The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the issue of fake and substandard products flooding Nigerian markets.
A letter signed by NAGAFF’s Secretary General, Dr. Arthue Igwilo, addressed to President Buhari, faulted various regulatory agencies as being deficient in their responsibilities to protect the nation from being a dumping ground for substandard products.
Describing the challenge of fake and substandard products in the country as one with dire consequences on the well-being of Nigerians, the association urged the President to immediately check the trend.
The association said it was disheartening to hear reports of avoidable catastrophe befalling the masses as a result of such harmful imported products that are either consumable, structures developed with fake or substandard materials.
NAGAFF acknowledged government’s effort in establishing agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria Quarantine Service, NAFDAC and others, to protect the nation’s consuming public.
It, however, expressed concerns as to how substandard and fake products still penetrated the borders in spite of all the agencies at the entry points, and with enough ‘safety valves’ inserted into the statutes establishing them to protect the consuming public.
The association said the agencies allowed whatever loopholes to take its toll because they were more interested in their revenue generation roles above the responsibility to ensure quality control for the health and safety of Nigerians.
NAGAFF alleged that these agencies of government had been compromised in the line of duty and would rather compete among themselves to outdo one another in revenue generation.
The association also said that officials of these agencies and the trading public were usually left in a confused state as a result of unstable policies of government.
It frowned at the return of some agencies into the ports two years after they were asked to leave and operate from outside the ports, adding that there had also been a problem of misplaced human resources
for the job.
The association urged the President to consider having experienced persons run key industry agencies, while emphasis should be placed on continued training of staff.
NAGAFF urged Mr. President to focus on good governance even as the war against corruption is on, in order to establish a new dream desired for Nigeria.
