The Senate,
it was learnt might set up an ad-hoc committee when it resumes early next month
to investigate the rice smuggling allegation believed to have made the country
lose huge sums of money amounting to N117 billion.
For those of
us following the messy stories of corruption in high places, the news that some
entrenched interests including those who had no investment in the rice value
chain, manipulated the rice policy initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan to boost local rice production is just
one of the dents in the last administration.
It is a
shame that friends of the government in power at the period were recklessly
granted quota, which they in turn sold to other importers. This is why we pity
the former Minister of Agriculture, who is now the President of the African
Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
The
gentleman was busy speaking Queen’s English, brilliantly explaining the mileage
covered in the nation’s agricultural sector through a number of innovations
introduced during his tenure.
However,
while Dr. Adesina was putting policies in place to reposition the industry,
some portfolio contractors who were friends of the government were sneaking
into corridors of power in the middle of the night to get allocations for a job
they did not have the wherewithal to execute.
However,
some of us are monitoring the activity of the Senate especially on the probe of
the controversial quota and see how it intends to ensure those involved make
adequate refund.
The Senate
leadership, last month, had urged the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS); to immediately take steps to ensure that the N30
billion lost to waiver on rice importation by the last administration was
recovered.
President of
the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who
gave this advice during an interactive session between the Senate leadership
and the CBN management, lamented that money that was supposed to get into
government’s coffers was allowed to be wasted in the name of waivers.
Now that the era of ‘paddy paddy’ government is gone, Nigerians are waiting and watching how those who frittered away the chance to develop our agric industry are brought to book. (Thisday)
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