…Nigeria lost 1m tons of Iron, 30, 000 jobs in 2yrs
President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to secure the future for the Iron and Steel sector to further protect the economic interests of the nation among other policies.
This is coming on the heel of the fact that the federal government is making frantic efforts towards reviving the moribund Ajaokuta Steel, ROYAL NEWS has gathered.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Social Integrity Network, (SINET), in a statement issued in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Saturday stressing that, “Nigeria has lost about 1million tonns of steel manufacturing products and about 30,000 jobs, between 2017 to date due to high rates of smuggling , importation of substandard products, high conspiracy and connivance among Customs Officer and perpetrators of illegal acts as well as wrong declarations of goods in the tune of over 200 containers.”
The national Coordinator of SINET, Mallam Ibrahim Isah noted that thr Presiden should urgently device effective monitoring policy of Seaports in order to reduce the rate of massive economic loss stressing that there is no future for the nation’s Iron and Steel sector.
“It is saddened to note that while the nation is gradually winning the war against smuggling through the closure of inland boarders, no attention is given to seaports where containers are checked into the country without adequate inspection thereby paving ways for substandard goods as well as dangerous weapons into the nation. There can’t be significant success without paying cognizance attention to Seaports and Creeks.”
“Despite the hues and cries of Nigerians on the influx of the nation with smuggled goods, Nigerian Customs Service , (NCS) is yet to make any public arrest of economic saboteurs thereby confirming the fact that there is strong conspiracy existing within the system.
“The Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON), has played significant roles of shutting down some warehouses with substandard roofing sheets in Imo and Anambra states respectively. We want the President to set ‘Eagle Eyes’ on the Seaports for effective monitoring policy. “
He however appealed to the federal government to enact a strong national policy that will further protect the economic interest of the local manufacturers as well as reduce revenue evasion rate which has made Nigerian Customs to be losing a minimum of N1bilion to smugglers weekly in the face of numerous socio-economic decadence, ill-infrastructures, alarming rate of unemployment and high foreign debts index.
“If Buhari must triumph in his fight against corruption and insurgency, he must take bold steps towards sanitizing the Customs service and prevent the persisting massive smuggling activities in a bid to further demonstrate strong political-will of promoting local content and safeguarding the future of over 200million Nigerians
