Speaking at a business roundtable on Wednesday in Lagos, Isemede said the country did not have the capacity to compete with countries like Egypt, Kenya and Morocco under the CFTA agreement.

The former NACCIMA official said that it was inappropriate for Nigeria to sign CFTA agreement when the country was not known for any product for export.

According to him, signing the agreement was like giving certificate of occupancy to a tenant in the house.

“You don’t sign a trade agreement because you are the giant of Africa with nothing to offer. Based on what is on the ground, if we are going to sign any agreement, we should have a known product for export.

“Most of the products we buy in departmental stores are not produced in Nigeria and now we are talking of export trade agreement. We need to first develop our export market in the country before we can sign such agreement,” he said.

Isemede said that unlike the ECOWAS Trade Agreement, the organised private sector, who were the tax payers were not involved in the AFTA agreement.

The African Union had in January 2018 adopted the AFTA to boost intra-African trade.

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The event which is scheduled to hold between February 23 –through March 4, 2018 is organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), with the theme ‘Promoting Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for International competitiveness. The 2018 Kaduna Trade Fair is organised to complement the efforts of the government towards revamping the economy through diversification to drive investments in agriculture, manufacturing, trade, services and technologies.

FirstBank would be live at the event with its wide range of innovative and lifestyle-fit products and services to meet the business needs of its customers and other participants during the ten-day fair. Participants at the fair, beyond the Bank’s broad clientele are encouraged to take advantage of the Bank’s industry leading electronic payments channels such as *894# USSD quick banking services, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), mobile internet banking service (Firstmobile), cards products, consumer finance products and Money Transfer Services.

Speaking on FirstBank’s participation at the 2018 Kaduna Trade Fair, the Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney said “FirstBank recognizes the economic impact of businesses participating in the conference, especially the SMEs, and we are committed to offering products and services that are designed to promote convenience and ease of business transactions to all our customers irrespective where they are at any point in time.,‘”.

FirstBank recently had over N1 trillion worth of transactions processed on its USSD, the 894 services, a feat that validates the Bank’s industry leadership position and a confirmation of the customers’ confidence in the brand. The Bank was in 2017 also named the first financial institution in Nigeria and the West-Africa sub-region to issue 10 million payment cards to customers across the country.

Doing business at the Kaduna trade fair? Visit the FirstBank booth and get plugged in enjoying seamless and innovative banking solutions that put You First.

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Irukera made the submission when he led a delegation of the CPC, top officials from the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on a courtesy visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja.

The CPC boss, while noting that Lagos was strategic to Nigeria’s growth and development, said the State had become a model for other States in Nigeria and a force to reckon with in the global space.

“Lagos State is one of the largest sub national economies in Africa and one of the most recognised sub national economies in the world. That is something, because it means that the economy of Lagos is far larger than many countries in the world. To lead that kind of a State is an incredible thing because in many respects you are leading a sub national entity that is greater than many nationals all over the world. So, you actually have Presidents that are actually smaller than the Governor of Lagos,” he said.

Irukera, who said they were in Lagos to flag off advocacy on the National Quality Infrastructure Project, noted that the choice of Lagos was due to its strategic positioning in terms of housing the bulk of production and importation activities in Nigeria and also for the fact that majority of complaints received by the CPC comes from consumers in the State.

He said the National Quality Infrastructure Project was a partnership between the Federal Government and UNIDO to sensitise citizens about demanding quality and also ensuring the manufacturers of goods and services respect appropriate quality standards.

While commending the State Government for setting up the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), Irukera lauded the Governor for providing quality leadership which according to him has raised the bar of governance in Nigeria.

“The fact that we recognise your record as an individual and in the period that you have led Lagos State demonstrates that beyond recognizing what the issues are, you are right on board and working on the issues.

“While people might excuse the proscription of their rights by their government, they certainly will never excuse a government that cannot protect it from other private citizens and you have demonstrated that you recognise that as an important thing and you have taken a fundamental step to that,” Irukera said.

Responding, Governor Ambode charged the CPC to look beyond the rights of people to have quality products and services and beam its searchlight on other key sectors which have direct impact on the standard of living of Nigerians.

“The kind of services that we provide in terms of transportation; is it the kind of thing that our people should have, should we just label them and say that is what their own lifestyle should be? These are things that we should find some platform to talk about,” Governor Ambode said.

