By Omoniyi Salaudeen, Olakunle Olafioye (Lagos) and John Adams (Minna)
It was a moment of joy in the penultimate week as the Federal Government unveiled the Central Bank of Nigeria/RIFAN Paddy Pyramids in Abuja.
Nigerians who saw the heaps of rice were happy. Since then, many have started saying goodbye to hunger, which has become common in many households in the country. The new hope is that local rice will soon flood the Nigerian markets. But that may be a pipe dream as there are many who despite the cheers and new hope believe that the Abuja rice show was a scam
Senator Hanga Rufai is one of the stakeholders in rice production in Kano State. Speaking with Sunday Sun in a telephone interview, he dismissed the unveiling of the rice pyramid in Abuja as a scam.
According to him, the bulk of the rice they showcased was imported from the neighbouring countries to augment the small quantity produced locally in Nigeria so that they could cover up the money they have stolen from the Anchor Borrower Programme. 
He said: “It is a scam. In a situation where bandits did not allow people to go to the farms, how could they have produced such a huge quantity of rice they showcased? Even where the bandits allowed farmers to farm, they didn’t allow them to harvest. In some cases, they went and razed their farms with fire. Not up to 20 per cent of our land last year and the year before was cultivated because of this banditry that is all…
