WED, JULY 12 2023-theGBJournal |The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the President Bola Tinubu administration to halt the revenue leakage of more than $5 billion paid as freight to foreign ship owners.
LCCI, the voice of the organized private sector, said the issue have both policy and institutional implications, adding that its perspectives are in tandem with the government’s need to check the over-bloated and inefficient workforce of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
”We are aware of the many challenges facing our country currently, and we commend all that the Government is doing to resolve these issues and stabilize the economy. We only crave to see more results through efficient and timely implementation,” the Chamber said in a statement.
The call follows the FG’s recent proposal to merge Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) into the Nigerian Revenue Services (NRS).
”Regarding the merger, we are willing to nudge the Government to embrace critical stakeholders’ engagement and consultation, which we hope will provide further insights into charter-specific responsibilities and possibilities,” the Chamber said.
The LCCI said it supports the Government’s desire to curb the rising cost of governance, its readiness to declare a state of emergency on revenue generation, and its resolve to tackle them headlong, but added that The Government should ensure that implementing the proposed merger does not impede the ease of doing business.
”It would also be necessary for the Government to ensure that the fallout of the proposed merger, such as staff rationalization, realignment of operating structure, accountability, and transparency, are adequately dealt with,” the LCCI said.
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