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Illegal roadblocks blamed for food losses, extortion, and road accidents
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Farmers say checkpoint harassment worsens food inflation and poverty
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Call for single, nationwide tax system to ease pressure on smallholders
The National President of the Tomato and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), Mr Bola Oyeleke, has applauded the decision by the Federal Government and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to dismantle illegal checkpoints and harmonise levies across the country.
In an interview, Mr Oyeleke said the move was crucial for reviving Nigeria’s broken agricultural value chain. He described the unauthorised checkpoints on major roads as a major source of food supply disruption, leading to widespread losses of perishable crops like tomatoes and vegetables.
“Illegal checkpoints have been disturbing the agricultural sector. They delay the movement of perishable goods like tomatoes and vegetables, cause damage due to lateness, and lead to significant losses,” he said.
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He noted that beyond delays, the checkpoints often subject truck drivers to harassment, extortion, and dangerous encounters, with some incidents escalating into accidents that destroy both lives and produce.
“It is not only about extorting money. These people are very brutal to truck drivers. When the drivers try to avoid them, it can lead to serious accidents. This not only damages goods but makes road transport more dangerous for those in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Mr Oyeleke further highlighted how multiple, uncoordinated levies at different points from highways to markets continue to punish both farmers and food traders. He called for a streamlined national taxation system to replace the current fragmented structure.
“We also have to look at the markets. There are a series of taxes there too. If the government can centralise and harmonise all these, it will be easier for farmers, marketers, and transporters to do business without fear or unnecessary losses,” he said.
According to him, the cost of checkpoint-related bribes and the delays they cause are usually passed on to farmers by middlemen, who offer low farmgate prices to compensate for the added logistics costs.
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“The small-scale farmer is forced to sell at very low prices just to ensure their goods can make it to major markets like Lagos, Port Harcourt, or Ibadan. At the end of the day, they can’t even recover their cost of production,” he lamented.
Mr Oyeleke described the resilience of smallholder farmers as admirable but said that unless structural reforms like removing roadblocks and standardising taxes are fully implemented, the system would continue to work against them.
“This is a good step by the government. It’s not just about road checkpoints but also about fixing the entire supply chain to allow goods and services to move freely across the country,” he said.
