Lagos – The Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Tin-Can Chapter, Chief Azubuike Ekweozor, on Friday urged the Federal government to remove rice and tinned tomatoes from the import restriction list.
Ekweozor made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that the purpose of restriction of the two staple foods like rice and tinned tomatoes, could not be achieved with the influx of the items through the borders.
Ekweozor, spoke after being honoured with an `Award of Excellence’ by the Ikorodu Chapter of NAGAFF.
“Over the years, importation has been restricted to the seaports because border authorities have found it difficult to effectively monitor and control importation of rice.
“These (rice and tomatoes) are major staple foods in Nigeria. The demand for them is high; so it is not good to leave the supply of the products to the Nigerian market to smugglers,’’ he said.
According to him the government is losing revenue to neighbouring countries that shared land borders with Nigeria, while the masses were made to buy the items at higher prices.
He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to lift the restriction of importation of the two items.
Meanwhile, the Chairman Ikorodu Chapter of NAGAFF, Mr Mufutau David-Ola, said that the organisation deemed it fit to honour Ekweozor because of his immense contributions to the chapter.
David-Ola told NAN that as a former Chairman of Ikorodu Chapter of NAGAFF, Ekweozor had always been there for the union anytime the union needed his assistance.
He noted that with the award recipient at the helm of affairs of the Tin Can Island Chapter, there would be innovations in the union. (NAN)
