NAQS denies extorting money from foodstuff dealers

The Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has said that there is no truth in the allegation that its officers extort money from foodstuff dealers at certain quarantine posts in the country, adding that the officers at the quarantine posts only collect User Fees, the service charge payable for the inspection and certification of agricultural products.

While responding to the claims of the Foodstuff Dealers Association of Nigeria (FSDAN) in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the Head, Media, Communications and Strategies Unit, Dr Chigozie Nwodo, said the user fees are legally provided for in the NAQS (Establishment) Act.

He explained that the User Fees on agricultural commodities were agreed upon and approved by stakeholders involved in the IGP Implementation Committee on Curtailment of Cattle Rustling in Nigeria and on Multiple Taxation.

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According to him, “as a matter of fact, NAQS operates under Category B of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2008 and remits 25% of the User Fees to the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government.

Dr Nwodo further emphasised that the NAQS does not require additional payment when a truckload has a valid receipt and movement permit for a specific route on a particular trip.

While noting that NAQS is pro-business in orientation and cannot levy multiple taxes on agricultural products, the Quarantine Service spokesman said the Agency is one of the key drivers of the implementation of the Executive Order 001 on the Ease of Doing Business.

“This is particularly why NAQS is insisting that state government not station their revenue collectors on the federal highways,” he added.

He said it is standard practice for a national agricultural quarantine authority to subject agricultural commodities being conveyed from one part of the country to another for inspection and to quarantine items that show any clinical signs of disease infection or pest infestation.

Dr Nwodo noted that ’’As the single point of command for all agricultural quarantine activities in Nigeria, NAQS has a duty and responsibility to control and prevent the introduction, spread and establishment of diseases and pests of animals, plants and aquatic resources. He stressed that NAQS is obligated by its enabling laws to police the Nigerian agricultural economy and to safeguard it from all discernible threats that could undermine its integrity.’’

He explained that the siting of a quarantine post is the exclusive prerogative of the Federal Government as provided by the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment) Act 2018 and the Animal Disease Control Act of 1988 and that the positioning is done with the approval of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Control Posts are all fully captured in the Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He further clarified that NAQS established the Interstate Control Posts within the North Central Zone of the country to mitigate risks of the spread of diseases and pests all over the country. Vehicles carrying agricultural commodities from the far North pass through that axis to the South and vice versa, making it imperative for NAQS to establish Interstate Control Posts there.

He pointed out that NAQS erected an Interstate Control Post at Katsina-ala because that location fell within high traffic animal trade routes. He also mentioned that the post at Orokam was established because that is the gateway into the South-East.