Chief Osita Chukwu at the press briefing.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The recent ban on the export of shea nuts by the Nigerian Government is one that is expected to have certain reactions as well as different kinds of effects.
One of the reasons why public opinion is usually against such a ban is that for a policy to go into the implementation stage, a period of time is given for people who will bear the direct effects of that policy to adjust in order to mitigate the effects of such a policy.
Since the announcement of the ban by the president of Nigeria, it has been a huge period of confusion, anger and desperation. These feelings come out of the suspicion that the decision to ban the export of this particular produce is borne out of political expediency rather than a well thought economic reason.
A licenced Customs Agent and the coordinator of the Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition, Chief Osita Chukwu has cried out his concerns on the effects of the ban.
Chief Osita who held a press briefing at his Apapa office today said that “the banning of shea nut export is not in the interest of freight forwarders. We know that the Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service called a stakeholder around to try and explain the ban, but it has not in way lessened the pain of those who invested in this commodity. This sudden ban reeks of economic warfare”. He fired.
Chief Chukwu stressing a point at the briefing.
Recall that the Nigerian government, under President Tinubu, issued a directive on August 26, 2025, banning the export of raw shea nuts for a temporary period of six months citing the need to boost local processing and the shea butter industry.
The ban is also aimed at transforming Nigeria from a raw shea nut exporter to a global supplier of refined shea butter and other shea derivatives for economic transformation, industrial growth and global market positioning.
Chief Chukwu opined that “since the processes of importing have become rather tenuous, export should be encouraged, this ban looks more like a kick in the gut. In the interim, Nigeria may be loosing about $100 million from this ban and may be loosing over $500 million in the nearest future if this ban is not reversed, this is disastrous, condemnable and total a set back on our economy”.
The major problem that most exporters have with the ban is that they find it so sudden as they claim to have mortgaged their properties in order to invest in the exporting of this commodity. Most of the processed containers of this nut are said to be stuck at the export terminal while ships are waiting to take them to their destinations.
Chief Chukwu advocates that the executive order which placed the ban on the export of shea nuts should be suspended if not rescinded as people’s investments are trapped at the terminals. He noted that the stakeholders may be forced to resort to litigation.
He advised the government that “the processed or about to be processed containers of nut should allowed to be exported and a fair amount of time given to exporters to prepare themselves for any ban if the government insists on introducing the ban”. He concluded.
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