Maritime
Reps Disagree Over Jonathan’s Import Policy
The House of Representatives on Tuesday threw out a motion for the reversal of the Federal Government’s latest import policy which has opened the gate for the importation of used cars and other items.
But the House also took the Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, to task over the implementation of the 2010 budget saying the Executive had a poor showing especially over capital expenditure.
Mr. Gbenga Onigbogi, from Osun State, had raised a motion under Matter of Urgent National Importance calling the attention of his colleagues to President Goodluck Jonathan’s policy of opening the nation’s ports for the importation of hitherto banned products.
The President had recently lifted ban on cars above 10 years and other items such as furniture, textile materials and other sundry items.
Many Nigerians had condemned the decision to open the gate for foreign products arguing that the decision amounted to directly killing local manufacturing industries.
Onigbogi, presenting his motion, said by lifting ban on the items, Jonathan contradicted his resolve to accelerate the process of rejuvenating the nation’s manufacturing sector.
Specifically, he said the textile industry, which accounted for the employment of thousands of Nigerians in the past had become comatose.
Members of the House who supported Onigbogi’s motion include Isah Umaru, Mustapha Aliu, Kayode Idowu, while the motion was opposed by Hon Ndudi Elumelu, Leo Ogor, Darlington Okereke and others.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Kayode Idowu from Osun State stated that the country needs to encourage local production.
He said, “When we look at the economic policy of this country, you will find out that it is not a productive economy. We have to look into encouraging local production in this country.”
Mustapha Aliu, while contributing to the debate, said the productive sectors of the economy that should be absorbing graduates from various universities was being killed with policies such as the latest one on importation.
“We are graduating engineers year-in year-out, but we are not supporting industries to absorb them. We are killing the industries to absorb them.”
Aliu said as a member of the board of the newsprint manufacturing company in Okuiboku, he was aware the company produced 2000 direct jobs and more than 5000 indirect jobs.
He said with the death of the company, all that had become history.
Isah Umaru said government’s intervention in saving the textile industry from total collapse would be meaningless should the government go ahead with its latest policy on importation.
He said, “Just recently the FG intervened to save the textile by commissioning some textile companies in Kaduna. I cannot understand the intention of government by lifting ban on textile materials. To me, it is a policy summersault.”
Opposing the motion, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Delta, said the country needed the revenues coming from importation to support the local industries.
“We must open our markets for the purpose of ensuring that we increase the revenue that is accrued to this country,” he said
Arguing further, Elumelu said that most people in the country could not afford new cars hence the availability of used cars will enable workers on minimum wage to own cars.
He said, new cars cost as much as N4 million to N6 million. In my federal constituency, we are very poor, not everybody can afford that amount to purchase one vehicle. So, we must open the market and allow the poor to survive.”
He said the country needed the revenues coming from importation to support the local industries. “We must open our market for the purpose of ensuring that we increase the revenue that is accrued to this country.”
Hon. Leo Ogor also said the government is losing revenues through the ban on the importation as he noted that the same banned items still find their ways into the Nigerian market. “Govt is losing revenues,” he stated.
He submitted that a reversal of the policy would not be in the interest of the common man.
Also opposing the motion, Hon. Darlinton Okereke, the ban on the items leads to loss of revenues.
He opposed the motion and said the products come into the country despite the ban with the country recording loses in revenue.
In his reaction to the contributions of those who opposed the motion, Onigbogi said generations yet unborn would not forgive them for the failure to do the right thing saying though importation might appear attractive now, the long term effect would be disastrous.
The House also queried Federal Government’s alleged poor implementation of the 2010 budget as the Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, came under fire over capital expenditure, depeletion of the foreign reserves and constituency allowances of members.
Those who queried the minister include Minority Whip, Ali Ndume, Hon. Abdul Ningi, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Jerry Manwe, Tsegbaa Terngu and others.
Admitting lapses in the implementation of the 2010 budget, Aganga assured the lawmakers that the government was serious about making up for the poor implementation in the 2011 budget.
He said, “There will be changes this year in the way capital budgets are implemented.”
Tragedy struck on Friday, when a fully loaded 40ft container fell from a Mack truck and crushed a woman to death along Lagos, Ibadan Expressway.
