Foreign rice is the cause of colon cancer, says Nigeria Customs boss

 

Foreign rice is the cause of colon cancer, says Nigeria Customs boss

 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that all rice that is not produced in the country that finds its way into Nigeria is definitely poisonous.

Customs Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali on Thursday in Abuja wondered why Nigerians still patronise imported rice which gave them colon cancer instead of eating locally produced rice.

Ali, who spoke at the Finance Ministerial Press Briefing by Zainab Ahmed said locally produced rice are safer to eat, more nutritious and more affordable.

“We have been educating Nigerians that imported rice is poisonous. But Nigerians are not helping us because they keep patronising smugglers, they consume smuggled rice.  We have not given anyone licence to import rice. So any rice you see on the street today in Nigeria is smuggled. There is no rice that is smuggled into Nigeria that has not stayed in silos for five years. And they use all kinds of poisonous chemicals to preserve it within that period. But Nigerians keep buying them, that it why rice smuggling is thriving”.

Ali said that rice smuggling is the number one challenge facing the Service.