Prof Gregory Ibeh, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has told the two leading political parties to trade cautiously with unfolding plot to ignore the quest by the South East geopolitical zone to have a shot at presidency, warning that ongoing scheming aimed at obstructing the zone in the building up to 2023 may prove a costly mistake.
Stakeholders in the value chain, including local processors and growers, have expressed dismay over the development, saying it would reverse the gains recorded in the last few years.
However, some observers have blamed millers for mopping up paddy rice and processing it in piecemeal, to attract more profit, thereby sabotaging the effort of the federal government in making rice affordable to Nigerians.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in December, 2020, directed that the four borders that were closed in 2019 be reopened. Some traders told our correspondents that even while the border closure lasted, the commodity was a common sight in almost every shop.