A non-governmental organisation, the National Ecosystem Advocates of Nigeria (NEAN), has appealed to the National Assembly to embark on the review of the current NAQS Act, 2017, with a view to identifying and strengthening the law to ensure that the main objectives of the legislation is fully attained.
It noted that having operated the NAQS Act 2017 for vet three years now, there were noticeable areas of the legislation that needed to be strengthened for the effective discharge of the functions and activities of the agency.
The group also identified the need for the cooperation of some of the sister agencies of government working with NAQS for the success of the agency. In a statement signed by NEAN’s National Coordinator, Comrade Ben Iguabor and the National Secretary, Silas Modaccai, it regretted that a situation where the agency’s activities were being sabotaged by another sister agency like the Nigerian Customs Service or the Nigerian Police remained most regrettable.
It noted for instance that, NAQS as a leading agency in ensuring standards and compliance in the export of agricultural products out of the country, it was wrong that while the agency insisted on full compliance by exporters, personnel of the Nigerian Customs would be at the backend sabotaging such efforts, noting that, “If properly coordinated, Nigeria has very huge potential of raking in stupendous income through agricultural exports.
Also on the need for inter-agency cooperation, the group noted that, “there is the imperative to get the full buy-in of the personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service to the operations of NAQS.
It regretted that for instance, “while some foreigners are officially documented by the Nigerian Immigrant personnel for particular job descriptions, such foreigners often resort to activities different from which they are officially listed, stressing that, “the Chinese nationals are the most criminal culprits of this act.”
According to the group, “There are several instances where many Chinese nationals come into Nigeria, get documented by the Nigeria Immigration Service as construction workers, only to turn into marauders of our bushes and forests the next day, engaging in criminal hunting and export of illegal crops and animals, including illegal plundering of our timbers with the active cooperation of some unpatriotic Nigerians.
It suggested the need for routine monitoring of these foreigners to ensure that they do not violate their official status in the country. And where such foreigners are reported to the Nigeria Immigration, the service must take steps to ensure that the affected foreigners are promptly deported back to the countries of their origin.
In addition, NEAN is of the opinion that there is the need for the National Assembly to undertake the review of the current NAQS act, 2017, with a view to identifying and strengthening the law to ensure that the main objectives of the legislation is fully attained.
Finally, the group commended the efforts of the current Director General of NAQS Dr. Vincent Isegbe and the staff of the agency in ensuring that the country derives the full benefits for the establishment of the agency by their insistence in the discharge of the agency’s core mandates.
