Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, has been called
upon to as a matter of urgency investigate Customs Pre-shipment Inspection
cancelled by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) during the tenure of Alhaji
Dikko Inde as Comptroller-General as a means of fighting rising insecurity in
the country.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Social
Integrity Network (SIN), in a petition sent to the leadership of the Senate,
noted that the Pre-Shipment Inspection that was cancelled has further paved way
for bandwagon effects, including illegal importation of dangerous weapons.
According to the group, “We want to categorically
ask: ‘was the cancellation approval granted by the President, the leadership of
the National Assembly, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice or by
their personal decision?
“It is on record that the manufacturers have been
clamouring for the return of Pre-Shipment Inspection but unfortunately, no
attention has been given to their request while many companies that have been
found to be culpable in this regard are yet to be sanctioned. Destination
Inspection imposed is full of corruption due to lack of efficiency and
transparency in the exercise.”
The group stated further that “if Nigerian Government
is really serious about the fight insurgency, they must revisit the matter and
reverse the action with immediate effect because it is through this means that
dangerous weapons are finding their ways into the country.
“Despite all the money being spent on insurgency
operations, the federal government is yet to overcome the ugly challenges which
have ravaged many states in the Northeast while many innocent souls have been
lost.”
The petition further said: “It is our desire to
swiftly respond against the looming crises of economic sabotage which is posing
serious threat to the means of livelihood of average Nigerians.
“It would be recalled that recently, we all woke up
to a widely spread reports by a group under the Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria, (MAN)-Galvanised Iron and Steel Manufacturers Association (GISMA)-with
the alert of planning to lay off 20,000 workforces into the labour market.
“The 30 days warning alert was given due to the
collapse of some sectors of Nigeria economy precipitated by massive smuggling
of substandard products into Nigeria, targeted at collapsing the local manufacturers.”
The group added that “our investigation has
revealed that smuggled substandard steel products have flooded every nook and
cranny of Nigeria thereby subjecting local manufacturers to serious economic
and social investment misfortune.
“Our Questions now is: What are the agencies
saddled with these responsibilities such as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and
Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) doing about it in order to support
President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to industrialise Nigeria?”
“Information at our disposal is that some
member-companies under GISMA are planning to start shedding their workforce
under the euphemism of ‘stood off’, workforce rationalisation and outright
sacking of workers because they are yet to get meaningful success in their
plights of ridding the country of smuggling and illegal importation activities.”
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