By AbdulRaheem Aodu Kaduna
Oil seeds processors have called on the federal government to tighten the nation’s porous borders, as smuggling of adulterated and contaminated vegetable oil into the country is threatening the N43.4 billion investments in oil seed processing by over 30 private companies and millions of jobs. Oil Seeds Processors Association of Nigeria (OSPAN), therfore tasked federal government and Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) to immediately stop smuggling of adulterated and substandard foreign vegetable oil into the country. Th e group said this would protect local industries and the health of Nigerians and called for the return of Vegetable Oil Development Initiative, a programme started during the Obasanjo era, to enable stakeholders meet periodically and look at the challenges facing the industry.
Addressing the media in Kaduna at the weekend, National President of OSPAN, AlhajiSamaila Maigoro, said that local investors pooled together over N43.4 billion, which they invested in the establishment of more than 30 private oil seeds processing industries across the country, to produce edible, healthy and standard vegetable oil for Nigerians, create millions of direct and indirect jobs and wealth for Nigerians. He lamented that over 30 companies were facing threats of being shut down and their teeming workers thrown into the job market, unless the federal government and the NCS took “immediate and drastic action to address the situation and protect the companies from smugglers”.
“Th e main challenge we are facing in the oil processing industry is the smuggling of fi nished vegetable oil which is mostly contaminated into the country. Because of some changes at the borders, there are lots of contaminated oil coming into the country this is why we raise this alarm. “Th e health challenges posed by this uncontrollable fl ooding of the country with inferior and contaminated foreign vegetable oil, means government and policy makers must intervene to save the situation”, he said.
