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Overlapping functions by govt agencies affecting businesses – LCCI

By BusinessNews Staff on July 19, 2014

The overlapping functions of government agencies are intimidating businesses in the country, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

According to the chamber, the over-lap of regulatory and supervisory functions at both the federal and state levels has persisted and is hampering the smooth operation of many businesses.

The President, LCCI, Mr. Remi Bello, said this during a visit to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, in Abuja on Thursday.

Bello was represented by the Deputy President, LCCI, Dr. Nike Akande, during the visit to table some requests aimed at ensuring seamless business operations in the country before the minister.

“The overlapping regulatory and supervisory functions of the regulators at both the federal and state levels had persisted. These results he said.

Some of the agencies of government with related functions, according to him, are the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control in industrial sectors like cosmetics, food, drinks, beverages, health and confectionary.

“Each of the agencies prefers to carry out an independent analysis of the same product with the attendant cost and loss of man hours,” Bello said.

He noted that apart from compliance with SON guidelines, industrialists were worried by the demand for compulsory product listing by the Consumer Protection Council, adding that this was in addition to the annual charges on each product.

The LCCI boss said, “This is an additional burden on industrialists, which we believe is unnecessary.

“SON normally does the calibration of equipment through their meteorology department. Weight and Measures does the verification to ascertain if the equipment is calibrated. After the verification exercise and it is established that the equipment is calibrated, the Weights and Measures department still imposes prohibitive charges on industries.”

Admitting that were regulatory imbalances among agencies of government, Aganga said the government was looking at ways of addressing the problem.

“The Chief Economic Adviser to the President has commenced work on that already. But for some of the agencies of concern, particularly SON and the CPC that are under the same ministry, you would have noticed the sudden shift in how they approach their work today. It is very different from what it used to be,” the minister said.

[Punch]

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