase of rice.
Street Scavengers – Abdullahi Maiwada added that the people who scavenge the streets are also part of the group.
The needy – The spokesperson of the agency told the BBC that the purpose of selling the rice is to reduce the cost of living that the citizens are facing, so he said that they give priority to the people who are in dire need.
Women – Some groups of people who will benefit from the cheap rice are women, especially the weak, who have small children under their care.
Religious Groups – Religious groups are among the communities that will benefit from this sale of rice by the customs, as the agency posted on its Facebook page.
The government also warned citizens who intend to sell the rice to traders, to refrain from doing so.
Abdullahi Maiwada said that anyone who does this will face the wrath of the commission, and he also said that the commission will keep an eye on the markets to see if the traders will buy the rice to sell.
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