REPS INVESTIGATE BAN ON NIGERIA'S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCES

The House of Representatives yesterday frowned at the ban on the exportation of some Nigeria’s agricultural produces for allegedly containing high level of unauthorised pesticides and lack of proper storage by the European Union.

Consequently, the House presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara in its resolution mandated its Committee on Commerce and Agriculture when constituted to liaise with relevant stakeholders to work on resolving the issues and concerns raised by the EU Food Safety Authority to lift the ban.

The resolution to ensure that EU lifts the ban on Nigeria’s agricultural food was sequel to the motion sponsored by Rep. Jerry Alagbaoso representing Orlu/Osun/Oru East of Imo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Alagbaoso had in the motion on the ‘need to investigate the ban of exportation of some Nigeria’s food items by the European Union’ noted with dismay that the recent ban by the EU on some agricultural food exports from Nigeria had affected the economy of the country.

He further noted that the reason given by the EU for the ban was that the banned food items allegedly contained high level of unauthorised pesticides, while others lacked proper storage, adding that the pesticides were usually applied when the products were being prepared for export.

The lawmaker also informed the House that the EU authorities had previously warned the Nigerian authorities that the banned items were hazardous and had issued about fifty notifications to relevant Nigerian authorities since 2013.

According to Rep Alagbaoso, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, had blamed the exporters of those products of being responsible for the ban due to their non-compliance with regulatory requirements for semi-processed and processed commodities.

He said that he was “worried by the negative impact of the ban on the income of the farmers of those products and the middlemen who trade on them as well as the foreign exchange that accrues to Nigeria through those exports.”

He said that the matter was more worrisome because it was happening in an era when the federal government was working on diversifying the economy from oil-based to agro-based.

Meanwhile, the House also mandated its committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management when constituted to undertake a comprehensive investigation of the debt profile of all tiers of government with a view to establishing their levels of compliance with and the need for invocation of section 41 (3) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative input.

The resolution followed the motion sponsored by Rep Odebunmi Olusegun Dokun which had the title ‘Need to investigate the violation of Section 41 and 42 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act by all tiers of government on debt and indebtedness.’

Dokun had in the motion submitted that the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 was enacted to ensure prudent management of the nation’s resources, assure long-term macro-economic stability of the national economy and secure greater accountability and transparency in fiscal operations within a Medium Term Fiscal Policy Framework.

He also noted that Sections 42 (1) (b), 42 (3) and 42 (4) of the Act make provisions for management of debt and indebtedness by all tiers of government in the country.

The lawmaker said adding he was disturbed that the rate at which governments at all levels go about borrowing both internally and externally was worrisome to the extent that those sections of the Act are being flagrantly violated in terms of borrowing, purpose of borrowing, terms of borrowing, the manner of approvals, setting of overall limits of the consolidated debts and other forms of violation and consideration for the current status of National income.

According to him, most of the states that are owing salaries to their civil servants and indebted to contractors were those that had borrowed heavily and now sucked into the vortex of debt repayment and servicing, since they did not envisage the current financial challenges.

SOURCE: The Sun