The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said on Thursday that it was not true that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) was invited to test and certify that the rice distributed to the Oyo State Government was fit for consumption.
The command, however, explained that before the rice was loaded and distributed, top officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states), tested and certified it good.
This clarification laid to rest the argument between the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Faruoq and the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisoluwa Adeyeye, on the 1,800 bags of rice distributed to Oyo State by the Federal Government as palliatives for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before now, the minister had insisted that the rice was tested and certified okay by NAFDAC, in her reply to a claim by the NAFDAC boss that the rice distributed to Oyo and other states was not tested and certified for consumption by NAFDAC.
Speaking with The Nation on Thursday, spokesman for Oyo/Osun Command Abiola Abdullahi-Lagos said instead, officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture led by the permanent secretary and top officials of the Oyo State Government inspected and certified the rice before onward distribution to the Oyo State Government.
Wondering why it was only Oyo State Government that complained about the fitness of the rice, the Oyo/Osun Command spokesman gave reason why the controversial rice was not received from officials of the Oyo State Government on Wednesday, saying that the decision to distribute the rice came from the headquarters, and the decision to receive the rice back would also come from the headquarters.
He insisted that the rice distributed to the Oyo State Government was good, noting that before the bags of rice were loaded, officials of the state government were present and inspected them before loading began.
He said: “Actually, the decision to distribute rice is not the command’s. To take back the rice should not be the command’s decision. So, the proper channel should be communicated.”