The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has advocated for an outright ban on importation of substandard products into the country.
The freight forwarding associations also called on the federal government to put in place stringent measures aimed at ensuring that importers of fake and substandard goods are punished.
Secretary General of ANLCA, Emma Ogu made the call on Wednesday in Lagos at a forum organised by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for maritime operators.
The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has advocated for an outright ban on importation of substandard products into the country.
The freight forwarding associations also called on the federal government to put in place stringent measures aimed at ensuring that importers of fake and substandard goods are punished.
Secretary General of ANLCA, Emma Ogu made the call on Wednesday in Lagos at a forum organised by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for maritime operators.
According to him, ban on importation substandard and fake goods in the country will bring about a competitive environment that will enable local products to thrive.
The ANLCA scribe also called on SON to carry out an aggressive sensitisation programme for freight agents on substandard goods, stressing the need for minimum standard of goods that should find their ways into the country through the air, sea or land borders.
Ogu reiterated that, " I will want a situation where the public sector will advise the federal government to place embargo and not only that but to also ban completely, those nations or country that allow substandard products or produce substandard products into our nation"
He noted that there is need for a complete ban of such items into the country, adding that with general awareness there will be reduction in importation of such items.
Speaking further, Ogu stressed that the freight agents and government agencies at the ports are all working for the growth and development of the country and there is also the need for an enforcement regulatory body to check importation of fake products.
The ANLCA chieftain also explained that, "we need enforcement of public regulatory rules and at all times should be allow to have a human face but not to the detriment of the nation and the economy".
He also urged both public and private sectors to uphold integrity in the course of discharging their duties pointing out that everyone in the business have their respective interest to protect.
Also in support to the ban, Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu called for support from the maritime operators on the need to put in place stiffer penalty for importers who bring in fake and substandard products into the country.
He appealed to the federal government to put in place stiffer measures against countries that produce substandard goods that are imported into Nigeria.
Odumodu noted that "we are living dangerously in this country and everybody has a role to play and that is why I have come to appeal to all of us to clear good consignments from the ports"
"We need to take a firmer actions on countries that are selling deaths to our nation and we must take action that are stringent ,it is a self preservation activities , because we are losing our people and they are selling death to us", he said.
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