THE National Assembly has expressed its resolve to strictly enforce the power of ratification, which the Nigerian constitution grants it.Already, the parliamentarians who constitute the legislative arm of government, are calling on the Executive armto henceforth refer to it before ratifying all international agreements between Nigeria and other countries or organisations.This is coming even as the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) called on the National Assembly to exercise its power of ratification and ensure that the Economic Partnership Agreement being negotiated with the European Union meets the regional clamour for development agenda and that it does not further weaken the nation's productive sector.Speaking on Tuesday at a joint parliamentary briefing between the National Association of Nigerian Traders and the House of Representatives Committee on Commerce, President of NANTS, Ken Ukaoha, was emphatic in stating that Nigerian negotiators had nothing against the EPA becoming a reality. He stressed that rather, the country was determined to ensure that the concerns of Nigeria were addressed.He listed some of the outstanding issues which Nigeria was seeking agreements on before the EPA becomes accepted as:regional market liberalisation schedule/offer for goods and services; finalisation of accompanying development measures/programme and financing; conclusion of studies on impact assessment of the regional liberalisation schedule on Nigeria's economy; conclusion of harmonisation of sensitive product list and the Common External Tariffs; and the finalisation of regional text.He listed some of the initial concerns of Nigeria to the EPA to include: exposure of domestic products to increased competition from cheaper EU products; de-industrialisation, particularly SMEs; resultant increase in job losses; trade diversion and dumping effect of cheaper EU imports on domestic market; and the loss of revenue as a result of erosion of tariffs.He, therefore, called on the National Assembly to play its role in ensuring that all international agreements that Nigeria signs pass through the scrutiny of the National Assembly as required by the Nigerian Constitution.In their remarks, members of the House Committee were unanimous in condemning Nigeria's approach to international agreements, noting that the National Assembly had not been carried along in such agreements.The Chairman of the Committee, Sylvester Ogbaga, said: 'Nigeria is engaged in multilateral, inter-regional as well as extra-regional trade negotiations. Therefore, the need to establish modalities that will guide commitments by countries cannot be overemphasized. Trade in general is gaining increasing importance as a tool for the growth and development of developing countries. Its acknowledged contribution to income generation, job creation and competitiveness underscores its potential role in transforming economies of nations. This assumes much significance in the context of the current EPA negotiations between ECOWAS countries and the European Union.'It is our responsibility to look into these agreements and scrutinise them. If not, we will keep embarrassing ourselves as a nation.'Speaking at the briefing, the Trade Counsellor at the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, Mr. Massimo De Luca, assured that the European Union was available at all times to attend to enquiries and discussions on the EPA.He stressed that some of the concerns of ECOWAS had been factored into the agreements.For instance, he added, 'Liberalisation won't be automatic. It will be spread over years as agreed by all parties. It will be spread progressively. There are also checks and balance measures. The concerns that Nigerians have about imports are not necessarily about imports from Europe.'He enumerated several advantages of the EPA, noting that 'EPA will remove barriers to export to Europe, thereby facilitating better trade with Europe.'An economist at the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Okpe Sunday, called on members of the National Assembly to save the Nigerian economy from agreements that are not clear to avoid them having damaging effects on the people.
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