By Godwin Oritse

THE Organised Private Sector (OPS) has opposed the passage of the proposed Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), saying that “the proposed law is against all known international trade conventions.”

Maritime industry sources told Vanguard that OPS which is made up of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists,(NASSI) the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce Mines,Industries and Agriculture (NACIMMA), National Association of Small Medium Enterprise (NASME) and the Nigerian Emplyers Consultative Council (NECA)  have all faulted the law, noting that it  contravenes conventions of both World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

Besides, they have also noted that the proposed law is at variance with certain sections of the constitutions.

It will be recalled that the Senate, about a few months ago unanimously passed a bill for an act to repeal the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 2004 and other Customs and Excise laws.

This followed a report submitted to the Senate by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led committee on finance.

Expectedly, the passage comes with higher stakes for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to deliver in terms of revenue collection to the federation account and generally effect sanity in the service operations.

The proposed Act, which was passed with minor amendments seeks to reform the administration and management of customs and excise and to bring the CEMA Act of 1958 in line with modern day best practices.

Also, the new Customs Bill would consolidate, in a single reference document, the NCS legal authority scattered in eight different enactments with provisions in the bill to boost the financing of Customs Service operations.

The Senate President, David Mark, while expressing confidence that the new Customs law will generate more revenue for the country, noted that the Customs Service was one of the main revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government.

He said that with the law now in place to take care of welfare of the service, it is now expected that it would perform optimally as a way of reciprocating the gesture.

“The Customs is one of the main revenue generating agencies in this country, but they have not been performing optimally. With this new act, we can expect more revenue from it. This bill has taken care of its welfare and they need to take advantage of this by reciprocating through generating  more revenue for the country,” Mark said.