Don’t Shut Rice Importation Windows, Pastor Schugger Urges FG

The Founder of Grace Revolution International Ministry, Pastor Schugger Ezenwa Onyeukwu, PhD. has called on the Federal Government to maintain the current policy allowing rice importation, describing any move to close the windows as “detrimental and inimical” to the Nigerian people.
Speaking to newsmen today in Lagos, Dr. Onyeukwu maintained that the policy has provided a much-needed lifeline for the masses who have been grappling with unprecedented economic hardship and food insecurity.

The cleric lauded the government’s “bold step” in opening the borders for the staple food, noting that the decision was a direct response to the “unbearable and unimaginable” austerity that had gripped the nation.
“The government saw the hunger in the land,” Pastor Schugger stated. “The suffering was becoming unbearable, and the FG had to take that drastic step to allow rice into the country. Before this intervention, the most consumed food item in Nigeria had become as elusive as precious stones.”

Drawing a comparison between the current and previous market prices, Dr. Onyeukwu highlighted a significant drop in costs. He noted that while a bag of rice previously sold for between N90,000 and N110,000, the importation policy has crashed the price to N50,000 and below.
He pointed out that the impact was felt most significantly during the recent festive period. “Families were happy this last Christmas because the same amount of money that could only purchase 25kg of rice in December 2024 was enough to buy a full 50kg bag in December 2025,” he said.

Dr. Onyeukwu was critical of the arguments put forward by some local agricultural stakeholders, accusing them of prioritizing profit over the welfare of the citizenry.
“The farmers are just enriching themselves without producing enough to meet local demands, prompting a scarcity that made the commodity exorbitant,” he alleged. “The farmers are fighting for their own selfish interests, but the government must consider the public interest and the masses who are the ultimate beneficiaries of this price reduction.”

Concluding his address, the Lagos-based pastor urged the Federal Government to prioritize “stomach infrastructure” by allowing the importation to continue. This, he argued, would ensure that the current respite enjoyed by Nigerians is sustained and that “hunger goes into extinction” in the country.