From Walter Ukaegbu, Abuja
National president, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Bassey Edem, has advised the Federal Government to pay greater attention to small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMES), since the are the engine of business and economic development worldwide.
Edem made the remark in Abuja yesterday, during the ongoing Abuja International Trade Fair, where he stated that MSMEs could be a vehicle of employment because there were over 32 million MSMEs in the country, which has over 170 million people.
According to him, as at 2014, the household consumption expenditure was over N65 trillion, so with all these endowments and opportunity, the business community has the capacity to turn around the economy of the country and move it into prosperity.
The NACCIMA president declared that the current economic situation should prompt business people and the chamber to work harder with government on its diversification process while taking advantage of the abundant resources in the country and the incentives provided by government to promote trade and commerce in Nigeria.
He counseled government at all levels to intensify efforts on all programmes and activities geared towards enhancing the ease of doing business.
Customs impounds rice worth N774m in 9 months
From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, has disclosed that 117,034 bags of 50kg parboiled rice with duty paid value of N774,282,300 were impounded in the first three quarters of this year.
Ali, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, also revealed that 99 per cent of rice imported into the country was unfit for human consumption, even as he urged Nigerians to support the efforts of government aimed at meeting local demand.
He said, with the support of patriotic Nigerians, the country would not only achieve national sufficiency in rice next year, but also be in a position to ban its importation in the years ahead.
Ali denounced the continuous wastage of scarce foreign exchange on items that could be produced locally, especially as the nation gropes through economic recession.
The customs boss also said it was unwise for Nigeria to continually allow neighbouring countries connive with local importers to sabotage her economy by making the country a smuggling hub.
Said he: “In the recent past, our collective intelligence was assaulted with dubious claims of rice sufficiency gaps. Arbitrary quotas were used, more for political patronage, to dump imported rice on us without the payment of correct charges.
“Our credible intelligence indicates that the promoters of this economic subterfuge are at work again. Their plan is to seek a reintroduction of the quota system to import 1.5 million metric tonnes through the entry points.
“We are aware of their plans and we shall be waiting for them. This year, many state governments have injected massive investment in local production. The Federal Government, through interventions by Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bank of Industry, is also investing to give momentum to the rice revolution that is progressing smoothly.
