A maritime expert, Mr John Egesi, has called on the Federal Government to lift the ban it imposed on importation of vehicle importation through land borders in the interest of the economy.
Egesi, the Director-General of the defunct Nigeria Maritime Authority (NMA) made the call on Wednesday in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the ban is counter-productive, adding that it would constrict trade between Nigeria and other countries instead of promoting it.
He said the solution to the declining value of the naira was increased export and sound forex policy.
He explained that limiting trade through “arbitrary banning “would not help the economy.
Egesi said: “in my own opinion, the ban on vehicles through land borders will not do anything to help the economy; rather it would hurt the economy.
“No country grows by placing arbitrary restrictions on trade, especially if the goods are important and not produced locally.
“What I think can improve the precarious economic situation we have found ourselves is for the government to take steps to boost export so that we can earn more forex.
“We also need to make our ports more competitive so that they can attract cargoes so that the issue of diversions to neighbouring countries can end.
“Also we need to develop the maritime industry so that it could be a major revenue earner for the country instead of banning this and banning that.“
NAN recalled that on Jan. 1, 2017, the Federal Government banned the importation of vehicles through land borders.
The Nigeria Custom Service had commenced implementation of the ban despite calls by the National Assembly and some stakeholders for its suspension. (NAN)
