In accordance with the Executive Order on Transparency and Efficiency in the Nigerian Business Environment, the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and five other top Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have received the highest compliance ratings from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
The top five performing MDAs, according to the recently released Executive Order 001 Compliance Report, are the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which came in first place with 81.11 percent; the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), which came in second place with 78.68 percent; the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), which was ranked third with 68.37 percent; and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), which came forth with 68.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business and Secretary to PEBEC, said that the release of the compliance report was in keeping with their commitment to continuously track and keep the business community updated on compliance with the Executive Order on Transparency and Efficiency in the Nigerian Business Environment. He made this statement while presenting the report during a media briefing yesterday in Abuja.
However, it was noted that 57 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies with direct contact with the private sector, particularly Small and Medium Size Enterprises, have being closely monitored by PEBEC.
Again, Oduwole pointed out that the current administration issued Executive Order 0O1 to strengthen the implementation of business climate reforms and to deepen collaboration across MDAs by putting in place a systemic change management mechanism for transformation.
Nevertheless, the Head of Service (HOS) of the Federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and SERVICOM are all required by the EO1 to receive monthly reports from MDAs.
Although PEBEC has developed a back end, a mobile application, “reportgov,” that allows the private sector to report violations by MDAs in order for the Presidency to take the required actions to rectify the situation, she observed that the private sector, especially SMEs, are not utilizing the channel.
She expressed sadness that despite significant financial investment in the “reportgov” app to enable them to obtain input from the private sector, particularly MSMEs, they had only logged less than 5000 incidents since 2017.
She pointed out that as a result of their efforts, significant reports have been produced by the Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Corporate Affairs Commission, Airport, Seaport, and many others, and she added that they specifically concentrate on the overhead costs, bureaucracy, and transparency.
Oduwole, however, asserted that states that can lessen corruption and various taxes will improve in the rankings for ease of doing business, while those that refuse to change will lose out on investment.
In conclusion, emphasis for the need for states to cease making empty promises to foster an atmosphere that is supportive of company owners, stressing that steps must be taken to guarantee they are in line with international best practices.
Source: The GuidianceÂ
