Institute implores Tinubu to sign bill to Professionalise export activities

The Registrar of the Institute of Export of Nigeria, Elder Samuel Adebayo Adenuga, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sign the Chartered Institute of Export and Commodity Brokers of Nigeria (CIECOBON) bill passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly since March 2017 into law.

Adenuga said this at the 11th induction and award ceremony of the institute. In a statement, he asked Tinubu to look into the bill that was not signed into law by the immediate past president, Muhammad Buhari.

Adenuga said there is no reason for Nigerians to be poor, since the country has arable lands with good weather, observing that depending on crude oil export alone brought set back to Nigeria.

“Why should the states be going to Abuja for allocation? Why are these states not making use of the resources in their state and pay certain percentage to the federal? This calls for concern.

“The farms for export produce and location for natural resources are too open to foreigners. In the past, government registered buying agents, who buy from the farmers and grade the produce. “

They also see to it that the commodities are well dried before selling to the buyer, who now arranges it for export.”

The registrar appreciated the effort of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) for providing regular training to Nigerians, but said the one day seminar is not enough to give a result oriented knowledge on export, which was why the institute started providing a Professional Diploma Programme on Export and Maritime Management to Nigerians at Yaba College of Technology.

He noted that export requires investment with higher funding that must be protected, but the security today on farms are nothing to write home about.

At the event, new officers were inaugurated for the institute with Chief A.A Iguoba as the President; Engr. Matthew A. Alalade as the Deputy President and Mrs. Ibidunni A. Asaolu as the National Treasurer.

A new council of 19 members with the following committees, Education and Training, Media and Corporate Affairs, Membership and General Purpose, Practical Export and Trade Policy Committees were also inaugurated.

The guest speaker at the event, Deacon Friday I. Uba delivered the award lecture on “Tapping into the Emerging Opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Sector”.

Uba like the registrar said Nigerians need not be poor with the exportable commodities abundantly available in the country. .