The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria, RIPAN, suspects that persons and groups who do not wish the Nigerian economy well, were behind the re-circulation of an old video where the Idiroko Border was re-opened.
A video trending on social media gave the impression that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently instructed the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to re-open the Idiroko border for import and export of goods and services.
But when contacted, CSC Abubakar Maiwada, spokesperson for the NCS said that the country presently ‘has no closed border’.
According to him, all the borders have been opened months ago to allow exports and imports.
“All our major borders are open. The video showing the Idiroko border opening is a very old video that a mischief maker just repackaged to create a wrong narrative,” Maiwada explained.
Meanwhile, Andy Ekwelem, the Director General of RIPAN, in a statement on Friday, maintained that the trending old video has no bearing or in any way connected to any policy of the newly-inaugurated Tinubu’s Administration.
“It is essential that we bring this information to your attention and to remind everyone of the importance of staying vigilant and not be misled by sensational news trends.
“The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) suspects that some enemies of Nigeria’s economy are behind this circulating fake video and it has become important to inform the general public that those behind the video are individuals or groups who seek to undermine the new government and promote illegal activities such as rice smuggling from our neighbour countries of Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Cameroun for their personal gain.
“We urge the government and all stakeholders to remain watchful and to avoid falling prey to the machinations of those who seek to sabotage our economy and exploit our kind big brotherly role within the West African sub-region for their personal gain.
“We encourage all Nigerians to report any smuggling activity or information that may undermine the progress of our agricultural sector to the Nigeria Custom Services.
“Indeed we must all work together to build a stronger economy that benefits all Nigerians.
“The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) is dedicated to supporting the efforts of the federal government to improve the food security well-being of Nigerians, and we remain committed to facilitating communication and collaborations towards this goal,” he said.
