MAN Constitutes Committee To Stem Smuggling     

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) yesterday reiterated its commitment to combating smuggling through the creation of a private anti-smuggling committee expected to begin operations in August 2018.

Its President, Dr Frank Jacobs, said in Lagos that the committee became necessary as the association, which initially proposed an anti-smuggling task force, was left out after its establishment.

Jacobs said that as direct victims of the impact of smuggling, a request to create a private sector committee to basically feed the national task force with firsthand information about smuggling activities was made.

According to him, this is to ensure that the issue of compromise and corruption in the discharge of their duties will not be experienced as lives of their businesses depended on it.

“The national anti-smuggling task force, which we initially proposed to the government, has been established and is currently being headed by the Nigeria Customs Service.

“We were supposed to be members, but for some reasons, I suspect the government decided to handle it at their own level.

 “We, however, proposed, through the office of the Vice-President, to create our own private sector task force, basically to feed the national task force with necessary information to assist them in the discharge of their duties.

“We are gravely concerned about smuggling because it affects the competitiveness of member companies and their products, even big companies like Dangote.

 “You do not expect those who are direct victims of the effects of smuggling to then turn around and become part of the problems we are trying to tackle,’’ Jacobs said.

The MAN chief said that a number of graduates would be integrated into the system to work with other existing members of the association for the success of the committee.

 “They are expected to go out to the field, get all the necessary information, pass to the press and the national task force.

“They will not only disclose sellers of banned goods, but also the buyers and those who store such products.

 “That way, the saboteurs of the Nigerian economy will be known to all and penalised as prescribed by the law,” he said.

Jacobs lauded the Federal Government for always listening to the yearnings of the organised private sector.