Traders at the Utako Ultramodern Market on Tuesday revealed why some foreign rebagged rice remained in circulation, despite the ban on the importation of the product to Nigeria.
Their revelation followed a raid by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) aimed at busting cartels involved in the production and rebagging of rice in the market.
THE WHISTLER reported that the raid targeted ten shops. However, the commission only sealed four, three containing rebagged foreign rice and one selling empty branded bags.
Responding to questions, Mr Asadu Osita, whose shop was sealed for possessing the discontinued Royal Stallion and Mama Gold rice, claimed that consumers were aware of the rebagged product.
Mr. Asadu Osita approving the confiscation of the Rebagged product by the FCCPC
Osita said the rebagged rice was sold due to consumer demand and affordability. He reiterated that buyers were not deceived into paying foreign prices for local rice.
“Some of my customers who buy it know; we explain to them and then sell it at a cheaper price. They know that Thai rice is hardly imported into Nigeria.
“We are not selling as foreign but local; the 10kg stallion rice is sold for N13,500, while the foreign is N26,000.
“Those people who buy it know that it is local, and I just know that it is no longer imported in Nigeria,” Osita claimed.
He further revealed that he purchased the seized items from another vendor in the market.
An affected trader, Mr. Emmanuel Nnechi
Mr Emmanuel Nnechi, whose shop was the first to be raided, alleged that he only became aware of the ban following the commission’s action.
“If I knew this stallion was not sold in the market and they had banned it, I wouldn’t have bought it. I buy from Kaduna Road in Niger State and Kano State.”
He criticised the federal government for failing to inform the public about the brand’s discontinued business with Nigeria.
Nnechi said, “If only they published the brands that are not in business, I am a family man; I wouldn’t have bought these items when I knew that I would lose my money.
“And I bought in small quantity because of the seller’s persuasion that it is a good price and in high demand.
“I don’t mind returning these products to where I purchased them.
“It is these officers (FCCPC) who just told me that the royal stallion is rebagged and not the original.”
Supporting the traders’ alleged innocence, the Secretary of the Utako Market Shop Owners/Traders Association, Mr Igwema Alex, said the FCCPC conducted no sensitisation before the raid.
The Secretary, Utako Market Shop Owners/Traders Association, Mr. Igwema Alex
“When you ban an item, it is not only to the traders but to the entire nation.
“But you can’t come to the market and begin seizing goods without educating the consumer and the seller.
“No sensitisation was done in this market to educate traders on what items were banned from the Nigerian market; this is wrong on all fronts,” Alex said.
Responding to the traders’ pleas, Adeyinka said, “Ignorance of the law was not an excuse.”
THE WHISTLER had reported that the commission’s market raid was based on intelligence.
