It's a shame Nigeria still imports, eggs, toothpick, sugar, wheat - CBN Gov

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin
Emefiele, says it is a shameful thing that Nigeria to still
be importing some basic items such as wheat, eggs,
toothpicks and others into the country when such items
should be produced in Nigeria. Speaking at a news
conference yesterday June 24th, Mr Emefiiele said to
discourage the importation of such items, the CBN,
banks and bureaux de change offices will henceforth
seize to offer foreign exchange to business men &
women who import such goods.
According to Mr Emefiele, the move by the CBN is to
encourage the production of such items in Nigeria.
"Most of you are aware of the often-quoted number of
N1.3 trillion, which is what we spend on average
importing rice, fish, sugar, and wheat every year. I am
saying it is shameful that we have to import toothpick. I
am saying that it is shameful for us to import fish in
sauce canned, fish in sauce and sardine. I am saying it
is shameful. Before I was born palm kernel was taken
out of Nigeria and taken to another country and today
we go to that country and import palm oil. It is
shameful. It is shameful that items that we used to
produce in this country we now begin to import them.
It is shameful and we need to stop them. That is what
we are saying. Only last week, I met the Governor of
Kebbi State and he lamented the unfortunate situation
in that state. Where people, our own farmers, have
committed themselves to producing rice and have
produced paddy and we have paddy glut in Kebbi State
today. As I speak, the government has spent its money
buying paddy from the rice farmers, almost close to
200,000 of paddy rice. Aside from that, Kebbi State
farmers have unpurchased paddy rice close to 800,000
tons. And yet we patronise imported rice.
For our benefits, those rice imported to the country are
those that have spent at least seven years in their
stores and yet we have rice that is produced today in
Nigeria and we are running away from them. The only
way we can encourage people who are producing rice to
go back to the farms is to do what we have done today.
How can we keep complaining about the depreciation of
the naira when all we do as a people is to import
everything from ordinary Geisha and toothpicks to even
eggs? These are some of the fundamental reasons
behind the bank’s recent announcement.”he said
He warned that any bank or bureau de change outlet
that offers foreign exchange to any business owner who
imports such goods will be sanctioned
"Foreign exchange will not be provided by the Central
Bank of Nigeria, the banks or by bureaux de change. If
we find people flouting it, luckily these people we have
mentioned are under our regulation, we know how to
deal with them"he said