The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N1.2billion naira for the acquisition of additional 81 units of two-bedroom residences for customs officers in Abuja.
Minister of State for Finance, Kemi Adeosun, stated this while briefing State House correspondents on Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adeosun said the housing units would be bought from a developer, Brains and Hamas City.
The Finance Minister said the approval for the customs barracks was one of the two sought on behalf of the Nigeria Customs and Exercise Department at the meeting.
The other was for the purchase of 50 operational vehicles that would be “deployed for anti-smuggling or anti-rice smuggling task force that is being put together, which customs will be leading.”
Protecting farmers
He said this was imperative for Nigeria’s effort to become major rice producer, which has resulted in the revival of local rice growing.
“What we have found is 90 per cent reduction in the official import of rice but smuggling has increased and of course, our borders are very, very porous,” she said.
Adeosun said the approval was aimed at protecting farmers and their investments.
“So, there is a multi-task force agency that has been working since last July which includes customs, NAFDAC, the Consumer Protection Council, the Ministry of Finance, the Trade Mark Practices Bureau, gathering information on how this rice is coming in,” she stated.
She said the value of the 50 vehicles was N1.12 billion.
