The crisis over the 1,800 bags of rice donated to states to alleviate the negative effect of Coronavirus on Nigerians that was rejected by the Oyo State Government on grounds of it being unfit for human consumption seems to be deepening as the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) refused to collect the rice on Wednesday.
Returning the rice on Wednesday, the NCS refused access to the three trucks and the state government officials who led the trucks conveying the product into its premises on grounds that the command was yet to receive directive from its headquarters to collect the Rice
According to eyewitnesses, the trucks were at the NCS gate for hours, thinking the security agency would change its mind but it stood its ground. The trucks left there for the state secretariat at about 6pm.
Recall The Nigeria Custom Service in a statement on Saturday explained that officials of the Oyo State Government properly inspected the rice on Monday and certified that it was in good condition.
It also denied the picture and video of the contaminated rice been circulated on social media, noting that the rice allocated to the state was not only delivered in good condition to the three states of Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states, the representatives of the beneficiary states also attested to the good quality of the items before and after taking delivery.
The statement read: “The attention of the Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to some mischievous and deliberate falsehood being circulated in the media for reasons best known to their author(s) concerning the Federal Government’s palliative given to Oyo State among other states.
The three states; Oyo, Osun and Ekiti States took delivery of the bags of rice allocated to them, returned their landing certificates to show delivery to its final destinations. They also showed appreciation to the CGC for his magnanimity.
“Contrary to allegations by Oyo State Government, Osun and Ekiti States have not complained about their allocations.
“The Command is therefore surprised, even embarrassed to hear three (3) days later, that the rice allocated to them were infested with weevils and unfit for human consumption.
“The command wishes to reiterate that weevils do not hide and in the process of loading the vehicles, traces of weevils would have been noticed on the floor, on the bags, on the loaders or on the trucks bearing in mind that the entire process was in the presence of the CAC, Oyo State Government’s high ranking team and men of the press with full video camera coverage.
“The Command is also aware that for whatever reason, some pictures of bad rice have been circulating the social media. We disassociate ourselves from such false images and we suspect foul play on the part of the handlers of these allocated 1,800 bags of rice. The State Government may wish to dig deeper.
“It is surprising how bags of rice that exited the Command HQ in good condition suddenly became so bad after 3 days as being circulated in the social media.”
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