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Nigeria: Prominent Citizens Hijack FG's Distribution From Strategic Grain Reserve
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Vanguard (Lagos)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Lagos
PROMINENT Nigerians including senators and emirs were yesterday named as beneficiaries in the Federal Government's distribution from the strategic grain reserve.
The revelation of the distribution pattern of the 2008 grain releases by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture at the Senate public hearing on the food crisis also showed that N10.5 billion had been collected as levy from rice imports in 2008.
The Committee which frowned at the utilization of the rice levy without appropriation has also summoned the three companies with franchise to import fertilizer for the 2008 farming year to appear before it next Monday. The three companies are to appear to defend the allegation that they together lack the capacity to import 650,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer as required in their contract.
A document obtained by Vanguard at yesterday's hearing showed that two senators were among 70 beneficiaries that also included five Emirs each of whom got 120 metric tones.
The 20 states of the North received a total of 36,000 metric tones with Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsian, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Yobe States as the leading beneficiaries with 2,700 metric tones each.
The 17 States in the South received a total of 10,200 metric tones with each of them getting 600 metric tones.
Explaining the rationale behind the distribution pattern, the Director of the Strategic Reserves in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Lawal Mohammed Ila, said that a number of the beneficiaries were allocated based on their applications saying that some of the royal fathers applied on behalf of their subjects.
The Chairman of the investigative committee, Senator Idris Umar, however, condemned the distribution pattern saying:
"Mr. Minister, I want you to honestly tell us that the grains distribution list contains the name of any ordinary Nigerian? I can tell you that from the investigations we have made and from our records, there is no ordinary Nigerian who benefited from that distribution.
If we are serious, let us be serious because the list does not show the beneficiaries are the end users. We should not be sitting here in Abuja and applying for grains when the people who actually need it cannot assess it"
The Minister of State (Agriculture), Mr. Demola Seriki in his submission disclosed that a total of N10.5 billion has been collected so far in the year as levies from the importation of rice.
His submission that the money was in turn used to procure grains based on a presidential approval received flaks from the Senate Committee which alleged that the action was unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, the Committee has summoned the following companies TAC Continental Limited Lagos, Superphosphate Fertiliser Company Kaduna and Golden Fertiliser Company Lagos which won the contract to import fertilizers to appear before it on Monday.
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The companies are to explain allegations that they lack the capacity to handle the imports.
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