While pledging support for the ‘National Quality Infrastructure Project’ the Governor said the campaign would ensure that the right of Lagosians and Nigerians in general to quality goods and services is guaranteed, adding that concerted efforts must continue to be done by all stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians are only exposed to the best.

He said his administration had already queued behind the advocacy with the setting up of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), chaired by consumer rights advocate and lawyer, Mrs Olufunmilola Falana.

“I am very excited that the Consumer Protection Council is on this advocacy. We are excited also that barely three weeks ago, we were also able to set up our own agency and with a charge that they must commence operation immediately to be able to do that missing part between the ordinary Nigerian citizen and the product of goods and services in this country.

“There is a missing link somewhere and that missing link is what your charge is. We as a government, we are supporting this advocacy; we are supporting every operation that you are doing and that is why we have decided to put the institutional framework in place so that these things outlive us,” Governor Ambode said.

Among those present at the visit include the National President, NACCIMA, Iyalode Alaba Lawson; Chief Technical Adviser, UNIDO, Dr. Shaukat Malik; Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment, Adamu Moh’d Abdulhamid and Chairman, Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, Mrs. Funmilola Falana.

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The Governor stated this, through the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Edition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Exclusive fair, themed “Unleashing the Potentials of MSMEs for Economic Diversification” held in Lagos.

He said that the Fund in partnership with the UNDP and Private sector employers will also train 16,000 unemployed Lagosians in order to take up technical and vocational jobs, adding: “The State Government would launch innovation driven enterprise framework to support business startups in the Fourth Quarter of this year”.

He reiterated the commitment of his administration to continually implement enterprise-friendly policies and develop the critical infrastructure that would enhance the productivity and competitiveness of all businesses in the State.

“We will continue to support the growth of MSMEs and make concerted efforts to develop enterprise cluster parks especially the Imota Light Industrial Park”, he reiterated.

He said the theme of this year: “Unleashing the Potentials of MSMEs for Economic Diversification”, throws a challenge to all players, both public and private which is that everyone must look inwards and develop the internal and external capacities of the local non-oil MSME for steady growth and global competitiveness”

He stated that the four-day fair would match-up the local small-scale industrial giants with business development support providers, investors from the private sector, public regulatory support agencies at the state, Federal as well as the foreign economic development institutions.

He said despite the contributions of the MSME sector to the Lagos economy, the sector’s competitiveness is weakened by limited access to credible, customized-business support and inability to penetrate local and expanded market and emphasized that there is need to build strong public-private support systems that would enhance the capacity of the MSME sector for economic diversification.

“I also charge you to take advantage of the structures our administration has put in place to support your businesses and together, let us build world class businesses which would positively impact on Lagos, Nigeria and the World.

Ambode urged all exhibitors to take full advantage of the platform of the fair and e-commerce to launch their products to a globally competitive level so as to penetrate expanded.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Prince Rotimi Oguleye said Lagos State is the largest hub of MSMEs and the economic nerve-centre of Nigeria accounting for 3,224,324micro and over 11,663 small and medium enterprises that are significantly boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating employment, creating sustainable enterprises, and accelerating value-added industrialization.

Also speaking, the Chairman House Committee on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Oladele Adekanye expressed appreciation to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode led-administration for introducing the numerous decisive innovative interventions aimed at enhancing the capacity of the small-business sector so that its members could actively contribute to national development and economic recovery.

The event also attracted the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande and representative of the national President of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Iyalode Alaba Lawson and members of the Organised Private Sector.

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To mark its Day at the Fair, a subsidiary of the Group, Dangote Cement, gave out several tools and implements to the block makers in Ogun State in appreciation of their patronages. Tools such as wheel barrowers, shovels, umbrellas and hand gloves were donated to block makers who assembled from different areas of the state.

During the 10-day trade fair, Dangote Flour delighted customers and participants with free sampling of its new pasta products. The wet sampling made the Group’s pavilion the center of activities at the Fair as participants trooped in for their daily meal. Customers were rewarded with branded coolers, kitchen aprons, exercise books and customized ladles.

Commending Dangote Group for its sponsorship and participation at the Fair, President of Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA) Mrs. Adesola Adebutu said the support given by the Group went a long way in making the staging of the Fair a success.

She commended the Pan African Conglomerate for its giant strides in economic development of the country through massive investments in several sectors of the economy describing the feat as worthy of emulation by other Nigerians.

