The Federal Government has been called upon to carry out a review of the enabling legislation establishing the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) so as to enhance its operational capabilities in the development of Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

In addition, the governments has been urged to utilize the present opportunities offered by  COVID – 19 global pandemic to create enabling environment that would allow the private sector to drive course of growth of non – oil export sector of the nation’s economy.

Making the call recently was a logistics expert, Jimmy Adebakin while speaking via an online media interactive platform monitored in Lagos.

Adebakin, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, Free On Board Global Logistics was of the view that Nigeria could no longer rely on revenues from crude oil hence he said government must step up the process of developing non – oil export sector of the economy.

He stated that in order to achieve this objective, the government needed to review the export promotion council legislations and reposition the organization to deliver upon the constitutional mandate of its establishment.

According to him, Nigeria has comparative advantage over other countries of the world in the area of agriculture adding that the country have capacity to export up to 100 tons of cargo on daily basis through the various air and seaports across the country.

He added that if the nation was to positively enhance growth of its non- oil export sector,  government needed to put in place right policy framework through adopting basic principle sof improving upon market accessibility, improve upon products quality and ensure that products leaving the country bear made in Nigeria labels.

“What we want the government and CBN to do is just give us enabling environment. The government have tried their best, the time has come for the government to just create enabling environment for the private sector. It’s the private sector that can drive this phenomenon called non – oil export”

“We believe this is a fantastic opportunity for us as a nation to finally change the narrative of non – oil export in Nigeria from the economy of tomorrow to the economy of today. Nigeria is a nation of 250 million, we all have to come back together and all hands must be on deck and ensure that non- oil exports is no longer a thing that is perceived as a reserve of the rich”

“I totally believe that this is the season finally that it becomes apparent to everybody from the Presidency to everybody on the street that we can no longer rely on Crude Oil.  So let’s take this opportunity of COVID 19 and finally let the private sector drive the Nigerian non export activities”

“The portfolio has been created already. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council is in existence. Let’s give the power to NEPC so that they can do the mandate that has been given to them by the federal government of Nigeria to do”