The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) recently faulted the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff on the arrest of 30 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of its member companies for their non-appearance at the investigation of companies alleged to be involved in the N30 trillion revenue leakage.
MAN which cleared the CEOs of any wrongdoings said it may be forced to take legal action if the committee goes ahead with the arrest, more so when the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said there was no leakage.
Recall that Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff had threatened to arrest 30 CEOs for their inability to appear before the public hearing investigating companies alleged to be involved in the N30 trillion revenue leakage in the import and export value chain between 2006 and 2017.
The president of MAN, Frank Jacobs, however, said the issuance of arrest warrant on the CEOs of the association’s member companies was out of place as the allegation was against respective companies and not the CEOs of member companies as individuals.
“So if the concerned companies in their wisdom choose to mandate a representative from the organisation who has adequate knowledge and responsibility for the issue in question to attend the inquest, we see no justification for the rejection of such a representative, not to talk of the threat of arrest of the CEOs for not attending the public hearing in person,” the MAN president said.
Condemning the approach of the committee to the issue, which he said might work against government efforts at encouraging investors, Jacobs said the committee ought to have channelled its observations or inquest to the NCS, the statutory organisation in charge of imports and exports.
“If not satisfied with the response from the NCS and after thorough investigation, the committee may then avail the companies concerned with the details of the alleged infractions and then invite them to make necessary clarifications or defend themselves. All these could be done without the sensational involvement of the press, which may result into unfair media trial,” he stated.
He noted that the non-appearance of the CEOs of the affected companies was not intended to disrespect the 8th Senate but a case of shortness of notice and unavoidable absence due to reasons beyond their control.
He explained that MAN’s investigation equally revealed that most of the alleged CEOs were not in the country during the time of the meeting, which informed the deployment of very senior and competent officials from their respective organisations to represent the companies.
“We therefore deplore this attempt to tarnish the image of the CEOs by publicly threatening them with arrest, when they have not been indicted for any wrongdoing. Maligning individuals whose activities have contributed immensely to the growth of the nation’s economy is unfortunate, inappropriate and inimical to the current effort of the Nigerian government at moving the economy out of recession and placing it on the path of sustainable growth.
“At the same time, it amounts to sending wrong signal to prospective investors and casting a shadow on the safety of high net worth individuals operating in our economic space,” MAN president maintained.
He stressed that there is need to ensure that rights of individuals engaged in legitimate business ventures in Nigeria are respected and protected, adding that the man-hour and resources expended in honouring such invitations should also be taken into account, as these invitations have become more frequent.
He lamented that in some cases such appointments have been cancelled after the CEOs arrived the venue of the meetings or the unexpectedly busy CEOs are left waiting for hours before the meetings commence.
“Going forward, we again express our readiness to engage the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff with a view to facilitating the promotion of a healthy relationship between the government or its agencies and our member companies,” he said.
The MAN president said if the committee fails to respect the opinion of the association, the leadership of the Senate would be approached and if nothing comes from these engagements, MAN would not hesitate to take solace in the law court, which is the last resort for the common man.