A director of Dangote Group, Tunde Mabogunje who represented the Group at the special day, said that the partnership with OGUNCCIMA is beneficial as Ogun State is the host of the 12 mmtpa Dangote Cement Plant, Ibese, the second largest cement plant in Nigeria.

Dangote Cement, he said, “through the plant provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the state. As a responsible corporate citizen, we participate fully in all events and activities designed to drive social and economic welfare of the state.”

He described the theme for this year’s Trade Fair: Promoting Agricultural Value Chain through SMEs for Nigeria Economic Recovery as being apt, given the nation is now paying attention to Agriculture, which has the potential of becoming the major driver of the economy instead of oil, pointing out that in line with the theme the Group is at the forefront of job creation and is the largest employer of labour outside government.

Mabogunje stated “We have been contributing our quota to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. Towards aiding agriculture, we are building a fertilizer plant in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos State. When completed, farmers will have regular access to fertilizer for their farming activities. The delays and disruptions experienced in waiting for imported fertilizer will cease.”

“We are investing about $1 billion in rice cultivation. We have an outgrowers scheme where thousands of farmers are empowered with improved seeds and items needed to cultivate rice.”

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NERC had in April announced that beginning from May 1, 2014, consumers who did not receive supply for more than 15 days either cumulatively or continuously would not pay the fixed charge for that month.

The directive by the commission was, however, contested by the Discos in Abuja on Tuesday during a public hearing organised by NERC on an order to revise the payment of the fixed charge component of the Multi Year Tariff Order.

The Assistant General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Reuben Okoye, argued that the order was made without due consultation with the operators.

He said outages were not caused solely by the Discos, adding that some of the issues that necessitated power failures across the country were as a result of transmission and generation bottlenecks.

Okoye said the penalty for outages should not be borne completely by the Discos but should be spread across the power value chain, and stressed that it was difficult to independently determine customers who experienced outages in a given period.

The Director, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Ernest Orji, said the rule was difficult to implement as the Discos had yet to acquire statistical meters to determine such claims from consumers.

“In our submission, we argue that there should be a new structure for service charge and not fixed charge so that a percentage of supply is given as compensation to consumers or exempt them from paying the service charge for that period,” he said.

Abimbola Odubiyi of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company argued that the order would encourage power consumers not to pay their bills.

He urged NERC to review the order so as to ensure the sustenance of the market’s financial progress, adding that the rule should be extended to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the power generation companies and gas suppliers in the case of similar defaults.

In his address, the National Vice President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Sanusi Maijama’a, said, “If one million consumers pay the N750 fixed charge monthly, then they are paying N750bn to the Discos for doing nothing.

“I have said that if there is efficient service and every consumer pays his bill, the government can generate much revenue from power than the oil sector.”

A representative of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Okpe Adejoh, argued that the 15-day outage penalty period was not enough, as a day of outage meant huge losses for manufacturers.

He suggested that the Discos should consult with generation companies and the TCN to share the penalty on the fixed charge.

Reacting to the arguments, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the commission would consider the submissions and summarise them into expunging the order, keeping it, and/or revising it, in order to ensure clarity.

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According to a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Bello Rasheed, the Principal Executive Officer, Information, the National Automotive Council (NAC), the first of the committees was the Automotive Industry Policy Implementation and Monitoring Committee with members drawn from broad-based industry stakeholders.

They include the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers/Assemblers Association, the Automobile Local Content Manufacturers Association (ALCMAN) and the Automotive Dealers Group of the National Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

Others were the Nigeria Customs Service; the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; the Federal Ministry of Finance; the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

The Implementation and Monitoring Committee are the Directorate of Road Traffic Administration (DRTA); Automobile Franchise Holders such as Mercedez Benz, Kia, Suzuki, CFAO, Toyota, Volvo, Globe Motors, Dana, Balyn Motors, Metropolitan Motors, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), among others.

The statement names the second as the Inter-Agency Implementation Committee made up of representatives from relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the Federal Ministries of Power, Solid Minerals and Finance.

Others are the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Bank of Industry (BOI), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), SON, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), among others.

The statement quoted the Director General of NAC, Aminu Jalal, as saying that both committees were to meet quarterly to enable them to progressively monitor and evaluate the implementation stages of the policy.

According to him, the quarterly meeting is also necessary to ensure that no steam is lost in the implementation momentum of the auto programme, which is a critical component of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) under the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.

Jalal analysed the rudiments of the five key elements of NAIDP as industrial infrastructure, skills development, standards, investment promotion and market development.

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