Full List of Contraband Goods/Items in Nigeria (2024)

Contraband items in Nigeria are goods that are possessed or sold illegally. This usually contains smuggled goods, stolen goods and fruits of fraud and forgery. There has been a lot of debate about whether the Nigerian government placed a ban on rice importation, and what are these goods that can’t be imported into Nigeria. in this article, we would resolve this.

Full List of Contraband Goods/Items in Nigeria

Below are goods that are prohibited by the Nigerian customs service as contraband items.

• The egg of birds
• Beet sugar or cane
• Chemically pure sucrose that is in solid form, and contains flavouring or colouring.
• Powder and cakes , cocoa butter
• Spaghetti or noodles
• Vegetable oils and fats that are refined.
• Mineral waters and aerated waters that contains sugar, flavoured or sweetening matter
• Bagged cement
• Paracetamol syrup and tablets.
• Chloroquine syrups and tablets.
• Metronidazole syrup and tablets
• Cotrimoxazole syrup or tablets
• Ferrous sulphate tablets.
• Ferrous gluconate tablets
• Vitamin B complex tablets
• Multivitamin tablets, syrups and capsules.
• Folic acid tablets
• Magnesium trisilicate tablets and substance suspensions.
• Piperazine tablets and Syrup.
• Clotrimazole Cream
• Levamisole Tablets and Syrups
• Ointments – Penecilin/Gentamycin.
• Intravenous Fluids [Dextrose, Normal Saline, etc.]
• Waste Pharmaceuticals .
• Pyrantel Pamoate tablets and Syrups
• Soaps and Detergents
• Mosquito repellent coils
• Sanitary wares of plastics
• Corrugated paper and paper boards
• Retreaded and used pneumatic tires
• Telephone vouchers and recharge cards
• Carpets and other textile floor coverings.
• Furniture but excluding laboratory cabinets such as fume  cupboards, seat frames, adjustment device, base Sledge,  arm guide, Microscope table.
• Airmail photographic printing paper
• Coupons of  beting arrangements
• Coupons of football pools
• Beats that are composed of inflamable celluloid or similar substances.
• Any counterfeit operated materials or articles that include base or counterfeit coin of any country.
• Tea mixed with other substances
• Matches made of white phosphorus
• Manila
• Vegetables,  meat or other  food provisions that are declared by health officer to be unfit for human consumption
• Second hand clothing
• Metal or silver alloy coins that are not illegal tender in Nigeria
• Pistols that are disguised in any form.
• Nuclei industrial waste and other toxic materials
• Alcoholic bitters
• Liquers.

With these above-mentioned goods,  you as an Importer cannot afford to bridge Nigerian legal demands regarding banned merchandise.

How Does Import Ban Affect The Nigerian Economy?

One of the major trade marks of developed nations is that they do more of exporting than importing. Exporting goods that are homemade is incredibly important to modern economies. This is because it offers home-based firms more markets for their goods,  thus increasing the country’s GDP.

Nigeria is not a developed country, we are a developing country; so we do more important than exporting.  This is very eminent in the low GDP of the country. An import ban affects the economy in Nigeria in a very positive way. In times past,  Nigeria was always  importing  rice from other countries  when they had the potential to be a major competitor in rice world market.  So, with a very tight regulation on the importation of rice, local Industries  and farming firms, can at least be on the of frontiers of producing home-based rice.

Importing bans placed by the Nigerian customs helps to influence the nations exchange rate the level of inflation and interest rates.  As iterated earlier, a high level of imports the domestic currency and negatively affect Nigeria’s exchange rate.

How Do Imports And Exports Directly Affect You In Nigeria?

When Nigeria is importing goods,  it presents an outflow of funds from the nation. Local Nigerian companies are the Importers and they make payments to overseas exporters or entities.  The high level of imports is a good indication of robust domestic demand and a growing economy.  If the goods that are imported are mainly productive assets, like machinery and equipment, this will be more favorable for Nigeria since productive assets can improve the economic productivity in the long run.

A healthy economy is one that has a balance between imports and exports. So, for a developing country like Nigeria, imports that are excessive show the International communities that the country does not have industrial independence to produce goods for itself. An increased exports rate is on the other hand a good indication of the industrial independence of a nation to international markets.

Is Rice Contraband in Nigeria?

The Nigerian government did not outrightly ban the importation of rice, instead, they placed restrictions on its importation so that they can boost its local production. In Nigeria, there is no ban on rice importation, instead, there is some control.

More on Rice Import regulation

Rice is a popular staple food in most of the developing and underdeveloped countries in the world.  So if Nigeria can regulate rice imports and promote local companies in producing this stable food,  the GDP of the country would significantly increase. To iterate points made earlier rice was never banned in the country, rather it is very tightly regulated by the Nigerian customs.