The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has not yet implemented the presidential directive for a 150-day duty-free import period on food commodities, intended to combat food inflation. Announced by the federal government on July 8, 2024, the policy remains inactive two months later.

The waiver, part of the Presidential Accelerated and Stabilisation Advancement Plan, was designed to alleviate rising food prices, which spurred hunger protests in August. The government had promised guidelines to be crafted by the Ministry of Finance and executed by the NCS.

At a Strategic Communications Inter-agency Policy Committee (SCIPC) event in Abuja, NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada attributed the delay to the Ministry of Finance’s lack of a list of eligible beneficiaries. The waiver is targeted specifically at millers and established taxpayers who meet certain criteria, rather than all food importers. The NCS is waiting for detailed guidelines and quotas from the finance ministry before enforcing the waiver.

Maiwada noted that while the NCS is responsible for implementing policies, it does not create them, and will proceed once the necessary information is provided.