Adesina faces tough questions at Reps over rice import saga

The erstwhile AGF, who is a rice miller in the country said the huge sum of money invested in Nigeria by the foreign investor was in real sense a bad omen to the domestic rice producers, who the minister claimed to have been promoting by the new rice policy.He stated this yesterday in the second […]

The erstwhile AGF, who is a rice miller in the country said the huge sum of money invested in Nigeria by the foreign investor was in real sense a bad omen to the domestic rice producers, who the minister claimed to have been promoting by the new rice policy.
He stated this yesterday in the second day of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged abuses of rice importation quota by some companies.
Chairman of the committee, Rep Leo Ogor had on Monday threatened to take stringent actions against the minister over his inability to appear before them about the matter.
But the minister, who appeared before the committee yesterday dissociated himself from accusations of favouring a foreign rice investor by waiving part of its import liability owed the federal government.
Aandoaka said although the minister had tried his best to promote the local rice producers initially, but “the problems started when the minister alleged that some companies are not paying their duties. These companies are behaving as if they own the country.
“This particular company doesn’t pay duty, undermines duty, undermines customs. I will how the new government will allow them to continue to circumvent the process. When you talk of Olam, I went there and see.
“This company doesn’t brought money into the country, they brought trouble into the country. This is something I came in, not that I came in to support the minister, but to say the truth of what is happening. But this particular company doesn’t want us to live. They alone are behaving the government of Nigeria.”
Adesina insisted that he has been transparent in the allocation of the quota and that no company is above the law. Any company that owes the federal government any amount must pay it.
“When it comes to the issue of public policy, transparency and public probity are crucial, and I have always done that. I raised the issue myself that allocations were made to certain companies and they have to pay,” he said.
A leading rice investor in the country, Olam Nigeria Limited was accused by the Nigerian customs of owing the federal government the tune of N3 billion import duty liability filed up due to abuse of its allotted import quota.
But defending his company’s position, Olam’s Head of business, Anil Nair told the ad hoc committee that the agriculture minister had written a letter waiving them of the 50 percent of the money owing to their huge investment in Nigeria.
But the minister said “At the time I issued the statement I said to the Customs that the amount owed the FG was N36 billion. I don’t know when the hunter becomes the hunted.”
Adesina was ostensibly dissociating himself again from the blame of waiving certain amount to one of the debtors
He alleged that the accusations against him were  targeted at his candidacy for the position of Africa Development Bank presidency.
Rep Ogor said “It is Unfortunate that you were not here yesterday (Monday). For me I believe that the Honourable minister is our candidate there. Nobody is trying to blame anybody.
A member of the committee, Rep Simon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna) also asked the minister about “The letter presented by Olam yesterday, did you signed that letter, because I want to tie it to the fact that the honourable minister said he is being hunted. Nobody is hunting you.”