The Federal Government, through its Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, has warned that Nigeria must not become a dumping ground for substandard agricultural produce.
This is even as the agency called on shippers to embrace zero tolerance for unsafe imports, as it sealed a compliance pact with fruit importers in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting with fruit importers in Lagos, the Comptroller-General of NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe, said the country must avoid actions that amount to self-sabotage or the creation of unnecessary barriers to legitimate trade.
“Nigeria must not become a dumping ground for substandard agricultural produce,” Isegbe stated. He also reaffirmed NAQS’s commitment to safe, compliant, and sustainable fruit importation.
According to Isegbe, as Nigeria’s National Plant Protection Organisation, NAQS has the statutory responsibility to protect the nation’s agricultural economy while facilitating compliant and safe imports.
Isegbe emphasised that only fruits that meet sanitary and phytosanitary standards should be allowed into the country in order to safeguard public health and local production.
The NAQS boss stressed that the engagement with importers was part of efforts to promote transparency, “build trust, and ensure that trade processes align with global best practices without compromising Nigeria’s biosecurity.”
Also speaking, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, highlighted the importance of inter-agency cooperation in trade facilitation and border security.
Adeniyi, who was represented at the event by the Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, Godwin Otunla, reiterated the service’s support for NAQS in enforcing “import standards that protect national interest while ensuring smooth cargo clearance.”
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr Pius Akutah, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Operations, Mr Omanayin Femi, reaffirmed the council’s backing for NAQS operations.
He said NAQS plays a critical role in maintaining sanitary and phytosanitary compliance and enhancing Nigeria’s credibility in international trade.
At the event, Isegbe engaged operators, sister agencies, and industry leaders on strengthening collaboration and regulatory compliance in the sector.
The meeting also had in attendance the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, who was represented by Mr Onari-Brown Sovic, alongside other key stakeholders in the import value chain.
At the end of the engagement, a communiqué was signed between NAQS and the Association of Fruit Importers in Nigeria, signalling a shared commitment to compliance, collaboration, and the promotion of safe fruit importation practices across the country. The pact is expected to strengthen cooperation, reduce trade disputes, and ensure that only quality and safe fruits enter the Nigerian market.
NAQS is a regulatory agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, formerly FMARD, tasked with safeguarding Nigeria’s agricultural sector from harmful pests, diseases, and contaminants. It oversees quarantine controls on plant, animal, and aquatic resources in connection with international trade.
