Skip to main content

Why Nigeria suspended signing African free trade deal –Osakwe

President Muhammadu Buhari suspended signing the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement in order to allow more time for consultation with relevant stakeholders, the National Office for Trade Negotiations has explained.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Director-General of NOTN and Chief Negotiator, Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe, said the government only suspended rather than cancelled the signing.
The Federal Executive Council had given its nod for the President to sign Nigeria’s participation in the continental free trade agreement in March and Buhari was scheduled to sign the document on March 21 in Kigali, Rwanda.
However, in a surprise move, the President failed to travel to Kigali even though an advanced team had gone ahead to prepare for the public appendage of Buhari’s signature to signal Nigeria’s participation in the agreement.
Some stakeholders, including the Nigerian Labour Congress, had argued that they were not consulted before the Federal Government decided to sign the agreement.
Osakwe explained that Buhari suspended signing the document to allow more time for relevant stakeholders to make their contributions before Nigeria would signal its participation in the trade deal.
He said, “We did not withdraw from signing. The President’s decision was that he was suspending signing until the nation had nationwide, industry-wide and sector-wide negotiations and consultations, and report same to him with recommendations.
“We analysed all the feedback that we obtained from the nationwide process. So, I will not characterise it as a withdrawal of signature, but actually a suspension of signature until what the President had asked for had been done, which we did from the 15th of March and basically concluded it with the Nigerian Bar Association Session on Business Law on the 28th of June. It was a three-month long process.”
He explained that the AfCFTA was a decision taken by African Heads of State and Government in 2012, which was rooted in the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action, the 1991 Abuja Treaty and in 2012 at the 18th edition of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Osakwe said the findings from the just-concluded consultation process showed that stakeholders wanted Nigeria to continue with participating in the free trade area as they also asked the government to speed up work on certain issues.
According to the NOTN boss, 47 countries have signed the document, while 11 have ratified it. He added that the free trade area would come into effect when 22 countries must have ratified the deal.
Asked when Nigeria would likely sign the document, Osakwe said it was a political decision outside the realm of the NOTN. He also declined to speak on the likely scenario if the country declines to sign the document.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benue Assembly Impeaches Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange

The Benue State House of Assembly has impeached Terkimbi Ikyange as its speaker. Ikyange who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was impeached after a motion of no confidence was moved by Honourable Richard Ujege, who represents Konshisha state constituency. The move was backed by 21 members out of the 30-man Assembly. The impeachment took place in the absence of the speaker but the Clarke of the House was present at the plenary. Meanwhile, shortly after, the assembly elected Titus Uba, the lawmaker representing Kyan state constituency as its new Speaker. New Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly A new Deputy Speaker, Egli Johnson Ahubi, who represents Otukpo/Akpa state constituency was also elected.
Post a Comment
Read more

We won’t donate land for ranching – Southeast tells Buhari

South-East Governors, Sunday, said the zone would not donate any land for ranching being proposed by the Federal Government. DAILY POST reports that the stand was taken at an expanded meeting of the Forum at the Enugu Government House. At the meeting were chairman of the Forum, Engr. David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State, represented by his deputy, Dr. Ikem Okeke and Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, who was also represented by his deputy, Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, representative of the NNPC, members of the Southeast Traditional Rulers’ Council, among others. Umahi, who read the communique said, “we want to dismiss rumour being peddled around over the issue of ranching. We want to make it clear that the South-East has no land for ranching and nobody has requested us to donate any land for ranching. “The Federal Government knows that the South-East doesn’t ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Those That have gun get it ready, those that don’t have get local made, they have declared war on us, they have surrounded us already – Ohanaeze

Herdsmen planning to attack 5 Enugu communities – Ohanaeze Leaders of apex Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State Chapter yesterday informed security agencies of a purported plan by suspected Fulani herdsmen to attack five communities in state. Ohanaeze stated that the attack, which the leadership of Miyetti Allah is spearheading, is tied to the unsubstantiated theft of cows and the death of some herders in the state. In a statement by the President of Ohanaeze in the state, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, the body urged the Federal Government to wade into the matter and avert a pending onslaught. Ogbonnia, who posted the alarm on his Facebook wall titled: “Averting another bloodbath in Enugu”, said the threat of renewed herdsmen attacks in some communities in Enugu State is alive and real. He said: “In the past couple of days, we have been treated to a cocktail of killings by Fulani herdsmen in several places in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria particularly the latest carnage in Plat...
Post a Comment
Read more