The Federal Government has removed import duties on all forms of agricultural equipment as part of measures to diversify the country’s economy, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (CGC), Abdullahi Dikko, has said.

Mr. Dikko disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the gesture would also assist government to boost local agricultural production, create employment and reduce youth restiveness in the country.

Mr. Dikko said that government was moving towards agriculture to help grow the country economically and politically, adding that ‘agriculture is one of the back bones of any economy’.

“Now we realise that we have to face reality of time agriculture is one of the back bone of any economy. We are now moving towards agriculture. The President has removed all import duty on agriculture equipment and we try to patronise goods that are being manufactured in Nigeria so that we boost our own production. Then, employment and reduce restiveness so that, at least, the country will have peace and we will move politically and economically.”

On the World Customs Regional Staff College opened in Gwagwalada, Abuja, Mr. Dikko said that the first batch of trainees would commence training at the college in January.

The College was inaugurated in December, 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan during the World Customs Organization Policy commission meeting held in Nigeria.

The CGC said that the training would first start with the comptrollers, adding that all the facilities provided in the college would be fully utilised and maintained.

“The staff college is going to be fully utilised; we are going to be sending our officers to the well-acquainted with modern technique and activities of the world customs. I assure you and I assure Nigerians that structure that they saw is going to be fully utilised.’’

According to him, accountability, ethics and good governance will be taught at the college as part of measures to tackle the issue of bottlenecks in the service.

He said that the trainees would also be exposed to modern skills in tariff, evaluation, rule of origin, among others.