LCCI tasks FG on compliance with executive orders

THE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Federal Government to evolve a framework for enforcement of compliance with its Executive Orders.

Mr Muda Yusuf, Director-General of LCCI, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

He said there was the need for bureaucrats to key into the Executive Orders, especially the ones on the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria goods and dismantling of checkpoints, toward improving the business environment.

NAN reports that an Executive Order is a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of government, and having the force of law.

Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, on May 18, 2017, signed three Executive Orders on the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment, support for local contents in public procurement by the Federal Government and to improve the budget process of the country.

“It is one thing to make a political statement, and it is another thing for the bureaucrats to implement it.

Many of the ministries are still doing things as usual.

“The customs have not been on-board, to support efforts to ease the business environment because there are still a lot of challenges at the port.

“There is an Executive Order that says that the customs should stop mounting roadblocks.

That has not worked; as we speak, there are still checkpoints, even immediately after the port, here in Lagos.

“We have the FOU, CG task force and another strike force on the road so that when containers leave the port, they stop them.

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“The information we got now is that the police are also stopping containers, and there is a need to address all these abnormalities before it creates another problem,” he said.

According to him, many SMEs are complaining of lack of patronage of their products from ministries, departments and agencies.

Yusuf commended the government on the progress made in easing business registration, visa-on-arrival, and ease in entry and exit at the airports.

Also, Mr Hamma Kwajaffa, Director-General, Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), said many manufacturers had a lot of unsold inventories due to lack of patronage by government agencies.

Kwajaffa said timelines on the budget process should be strictly adhered to in order to ensure that economic activities were not disrupted.