The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has applauded the recent directive from the Customs headquarters removing all customs checkpoints outside 40 kilometers of the nation’s land borders and checkpoints outside the ports areas.
In his reaction, Director-General of the LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf noted the order, which was at the instance of the Presidential Enabling Business Environmental Council [PEBEC] is a major step towards the realization of the council’s mandate of promoting the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“Many traders and individual car owners had suffered untold hardship because of the numerous checkpoints on the highways in various parts of the country mounted by operatives of the Nigeria customs service. The streamlining of their operations is therefore a welcome development. Their activities are many times arbitrary, especially on issues of vehicle valuation and documents certifications on the highways, which often results in extortions.
“The development is a clear demonstration of the responsiveness of the present administration to complaints of the private sector on business environment issues. It is also complements earlier Executive Orders issued by the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo,”he said.
While noting that Lagos has two such approved checkpoints at Seme and Badagry, he disclosed, “the LCCI in collaboration with other private sector bodies will monitor and track the implementation of this directive.”
According to him the directive on checkpoint will impact the domestic trade positively by reducing the disruptive activities created customs checkpoints on highways, end embarrassment caused innocent motorists and vehicle owners through the demand for import duty receipts and revaluation of duty payments by customs and reduce extortion by customs operatives on the highways.
“We demand that other security agencies whose activities also disrupt domestic trade through the ubiquitous check points should take a cue from the Nigeria customs service.
“Domestic trade generates perhaps the largest number of jobs in the economy, next to agriculture. It also contributes 16 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product [GDP]. It needs all the protection that the government can give. The sector is also very critical in the value chain of the real sector such as manufacturing, agriculture, solid minerals and oil and gas. After all whatever is produced must be distributed for value delivery to end users or the final consumer.”
