The Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) has accused a foreign firm, CIC Ltd, of flouting the local content law by establishing frozen fish retail outlets and selling directly to customers.
Its members yesterday protested at the firm’s head office in Apapa, Lagos, demanding a stop to the practice.
The protesters chanted solidarity songs and displayed placards with the inscriptions: “No to CIC Ltd shortchange of Nigerians”, “Do not replace Nigerian businessmen with foreign labour”, “Eroding Nigerian businessmen will create unemployment and increase social crimes”, “Hijacking the retail market is economic colonisation and exploitation”, “We demand a quit in retail market by CIC Ltd for Nigerian businessmen,” etc.
HURMA Executive Director Mr. Buna Isiak told reporters that investigations showed that the company operated retail outlets in several places in the country, particularly Lagos.
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The firm’s action, he claimed, contravened the Local Content Act 2010, which creates room for local businesses to grow.
Isiak said : “It’s a kind of colonisation. It is imperialistic in style. The action of CIC is killing indigenous businessmen and driving indigenous companies out of business. The implication is that they can choose to create artificial scarcity, thereby causing hardship for poor people.”
Isiak said the firm denied the allegations against it, but warned that, that was not the end of the matter. “We may any time from now go into picketing’’, he said.
He urged the government to protect its laws, saying a breach of the Local Content Act 2010 is an abuse of public right.
The firm’s Head of Admin, Mrs. Ama Roseline, said they would go through the letter before responding.
She said: “It is just an allegation, and when there is an allegation, it’s subject to proof. The company has existed for over 17 years. We do our business through accredited distributors. They buy through us and sell directly to the retailers. I don’t understand what they meant by retail.”
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