ABUJA (BPSR Report) As part of its commitment to ensuring ease of doing business in Nigeria, the Federal Government has come out with a list of Executive Orders that must be strictly adhered to by Ministries, Agencies and Departments if the country must move up the World Bank ranking of 169 out of 190 countries on the Ease of Doing Business index
The Senior Special Assistant To The President On Industry, Trade And Investment And Secretary, Presidential and Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Dr. Olajumoke Oduwole made this known recently as the Guest Speaker in the July edition of the Lunchtime Seminar Series organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) with the theme: “Removing the Constraints to Doing Business In Nigeria”.
According to her, the three main pillars that will operationalize the recently released Executive orders are: Transparency and Efficiency, Default approvals and one government. By this she meant that all information about government products and services will be easily accessed online and in public places as well as applications for government approvals must be given within approved timelines and better cooperation and improved information sharing must be the norm in all MDAs.
Furthermore, she stressed the need that officials working in the seaports and airports should be courteous in dealing with the public as it is not easy to tell which one of them might be an investor. She added that touting in any form is no longer allowed in the ports and efforts are being made to ensure that those who have no business being there will be removed.
Also, she informed that with the reforms put in place by PEBEC, all Corporate Affairs Commission’s (CAC) activities are fully automated and it is possible to now register a business from its website from the start of an application to its completion.
Speaking earlier, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, (BPSR), Dr. Joe Abah lauded The Federal Government for the Executive Orders which he described as an important policy initiative that is capable of improving transparency in the business environment with key policy initiatives that cut across vital sectors of the economy.
Dr. Abah further noted that the bureau in sync with the executive orders has intervened in improving the Drivers Licensing System, the Passport Issuance System, the process of seeing a Doctor in government hospitals and the process of obtaining Tax Clearance among others.
ANASTASIA OGBONNA
BPSR
