President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki

BY FRANCIS EZEM

In the effort to turn around the nation’s economy, the need to pay close attention to the development of the export sector cannot be overemphasised.

This is in the sense that exportation brings a lot of advantages once effectively maximised. Not only does it expose a country’s unique products to the outside world, it enhances individual and corporate income, triggers industrialisation and eventually impacts on welfare and wellbeing of the populace.

It is for these reasons that the recent gesture of President Muhammadu Buhari’s in reviving the once suspended Export Expansion Grant EEG but also preparing the papers for the payment of outstanding Export Expansion Grant estimated at about N1tn, has continued to gladden the hearts of exporters.

The problem however is that the money is yet to be approved by the National Assembly. This has left the heart and expectation of these exporters in the hanger. It was the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. Segun Awolowo who revealed the value of outstanding obligations at a forum in Lagos, adding that the Presidency had already passed the papers for the payment of the said sum.

The expectation therefore had been that the honourable house would do the needful immediately upon resumption in the overral interest of the Nigerian economy. This it would do by promptly passing the paper concerning the settlement of the backlogs of the EEG.

The Presidency, has by these initiatives underscored the importance it truly attaches to a reinvigorated export sector, which of course comes with a lot of advantages, including the creation of jobs, value addition, attraction of more foreign direct investment and the enhancement of the Nigerian pride in the comity of nations, that it is able to also play in the international market, as a serious minded exporter.

One cannot but join millions of other well-meaning Nigerians to therefore urge the honourable and distinguished members to do the needful.

Their positions as representative of their people is one of a huge trust, and comes under test when issues affecting the welfare and generality of Nigerians are concerned.

All over the world, countries are strengthening their internal capacities to trade, they are introducing initiatives to boost the competitiveness  of their organisations and corporate entities, knowing the benefits that would accrue.

Statistics on the unemployment rate in the country continues to be of concern, increasing to 18.80 percent in the third quarter of 2017 from 16.20 percent in the second quarter of 2017, according to reports from the National Bureau of Statistics. Incidentally, a vibrant export sector is capable of ameliorating the unemployment situation. This it can do when exporters are able to export more, make more money as this would put them in the best position to engage more hands.

Certainly these realities are not lost on the Honourable members of our National Assembly, the more reason why one expects their prompt action in approving the outstanding bills concerning the EEG.

It is one gesture for which the generality of Nigerians would remember them, and for which posterity would appreciate.

Any true representative of the Nigerian people would certainly back initiatives that support Nigerians’ collective destiny of which the EEG is one.

Its advantage is that it provides for claims payable to individual exporters depending upon the value and volume of products exported and the individual rating as per the company baseline data ( both as outlined in the EEG Policy Circular of the Federal Ministry of Finance).

Upon investigation, one discovers that the company baseline data is based upon the audited financial results of the exporting companies and is based on the audited results of the company filed at the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC and it verifiable by the NEPC before it even begin to process any EEG application.

This means that how much that is eventually paid out is based upon the claims processed and approved by the EEG Implementation Committee meetings, a committee which draws membership from such agencies of the federal government as the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Federal Ministry of Budget & Planning and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council.

A check on the EEG policy document shows that EEG claims are first audited by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit PICA which normally includes calling for comprehensive documentary submissions from the individual exporters and also extensive field visits to the exporters’ facilities.

For industry operators, and indeed analysts of the Nigerian real sector, the EEG can therefore be described as a welcome interventionist programme, especially because of its diligent process of approval, with a mindset of accelerating export volume and enabling exporters to diversify their export products and market coverage,