A chartered accountant and public affairs analyst, Ochuko Akejagbor, has called on the National Assembly to pass a new bill that would urgently address Nigeria’s exclusion from International Trade in order to grow the country’s foreign earnings.
Akejagbor observed that given the alienation of Nigerian businesses and citizenry from international trade, investment, and information technology opportunities worldwide, it has become pertinent for the legislative and executive arms of government to look into creating a new body that would act in the capacity of a public relation remedy action agency and a marketing/re-inclusion agent.
According to him, “millions of Nigerian citizens and businesses willing to trade (buy or sell) on platforms like eBay, Amazon, Alibaba and thousands of other information technology platforms are denied access for reasons known only to these platform owners.
Akejagbor, in a statement, noted that thousands of infrastructural and human capital development investments translating into millions of dollars stroll into the corridors of countries like Benin Republic, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d ‘Ivoire, and other African countries, thereby improving and strengthening their economies, with Nigeria being left out of these juicy opportunities.
While proposing for the setting up of Nigeria agency for international trade, investment and information technology inclusion (NATITI), Akejagbor stated that such an agency will have full power to provide inclusion and remedy to defective misrepresentation, alienation, and omission of Nigeria and her citizens as regards international trade, investment, and information technology benefits, which other countries are currently gaining from either directly or by proxy.
“Through the administration of NATITI, the Federal Government would be creating more employment for the Nigerian people, increasing productivity and gross domestic income across all sectors, encouraging better competition and standardisation of products and services among other benefits,” Akejagbor said.
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