The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and freight forwarders have condemned the decision of the Federal Government to grant exclusive right of importation of maize to only four companies.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that, government through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) last week, confirmed that four companies have been given the Central Bank of Nigeria emergency approval to import 262,000 tons of maize into Nigeria.
The companies are Wacot Limited, Chi Farms Limited, Crown Flour Mills Limited and Premier Feeds Company Limited.
This was disclosed in a memo that was signed by the Deputy Comptroller General, T.M ISA, which also directed the banks to conduct the transactions with, the names of the companies, and the quantity each company is approved to import.
In the approval, Wacot Limited is to import 60,000 tons, Chi Farms Limited will import 60,000 tons of maize. Crown Flour Mills, with the lowest capacity approval, would import 22,000 tons, while Premier Feeds Company Limited got the highest capacity approval at 120,000 tons.
But questioning the approval, the Vice President of MAN, Mr. John Aluya in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos last week, challenged the federal government to give the reasons for coming up with such a policy.
“I just read it in the papers, I have not seen any official government position on that, so I will wait until I see that before I react. If it is going to be a ban, let us know it is a general ban but limiting it to four importers; we need to know what reason they have to do that. So let me see the circular from the government before I can react, to me for now it is still a rumour” he said.
Also speaking, the former president of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (ARFFN) Dr. Frank Ukor, said that the government is tending towards dictatorship, even as he added that it is unconstitutional to limit importation of such goods to just four importers.
He explained that four companies are too small to import what will be enough for the whole nation.
“The government is tending towards dictatorship because it is against the constitution of Nigeria. Nigerian’s constitution allows every importer to import whatever he or she wants, there is no restriction on importation especially when it concerns food. So why license only four companies to handle the importation, three companies are not even enough to import what one state can consume not to talk of 36 states”
“I don’t think it is right, the federal government should sit up and think about that. In my own opinion, it is just dictatorship and don’t be surprised that these license will be given to those who are not even into importation and they will now sell it to those who import and they will make a lot of money at the detriment of Nigerians”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf when contacted said he wouldn’t like to comment on the issue.
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