S02E13: I’ve Got The Gospel On Lock Tonight, Baby!

Zosobi Boo-Bury

and

lavish

Sep 10, 2024

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FISH JERKY JESUS

🐟 SMUGGLER’S STOCK 🐟

Smuggling doesn’t always involve narcotics or people. What normal everyday things are being moved illegally in vast quantities around the world? I was curious as to what was being smuggled today that was just normal stuff.

I found myself in a spiraling foray into Nigeria’s crippling addiction to Viking-style dried fish.

6 Of The Most Smuggled Foods In The World

Nigeria's love affair with a Norwegian fish

Central Bank of Nigeria Defends Ban On Stockfish Importation

Nigeria imports Norwegian seafood worth $125 million yearly

FIFA Women’s World Cup: Norway Beat Nigeria 3-0 In Group Opener

Nigeria central bank to intervene in forex market, lifts forex ban on 43 items

Nigeria becomes first African nation to roll out digital currency

🐟 Stockfish 1 - Smuggled

Stockfish, or sun-dried cod, has been an important part of Nigerian cuisine for generations. Very few kitchens in Nigeria will not have the flaky bark-dry fish used to make soups and broths. Stockfish has been made since the time of the Vikings, and was eaten as a preserved ration by explorers as their longships sailed on some of the greatest naval voyages of their era.

Today, it has found popularity in Africa. The fish is so important and expensive that the Central Bank of Nigeria put certain trade restrictions on imports, including tariffs and currency restrictions, leading to a stockfish black market.

The restriction of trade is important because Stockfish is not native to Nigeria, as cod requires colder waters than can be provided by African coasts. Stockfish must instead be exported from Norway, an arctic nation thousands of miles away.

A little info on Nigeria…

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a large nation in West Africa that has been inhabited by humans long before written history. Within Nigeria’s borders, human remains have been found dating back to the Pleistocene Era (Ice Age). Excavations at Kainji Dam on the Niger River show iron tools dating back to 300 BC.

Today, Nigeria is a regional power in Africa and a “middle power” in international affairs. As of 2024, Nigeria's economy is the fourth-largest in Africa, the 53rd-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and 27th-largest by PPP. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa owing to its large population and economy, and is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank.

Nigeria’s largest culture is Hausa, which is a people and religion I once played and conquered Africa with in Crusader Kings III.

Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many international organizations, including the United Nations, NAM, the Economic Community of West African States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and OPEC.

Traditional Cuisine - Stockfish is a staple ingredient particularly in soups and stews like Egusi, Edikaikong, Ofe nsala, Afang, Ukazi, and others. It’s often served with meals like pounded yam, fufu, and garri.

Nutritional Value - Stockfish is an excellent source of protein, vitamins D and B12, and iron, making it a nutritious option for people of all ages, including children.

Sustainable Production - Stockfish is sustainably caught by dedicated fishermen and dried according to traditional methods, ensuring a high-quality product with a unique taste and texture.

Norwegian Origin - Stockfish originates from Norway, where cod is dried naturally without salt on wooden racks (hjell) along the coast. This process concentrates the nutrients, making it rich in proteins, vitamins, iron, and calcium.

Export to Nigeria - Norway is one of the largest exporters of stockfish to Nigeria, with over 10,000 metric tonnes exported in 2020. The product is highly prized in Nigeria for its unique taste and nutritional value.

But wait…

Why does Norwegian fish-jerky play such an important part in West African culture?

🐟 Stockfish 2 - Tasty Fish

🐟 Stockfish 3 - Civil War

It was the Biafran civil war in Nigeria 50 years ago that set the scene for stockfish to become a must-have ingredient in Nigerian cuisine. In the course of three bloody years, more than a million people died - mostly from hunger. It was a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale, and churches and relief agencies from all over the world joined together to fly in emergency supplies.

Norway's contribution was stockfish.

It doesn't need refrigeration, and it is full of protein and vitamins - perfect to combat kwashiorkor, the malnutrition that characterized the Biafran war. "The single weapon against kwashiorkor was stockfish," says Edwin Mofefe, who was five years old when the war broke out. "It was our medicine."

For years Mr. Mofefe couldn't eat stockfish because it brought back too many harrowing memories of the war. Now, finally, he can not only stomach it, he has come to adore it for the depth of flavoring it brings to his favorite egusi or melon seed soup. Fifty years on, stockfish has turned from an emergency, life-saving ration into a staple food - and a key part of Nigerian culinary identity.

NOTE: The Nigerian Civil War involved support from a motley crew of nations on either side, but only one nation supported both sides - Israel.

Economic Importance - Stockfish is a significant import for Nigeria, with a one-kilogram bag selling for around $65 a kilo (around $30 a pound), making it seven times more expensive than other popular fish like croaker.

🐟 Stockfish 4 - Forex Limitations

🐟 Stockfish 4.5 - Grudges

Government Intervention - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initially restricted forex allocation for stockfish imports, but Norway has appealed to the government to delist stockfish from the ineligible items list, seeking cheaper currency and reduced costs for consumers.

The banks said they put on the restrictions to support local fish industries, conserve foreign currencies, and to create jobs.

Foreign Exchange Reserves

Every nation has FERs, which basically means they use their money to buy other people’s money. For example, the US Treasury will use their dollars to buy and hold a reserve of Euros (among more). With Nigeria, FERs are a little more important, and foreign currencies like USDs and Euros are vital to hold and use in case their own currency (the naira) should fail. Here’s a history of the naira according to the Nigerian government. Interesting Note: Nigeria’s first standard legal tender was British pounds and shillings.

If Nigeria wants to buy European products, they must buy with a more global currency. To buy fish from Norway, they cannot use naira (₦), they must purchase in krone (kr), euro (€), or dollars ($). The Treasury already has and uses these currencies to subsidize trade, but they stopped doing it for fish as part of a measure to keep what European currencies they currently hold.

The Central Bank of Nigeria is also responsible for launching the first African central bank digital currency, quite a test run for the banking and oil cartels. Denominated in naira, the eNaira serves as both a medium of exchange and a store of value and claims to offer better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash. The eNaira was launched and activated on 25 October 2021 by President Muhammad Buhari, under the slogan: "Same Naira, More Possibilities".

🐟 Stockfish 5 - eNaira

“The reason for the central digital bank can help move more people and businesses away from the informal into the formal sector, thereby creating the tax base of the country. Alongside digital innovations, central bank digital currencies can foster economic growth through better economy activities.” - President Muhammad Buhari

eNaira’s Website

Take-up has been sluggish. Fewer than 0.5% of Nigerians were using the eNaira within a year of its launch, despite discounts to encourage adoption. As of 2024, most wallets are reportedly inactive. Barriers include weak technology infrastructure, unreliable electricity, the lack of training for financial employees, anxieties about data privacy and financial crime, low trust in government, and the exclusion of people without existing bank accounts.

Whether paid for in eNaira, Naira, or Euros, it is clear that the Nigerian demand for Stockfish cannot be stopped!! 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