See Presidential Update: President Tinubu Never Suspended Import Duties, Tariffs On Rice, Maize, Others

The Nigerian Presidency has addressed the recent confusion surrounding the suspension of tax, import duties, and tariffs on certain food items imported through land and sea borders. This clarification follows a memo suggesting the suspension, which had been widely circulated but later retracted. ..Read Full Article

According to Naija News, the foods in question include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas. The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, initially shared the memo on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday evening but subsequently deleted it.
Onanuga explained that the Tinubu administration is contemplating suspending tariffs on rice and other essential food imports to alleviate food insecurity. However, he emphasized that this policy is not yet finalized.

” The policy was mistakenly circulated. We are still deliberating internally from the agric ministry to other agencies on how best to proceed with the policy, ” Onanuga told The Gazette in a phone interview.
While the government considers this policy change, concerns over transparency and accountability in the administration have surfaced. Recently, the Nigerian Government published the budget performance report for the first quarter of President Bola Tinubu’ s tenure, covering June to September 2023. However, this report came after a significant delay, which raised eyebrows.

SaharaReporters noted that no budget performance reports had been published since President Tinubu assumed office, marking the first time since 2015 that an administration failed to release these crucial documents on time. These reports are essential for providing insight into government spending and resource allocation.
By law, the federal government is required to release quarterly reports on expenditure and revenue generation. These reports are typically available on the Budget Office’ s website every three months to ensure transparency and accountability.

The Tinubu administration’ s delay in publishing these reports has been seen as a violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, highlighting the need for improved transparency in government operations.