By Franklin Alli

Manufacturers in Lagos State have expressed their anger at National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency(NESREA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency’s double checks on their operations, saying “ it amounts to double payment.”

Mr. John Aluya, Chairman, MAN Apapa Branch, who bore the feelings of the manufacturers, said they are not pleased with the overlapping role of NESREA and LASEPA whereby members are compelled to do similar reports and analysis which obviously amounts to double payment.

In a communique released at the end of their bi-monthly meeting recently, Aluya asserted that the number of state agencies and other “regulatory” bodies asking for attention of industries is becoming unbearable.

“At some point, 2 (two) different bodies may visit a factory with the intent of carrying out inspection exercise on the company facility. “At the granting of such request, frivolous demands are made to the company to attain with punitive measures in place for default.

May we assure the State government that members of the Association are good corporate entities bounds by the ethics of professionalism in their daily business.

“The attainment of a megacity status should not entail the deprivation of our resources and collective material gain. We share the dream of the present administration of improving the life and general well being of the citizenry which we have sworn to uphold by offering employment directly and indirectly.

There is a great need to streamline the number of agencies trooping into factories with the aim of harassing, intimidating and extorting these companies. Our vigilance will be to ensure that genuine inspectors carry out their function to the good of us all and to the benefit of the nation.”

Aluya further noted that the number of taxes and levies that companies are made to bear in the cause of doing their business are too burdensome, excruciating and strangulating for businesses to contend with at this pressing time.

In most cases, the organized private sector becomes the target for myriad of taxes and levies that are inimical to its survival, more worrisome is the activities of the local government revenue agents who in spite of State government approval of collectable taxes and levies, have continued to flaunt this directive and gone ahead to continue intimidating our members for payment of illegal levies and taxes. Another dimension adopted by some of the agencies is to create various units for the sole purpose of levying members and conducting analysis even when such are not needed or must have been conducted by the companies concerned.