The Nigeria Customs Service in her widow's mite as a bid to eradicate hunger and food insecurity in the nation decided to flag-off the rice disbursement program in Lagos on Thursday, February 22, 2024, at the zone A, Zonal office, Harvey road, Yaba, Lagos. This programme was in alignment with President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s plans to tackle the pressing issue by ensuring the availability of essential food items to Nigerians. Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, speaking at the flag-off of the rice
disbursement program in Lagos emphasized that the distribution of rice would be targeted at areas of customs operations, ensuring direct access to beneficiaries. He stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in the distribution process, urging Nigerians participating in the exercise to refrain from selling the rice in markets or hoarding it for purposes other than domestic consumption. He warned against reselling or hoarding the food items which he said would attract arrest and prosecution of defaulters.
He urged Nigerians to report cases of misuse or resale of items to appropriate authorities. He added that the seized rice has been re-bagged and certified for human consumption. The beautifully conceived plan to assist the needy was earlier demonstrated by the Customs National PRO CSC Abdullahi Maiwada before the members of the media on how the disbursement will look like. He emphasized that the major requirement for one to be qualified to receive the 25kg at paltry N10,000 is National Identification Number (NIN). The CGC in an interactive session confirmed that the NIN is just to keep records and prevent double standard by the public. It was quite
unfortunate that this kind gesture turned out bloody at the first day of its operation. This was initially seen as a result of poor crowd management and control, where no fewer than seven people reportedly died in a stampede during the sales of the rice at Customs Zonal Office at Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos. An unconfirmed source attributed it to “impatience with laid-down procedures." This ugly situation made the Nigeria Customs Service to suspend the exercise indefinitely. Following all the lay down procedure to attain a hitch free programme the statement of the National PRO in the press release suspending the disbursement clearly exonerated the NCS.
"The exercise was conducted following meticulous planning to address all potential risks that may emerge during the exercise. As part of our process and control measures, we had Nigeria Police and military personnel to ensure crowd control. We also fully equipped a medical team on ground in anticipation of potential risks during an exercise of that magnitude. Their presence was part of our proactive approach to ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants," CSC Maiwada stated. The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) says the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) is not to blame for the stampede that
occurred during the sale of subsidized rice in Lagos. The NCSCN made its position known in a communique it issued recently at the end of its 1st Quarter of 2024 deliberations, to discuss the state of the nation in Abuja. "It is saddening that this good intended gesture of government witnessed unexpected casualties,” the council stated in the communique signed by Blessing Akinlosotu, its Executive Director. Finally the Service expressed their sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. "The Nigeria Customs Service extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families during this challenging time, and we assure them of our unwavering support," the statement reads.
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