Months after the kickoff announcement, the federal administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was still dragging its feet in implementing the zero import tax waiver on a few food items.
Husked brown rice, grain, sorghum, millet, maize, wheat, and beans are among the food commodities that will be subject to a zero tariff for a period of 150 days, starting on July 15 and ending on December 31, 2024.
The tariff waiver was initially made public in June 2024 by Finance Minister Wale Edun as a component of President Tinubu’s administration’s economic policy initiatives to lower food prices.
The purpose of this step, according to Customs, is to lower the price of food items for Nigerian consumers while still ensuring that they can afford basic necessities.
Nigerians have bemoaned the fact that the policy has not yet been implemented, despite the tariff waiver being announced months ago.
This is due to the fact that the goal of lowering food costs has not been met, and the majority of Nigerians are unhappy about the rapidly rising cost of life.
The costs of food and products remained high, despite the National Bureau of Statistics’ inflation data for July and August showing a little decrease in food inflation to 39.53 and 37.52 percent.
A market survey conducted on Monday revealed that the price range for a 50-kilogram bag of domestic or imported rice is N87,000 to N106,000.
This is because the price range for a 50 kilogram bag of beans is N65,000 to N100,000. The adoption of the zero-tariff waiver on specified food items would have lessened the nightmare that is access to staple food for the majority of Nigerians.
The Center for the Promotion of Private Enterprise’s Executive Director, Muda Yusuf, discussed the situation in an interview on Monday. She stated that the government’s sluggish implementation of the zero tariff policy was the main issue.
He said that there was a significant delay between the government’s announcement of the policy and the creation of the implementation instructions.
He emphasized that the country’s economy had not yet suffered the full effects of the tariff waiver, therefore it had not yet been fully implemented.
Yusuf pushed the administration to expedite the policy’s adoption.
“The policy must be carried out by customs. The implementation process cannot begin unless the ministry of finance advises the customs.
“I believe it has to do with how quickly the policy is being implemented. The ministry should begin working on the recommendations as soon as the government declares a policy; these guidelines are sent by the ministry of finance.
“I believe it has to do with how quickly the policy is being implemented. The ministry should begin working on the recommendations as soon as the government sets a policy. The ministry of finance transmits the rules to the customs department. I believe there is a delay between the policy’s introduction and the creation of the guidelines.
“The impact is not felt since the policy has not been fully enacted. This is a result of the rather sluggish operation of all the recommendations. The government must accelerate implementation,” he stated.
Olufemi Kayode, a member of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command Chapter of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANNLCA) and Special Assistant to Prince Adewusi Bamigbala, the ANLCA’s Chairman, criticized Customs on his part, pointing out that the policy’s implementation still lacked a precise and appropriate guideline.
He said that the application of the tariff for the benefit of all Nigerians might be undermined by internal sabotage and dissatisfaction inside the Customs department.
“In general, except from the fact that some of the tariffs were listed, there are no clear-cut recommendations from the published circular.
Proper guidelines are lacking for its execution. It needs to be viewed properly by Customs.
“Getting the implementation correct could lead to frustration or internal sabotage.
He stated, “Customs may be experiencing internal difficulties with the correct classification or coding of the tariff waiver into its portal.”
A spokeswoman for NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, responded to the news in an exclusive chat, stating that it was inaccurate that the service was impeding the use of the zero-tariff waiver policy on specific food goods.
He claimed that the Service has informed Nigerians about the steps involved in obtaining the tariff waiver.
He continued by saying that the NCS supported all government-formulated initiatives aimed at lessening the financial hardships that Nigerians were experiencing.
“Well, we already advised Nigerians how to apply for the tariff waiver in a statement that we released earlier.
Saying that Customs is impeding the policy’s implementation is malevolent.
We are an accountable branch of the government. Our goal is to put all of the government’s policies into effect.