By Dada Ahmed
Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has risen to calm mounting agitation of the Authority’s workforce over alleged surreptitious attempt to undermine the legal status of the Authority.
This is sequel to a report of a Technical Working Group constituted by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
This is contained in a statement signed by Martins Odeh
Head, Corporate Communications, NEPZA in Abuja on Wednesday and a copy made available to The Reporters.
The outcome of the committee’s alleged investigation was entitled: “ Draft Report Performance Evaluation of Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Licensees..’’
Adesugba, who is also Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, made the remarks at a weekly parley with the staff of the Headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.
Responding to the workers’ fears and agitations on the draft report, the NEPZA boss explained that “it is important for us to realise that NEPZA is a creation of Act 63 of 1992 of the National Assembly.’’
According to him, the reformation of NEPZA is definitely not within the competence of NEPZA’s management.
The managing director further explained that the Authority was aware that there had been discussions on the remodeling of government agencies for efficiency from the time of Steve Oransaye’s Panel recommendations.
“These discussions, as far as we are aware, are still ongoing and no decisions have been made nor the enabling laws to effect such changes enacted’’, he said.
Adesugba further stressed that: “with respect to the said report of the committee from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, such report had not been officially communicated to NEPZA, adding that at the right moment, the position of NEPZA would be conveyed by its board to the appropriate authorities.’’
The NEPZA’s CEO, however, urged the workers and the local branch of the labour union and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) to exercise restraints so as not to send the wrong signals to both operators of zones and enterprises operating in the zones.
The Reporters recalls that NEPZA was a creation of Act 63 of 1992 with the sole regulatory power to license, manage and supervise the country’s Free Trade Zone Scheme.
The mandate of the agency is also to galvanise the country’s earmarked ecosystem to drive industrialization.
This onerous task also includes job creation, attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Local Direct Investment (LDI), and revenue generation among others.
Since inception, the Authority has within its limited resources meticulously managed the scheme that has arguably resulted in significant contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
