The Federal Government has raised an alarm, just like the Senate raised recently, on some complications in the ECOWAS external trade liberalisation agreements, which it alleged was being abused to a greater extent by some neighbouring countries.
Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, on Monday, said there were complications in the ECOWAS trade liberalisation agreements, which appeared exploitative to the Nigerian economy with the largest market size among member countries.
According to Ogbeh, “Some of our neighbours are violating this ECOWAS treaty, as they import and station in their countries borders, at the end of the day, smuggle it into our economy, because they know the market is here as they have devalued the naira.
“From a record I have, there are about 571,000 tons of rice waiting to be smuggled into Nigeria for the Christmas from the borders of Benin Republic.
The Republic of Benin doesn’t eat par-boiled rice, they eat white rice, and yet all the rice crossing the Republic borders into Nigeria is par boiled.
“I have a list now of all the ships that left Thailand in the last seven weeks, and are arriving now. Key of which is 571,000 tons or rice now waiting to enter Nigeria for Christmas. The whole list is on my table.”
While corroborating the stand of a senator, Hope Uzodimma’s recent assertion on the review of the ECOWAS treaty, he said: “What Senator Hope is now saying is that we have to review the treaty, because we are at the loosing end. Why are we allowing this to happen because this rice was not grown in the Republic of Benin, why should it come in here as goods from the Republic of Benin?
“They bring all sorts of things like tomato paste not produced in the Republic of Benin. They bring chicken not raised in the Republic of Benin, and because the Nigerian market is so big, they want to exploit it.”
Recall, Hope Uzodimma-led committee had raised similar concern regarding some complications, urging the government to review the process of enacting the tariff to identify all abuses and revenue linkages in a recent motion adopted in the floor of the Nigerian Senate.
Meanwhile, some experts are of the view that Nigeria needs to take advantage of the West African market to grow its economy because of constraints in penetrating European markets, of which some Nigerian products are still suffering rejects.
