Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, said the Federal Government will partner neighbouring countries to curb the menace of smuggling.
Mr. Osinbajo stated that the partnership was to ensure that the country’s porous borders are better monitored, adding that it would help reduce the entry of fake products into the country.
“The whole issue of policing the borders to curb smuggling, we are looking at how we can work with neighbours to police the borders which at present are porous”.
Receiving a delegation of Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, led by its President, Dr Frank U. Jacobs, who came on an advocacy visit to promote made in Nigeria products, the Vice President mentioned that the step would promote patronage of made in Nigeria products, as well as boost the Country’s manufacturing sector.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, the Vice President stated that certain sections of the laws should be amended to attract stringent monetary penalties for defaulters, adding that it would serve as a deterrent to others.
“Last week, we had discussions with all the agencies connected, including the Customs, Minister of Internal Affairs, Nigeria Ports Authorities and we were looking at how we can work with our neighbours especially Benin Republic and our neighbours also in the North to police our borders as much as we can”.
Prof Osinbajo said the problem with smuggling was an issue of implementation of agreement.
“In 2013 a Memorandum Of Understanding was signed by the African Union”.
He explained that the manufacturing and agriculture sectors might not survive with the prevailing smuggling, adding that the Government’s tomato policy was to ensure self-sufficiency by 2018.
“We are trying to balance policies to ensure that we do not run ahead of our local capacity”.
While acknowledging that made in Nigeria goods was expensive, Osinbajo said patronage of local textiles by the Government was implementable.
“There is no policy that is difficult to implement”.
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria’s President, Frank U. Jacobs said the campaign aims at improving the patronage of locally manufactured products by Nigerians.
“Undoubtedly the Government remains the largest single spender in the economy and could drive industrial development and economic growth by increasing its patronage of locally made products”.
Jacobs stated that the manufacturing sector has huge inventory of unsold finished products attributing it to poor patronage and general apathy of consumers with penchant for foreign goods.
“It is an established fact that when we buy foreign goods, we pay the returns to factors used in producing them in the originating countries”.
“That is to say that we pay wages, rent, interest and profit to foreign countries with our local resources”.
On the Margin Of Preference (MOP) initiative, the Association’s President said they would boost Government revenue through taxes and employment creation.
“Again at six percent tax ratio, the Government will generate approximately N400bn in new tax revenue from only five sectors in 2018”.
The Vice President further explained that
“the whole point of the executive order on promoting made in Nigeria products was to set the ball rolling, to create an environment for this sort of initiative and I am extremely grateful to MAN for the work that it has done in bringing this to the fore”
