By Abbanobi -Eku Onyekachi
Abuja
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Musa Sani has explained why the 10th Senate of Nigeria’s Federation has stopped importation of goods being manufactured in Nigeria, all kinds of wavers and moves to probe NIPOST.
Senator Sani addressed Senate Press Corps Wednesday at their press centre Wednesday.
On the banning of goods being manufactured in Nigeria, he said that if such is allowed, it would not only affect the local manufacturers and industries seriously, but also give the country unfavorable balance of trade.
“If there are goods being manufactured in Nigeria, we don’t need to bring such goods from another country into this country. We shouldn’t allow other people to bring in their chocolate to Nigeria, when we are manufacturing chocolate in Nigeria. It will kill our market and industry.
“You can’t take chocolate from Nigeria to the UK, when you know that the UK manufactures chocolate. It is a part of our recommendation and it was approved,” he explained.
On the issue of tax wavers, he had this to to say: “The tax wavers, we have been wondering who are the people that are collecting the wavers and how many industries they have established that has been generating revenues. The reason why tax wavers are given is because the government wants to create friendly and accommodating environment, that would remove all obstacles.
“Tax wavers are given to you initially, be be two or three year, for you to take off, and when you take off, we can’t continue to make it a perpetual thing. We can’t continue to be giving you tax wavers in the name of tax wavers, and again you are bringing into the country, finished products, by killing our manufacturing industries.”
He therefore maintained that wavers should be given in the areas that are going to add value to what the country is doing, even as he frowned at the attitude of those he described as a limited cartel who has been taking wavers without giving Nigeria what it deserves.
On the NIPOST, he wondered why DHL, Royal Mail, among others have been doing very well, but the NIPOST, that claimed to have about 1,600 employees weren’t something to talk about. Informing that they have resolved to probe the N10 billion the minister of
finance gave to the NIPOST for the salary of its staff, he added that having discovered that their are subsidiaries that illegally perform the duty of the NIPOST, they also resolved that they shouldn’t continue and the NIPOST should continue its statutory duties.
