55% of Imports Smuggled - MAN
By Crusoe Osagie
The Manufacturers Asso-ciation of Nigeria (MAN) has alerted that about 55 percent of the $11.523 billion worth of items brought into the country last year circumvent normal import procedures.
The President of MAN, Engineer Charles Ugwuh, who made the disclosure at the weekend explained that the huge volume of goods which are smuggled into the country pose serious danger to the nation's economy.
"Out of the $11.523 billion worth of items imported into the country, 55 percent does not go through inspection at the ports to ensure that they are not prohibited items and to check that their quality meets the standards that are acceptable in Nigeria,"he said.
According to him, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) record of the worth of goods that are shipped to Nigeria far out-weighs the record that is available in the ports of the goods inspected and cleared into the country.
Ugwuh explained that of all the countries from where all these imports originate, China is the most guilty of trade malpractices against Nigeria.
According to him, the total import from China which amounts to N1.8 billion has a total of $980million falling under smuggled items which do not have any records at the ports.
Holding the Chinese responsible for most of the trade crimes against Nigeria, Ugwuh said most of the Nigerian established brands are being counterfeited and faked by Chinese companies
"If the Chinese want to trade with us in Nigeria then they should do that abiding by the rules. They are invited to establish factories in the country so that they can add value to the economy," he said
He said that the nature of investments which come into Nigeria from China, where Chinese nationals come to Nigeria to break bulk and retail products most of which are 'seconds', (that is products with factory defects), was not the kind of investment needed to bring growth to the Nigerian economy.
He said the enormity of the problems local manufacturers face due to faking and counterfeiting of their products has informed MAN's channeling of its energies towards fighting the problem.
Ugwuh also called on the government and regulatory agencies such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)to ensure that all goods imported into the country are thoroughly labeled with the place where they are manufactured, the name and address of the manufacturer as well as the constituents of the product, before it can be allowed into the country.
He said this measure would be important in ensuring that any product which turns out to be fake can be traced back to the manufacturers.
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