By John Okoh, Lagos
The ambition of Nigeria to become one of the ten largest economies in the world for ease of doing is still a mere ambition because of certain root problems requiring decisive actions.
Making this observation yesterday in Lagos is a top official of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Tin Can port in Apapa, Lagos, Comptroller, Yusuf Bashir who was guest speaker at the annual seminar for Small and Medium Enterprises, SME, organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI.
The one-day seminar with the theme, “Ease of Doing Business: Economic Realities For SMEs”, held at the LCCI Conference and Exhibition Center, Alausa, Ikeja and attracted other dignitaries from the National Foods and Drug Administration Commission, NAFDAC, Bank of Industry, BOI, Prince Joel and Associates and past chairmen of SME Group of the LCCI and SME exhibitions.
Mr Bashir, who cited a World Bank assisted report, said the country currently stands at 169th position out of 190 countries in the world, a one-point improvement on the 2016 position, which stood at 170.
“I dare not clap until we get to the best 10 in the world and then I can clap”, he said, adding, “What we have now in 2107 leaves much to be desired. This involves everyone in the supply chain in the country.”
Speaking further, Bashir, who represented the Assistant Comptroller General, M. N Abueh, said the World Bank list paints a very gloomy though surmountable picture for the ease of doing business for SMEs in the country.
He said, “ In starting a business, Nigeria stands at 138th position on ease of doing business, 174 for getting permit and registration, 180 on matters of electricity, 182 on registration of property, 32 for protecting minorities, 182 for paying taxes, 181 for trading across borders, 189 for resolving contract disputes and 140 for resolving insurgency.”
He suggested that since the issues raised in the report cut across relevant government agencies such as the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS Immigrations and the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, there is need for these agencies to cooperate and work together to bring sanity into the system.
“I am not responsible for electricity or enquiry about contract but trade across borders where I know we require computerization, investment on electronic facilities. What operates today is that we operate as individual institutions, whereas if we collapse these regulatory platforms into a national platform with administrators for each body, we cannot assist the country to move gradually from 140 to 120 and the 80 and 10 position”.
He however urged the SMEs to adopt measures that would make it easier for the Customs to assist them grow and sustain their businesses. Such measures, according to him, include investment in electronic infrastructure to interface with the agency; submission of correct data and to stop relying on ethnic connection to clear goods or using doctored invoices and concealment of goods in containers.
Lastly, he disclosed that the lack of access road into the port was killing business as goods that should take at least 48 hours to get to their owners warehouses after clearance were delayed unnecessarily at the port, with all the attendant multiplier effects for the consumers and importers.
