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Edo State High Chief, Jacob Idinye has given thumbs up to the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi (MFR) for safeguarding food security in Nigeria through his planned sale of seized bags of rice and other food items at a reduced cost to mitigate the scourge of hunger in the country.
Idinye who is a two time governorship aspirant in Edo State and also a winner of over 32 different professional awards in Maritime Reporting and Customs activities also hailed the CG for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policy to take Nigerians out of hunger and food scarcity.
In a chat with some selected newsmen in Lagos Thursday evening, Idinye said Mr Adeniyi has shown commitment and capacity to protect the citizenry by ensuring the availability of essential food items in nick of time.
According to him, “There are empirical evidence to show that more than half of the states in Nigeria are presently food insecure, and the hunger crisis has reached alarming levels. Increased insecurity, inflation, extreme weather patterns, and global conflicts continue to drive hunger. However, Mr Wale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service has displayed his level patriotism to stem the tide of food crisis in the land. This is indeed novel. ”
Idinye added:
“The Customs CG must also be profoundly commended for swiftly keying into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policy to cushion the effect of food crisis and hunger in the country. His initiative to pushout all the seized smuggled food items across various commands in the country especially bags of rice and selling them at reduced cost is a very well thought out decision and should be commended.
“I also give him kudos for coming out in Thursday to officially give proper explanation on how the initiative will be used to reach out to the most vulnerable segments of the society. Another unique step he took was that the beneficiaries of the planned distribution of seized food items must have a verifiable national identification number (NIN).
“It takes an ingenious CG like Mr Adeniyi to map out target groups like artisans, teachers, nurses, religious entities, and other Nigerians within Customs operational zones to be beneficiaries of the initiatives. Beyond that, officers will also be made available to closely monitor the entire supply chain to prevent any misuse or diversion of the food items. This will ultimately help to reach out directly to members through these organised structures to ensure the maximum impact of this exercise is optimally felt, and as well keep intact the initiative’s integrity and sanctity.
“Another measure put in place which should be grossly appreciated is the fact that the service has equally established strict guidelines and eligibility criteria to ensure that the items are distributed only to those in genuine need.
‘Impressively, this is the first time Customs would be selling seized rice and other food items to Nigerians at a reduced price to mitigate hunger and starvation in the land. In the part, seized items are usually allowed to waste away in government warehouses. Mr Adeniyi has made a seismic shift in decision making, while also working proactively and in sync with President’s policies that suit the immediate, short-term and long-term needs of the people. Adeniyi has again proven that he is the best man for the job in the greater interest of Nigeria ” Idinye stated.
