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The newly elected chairman of the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) Rivers State Chapter, Captain Opunabo Briggs has stated that the NASSI has been re-positioned, reinvigorated and re-focused to greatly assist all small scale Industrialists operating and doing business in South-South region, especially in Rivers State.
The chairman made this declaration at his office while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt.
According to him, those who left the Association in the past because they felt the association had lost its bearing and focus should have a re-think and come back noting that the Association under his able leadership would certainly create the enabling environment for the businessmen and Industrialists in Rivers State to succeed, “our main thrust is to create the platform for small scale industries to strive in the state”.
He also noted that the Association under his leadership has secured a working relationship with all the notable financial institutions in the state, especially with Bank of Industries to enable small scale Industrialists access funds and loans to do their business with ease. “We are also in synergy with the State Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Youths and Employment to ensure that our members have comfortable access to government”.
Continuing, Briggs said, the Association has a good working relationship with both the federal and state governments, hence the area of double taxation which has hitherto been an area of misunderstanding between the business men, Industrialists and government had been amicably settled for good, “for instance in Rivers State, Gov. Wike led administration has come up with harmonized tax formula which is acceptable to us. Rivers State government is responsive, responsible and industry friendly”.
On the Issue of security, Briggs noted that the security challenges in the state is not only peculiar to Rivers State, according to him, Lagos State has its own security challenges, yet business strives there, the economy there is growing geometrically and Industrialists are doing fine, while it is on record that investors are coming in on daily basis.
“The security challenges in Rivers State is blowout of proportion for political reasons, the governor is trying to ensure the state is safe for investors, so Rivers people should help him, the media should also assist to tell people outside, that Rivers State is safe for business to attract investors, Government cannot do it alone,” Briggs noted.
On why the seaports in the South-south region are not functioning optimally, the chairman said it was deliberate policy by the authorities and Lagos State government.
He said the Lagos State government decided to create a deliberate comfortable enabling environment for importers by ensuring that the tariffs, taxes and levies been charged at the Lagos ports especially at Apapa port is very low, competitive and affordable by the maritime operators, hence an average importer, even those from the South-East region, which normally would have preferred to use Onne port, Port Harcourt port, Calabar port or Warri port preferred to use the Lagos port. He then challenged the Rivers State government to partner with the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) in this regard and subsequently, create an enabling environment in the maritime industry as been done by Lagos State government to make the job of the operators a bit easier.
