Yemisi Izuora
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said that the Implementation of executive orders issued by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would help in repositioning the national economy.
The director general of the LCCI Muda Yusuf said the chamber would collaborate with other private sector bodies, to monitor and track the implementation of executive orders.
According to him, domestic trade generates perhaps the largest number of jobs in the economy, next to agriculture, as well as contributes 16 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product [GDP].
It needs all the protection that the government can give. The sector is also very critical in the value chain of the real sector such as manufacturing, agriculture, solid minerals and oil and gas. After all, whatever is produced must be distributed for value delivery to end users or the final consumer.
“We demand that other security agencies whose activities also disrupt domestic trade through the ubiquitous check points should take a cue from the Nigeria customs service”, the chamber’s Director-General, Muda Yusuf added.
Also, the Lagos state government has reassured members of the business community of its commitment to providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the State, noting that it has made some progress to key into federal government’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) mandate.
The state governor Akinwumi Ambode, who gave the assurance said the State will continue to initiate policies to support businesses while also commending members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) for their doggedness and resilience despite the harsh environment terrain for doing business in Nigeria.
Ambode who was represented by the Commissioner for commerce, Lagos State, Rotimi Ogunleye, at the LCCI commerce and industry awards, explained that the OPS is the primary engine of driving economic growth and development.
Earlier, the president, LCCI, Nike Akande, said the purpose of the award is was to celebrate private and public institutions operating in Nigeria for their best business practices, growth through innovations, business sustainability and positive impact on the society.
“We are today celebrating enterprises that have excelled in the economy amidst multitude of challenges in the investment environment. We are also excited that many of them are indigenous enterprises.
According to her, there is no perfect time to make an impact in any system, saying that while the government is fixing the power sector, security challenges, foreign exchange issues, the private sector must move on with the business of creating wealth.
She added that the process of selecting nominees and award winners was very painstaking, maintaining that there were many entries from virtually all sectors of the economy.