The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed that it has discovered 32 routes used for the smuggling of food products out of the nation.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said this on Tuesday, February 20, during his speech at a symposium on Public Wealth Management in Abuja. He said 45 trucks carrying maize were stopped around midnight on Sunday, February 18, as they were traveling to nearby nations.
The Vice President further said thirty-two illegal smuggling routes are just in the Ilela axis. According to him, the price of corn dropped by N10,000 immediately after those food items were intercepted, saying the price dropped from N60,000 to N50,000. He therefore alleged that some forces are determined to destroy the nation, urging everybody to work as a team at this point in the Nation’s history.
Shettima gave the Nigerian people hope that their suffering will not last forever while acknowledging that the nation is going through a difficult moment.
Shettima further condemned a situation in which some people fan the flames of divisiveness and violence because of the current situation.
In his words, ” “We have to make this country work. We have to move beyond politics. We are now in the face of governance. Sadly, some of our countrymen are still in the political mode. They are the practitioners of violence, advocating that Nigeria should go the Lebanon way. But, Nigeria is greater than any of us here. Nigeria will weather the storm. Forces are hell-bent on plunging this country into a state of anarchy. Those who could not get to power through the ballot box, instead for them to wait till 2027, are so desperate,” he said.