The Tide gathered that the Mack truck was on high speed when the incident occurred around NNPC inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A statement made available to our correspondent in Lagos by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightment Department of Lagos State traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, said a fully loaded 40ft Mack articulated truck fell on a Nissan car with registration number ABJ 692BG and instantly killed a woman at the rear of the car, while the car driver survived unhurt with the support of LASTMA officials.
Taofiq confirmed that the driver of the Mack articulated truck with his motor-boy ran away immediately the fatal accident occurred.
He said, according to preliminary investigation, the truck while on a high speed lost control as a result of a brake failure and rammed into a moving Nissan car on motion by N.N.P.C inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos.
The rescue agencies at the scene of the crash were the LASEMA, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Police.
Also at the accident scene were the LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, LASTMA Director of Traffic Incidents, Event Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance, Mr. Hakeem Adeosun, and the LASTMA rescue team.
General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare Oki, however, warned motoring public, particularly truck drivers, to stop over speeding and ensure their vehicles are properly checked, including the braking system, before embarking on any journey within or outside the State.
The incident attracted passers-by, who thronged the scene lamenting the unfortunate incident, accusing men of the ports task force of negligence.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The Port Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has presented an impressive revenue record collection for the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Command, it collected the sum of N66,920,181,586.30 as total revenue for the quarter of 2024, which is N22,198,965,809.55 higher than N44,721,215,776.75 collected between January and March 2023, representing 49.6 percent increase.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command , Compt. Saidu Abba Yusuf, who described the increase in revenue collection as a laudable feat , said the Command is more committed towards trade facilitation and support government drive for ease of doing business.
Comptroller Yusuf, who thanked the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for initiating strategies to achieve faster cargo clearance, reiterared that PTML Command under his watch aims to surpass its record of three hour cargo clearance for compliant traders.
According to Yusuf, the launching of time release study (TRS), which is ongoing, and other deliberate efforts by the Comptroller General have contributed in the expansion of terminal space and promoting ease of doing business in PTML.
He also disclosed that the PTML Command has potentials to achieve two hour cargo clearance and surpass its existing three hours record, if port users compliance level is improved upon.
Comptroller Yusuf, who described PTML as one of the safest and most secure environment for RoRo (Roll On Roll Off) and general cargoes, also advised importets and their agents to take advantage of the incentives available for compliant traders such as fast track, advance ruling and possible migration to the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status.
He reminded port users in PTML of the robust and time conscious dispute resolution mechanism, which has contributed immensely to the revenue collection, trade facilitation and anti smuggling functions of the Command.
While commending the various government and private sector stakeholders for their cooperation and support towards realisation of government goal of revenue collection and prevention of unlawful activities, Comptroller Yusuf expressed optimism that the Command will surpass its annual target for the year.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Customs Command, Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba, has commended the officers of the Non Intrusive Inspection Technology Unit (NIITU) for their invaluable contributions to the overall success of the Command.
Comptroller Jaiyeoba, who was on an unscheduled visit to the scanner site, reminded the officers of the importance of team work as a strong basis to sustain the gains of compliance and revenue collection recently recorded by the Command.
According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Apapa Command, CSC Abubakar Usman, Comptroller Jaiyeoba thanked Deputy Comptroller, Salamatu Atuluku, the Officer in Charge of scanning site, and encouraged the unit not to be deterred by complaints coming from persons who were made to pay accurate duties to government after issuance of demand notices.
The Customs boss stated that no business person who is made to part with money will be happy with officers that refused compromising the ethics of their job.
He noted that “The main reason for me coming here is to appreciate you. I may not see you, but I have seen your work and I won’t keep quiet about what I have seen about your work. You are doing very well. I just want to encourage you to work as a team. If you don’t work as a team, you give room for outsiders to come in and when they come in, they divide you, and when they divide you, achieving success will be very difficult.
“Do your work without blemish. Once you keep your arm straight, you can stand before anybody. Your work as a Customs Officer is to ensure that you do the correct thing.
“For those of you doing intervention in the form of Demand Notice (DN), there is no body who part with money that will be happy with you. They will want to play intelligent by hiding somewhere. When you fetch them from their hiding place, they become your enemy.
Whatever they write about anybody here will still come down to me and if anybody works well, the onus on me is to defend such a person .
“Just have it at the back of your mind that you owe yourself the duty of doing your work diligently whether anyone comes around as a friend or enemy. It is not enough for you to rest. The reward for hard work is more work. These demands require sacrifice so that you can maintain the status”.
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