National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno, on Thursday accused two major fertilizer manufacturing companies in Nigeria of illegally exporting 71 percent of their total production thereby endangering food and national security.
A visibly angry Monguno said the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) will not hesitate to close down any company engaging in acts of illegality in the manufacture and distribution of fertilizers in the country.
The NSA also revealed that 9000kg of explosives and 16,420 pieces of detonators have been diverted for illegal use in the Niger Delta.
The explosives have been used in recent bombings of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta.
Two companies, Notore Chemical Industry Limited and Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals were granted the exclusive rights to manufacture fertilizer for local consumption after the Federal Government banned the importation of fertilizers following discovery that certain grades of fertilizers were being used to manufacture the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used by terrorists in the country.
Monguno said ONSA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also facilitated the importation of necessary raw materials and ensured secured distribution networks with the aim of solving the nation’s security problem and boosting local production of the product.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.
