The federal government is proposing the collection of charges, fines and others, by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), be in naira rather than in foreign currencies.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, spoke on Wednesday during a press briefing at the state house in Abuja.
According to Onanuga, the proposal is part of the economic stabilisation bills (ESBs) to be presented by President Bola Tinubu to the national assembly.
On Monday, the federal executive council (FEC) approved the economic stabilisation bills seeking amendment of tax policies.
Onanuga said the plan is part of an effort from the federal government to prioritise the use of naira and reduce pressure on the foreign exchange (FX) market.
“The second one has to do with the operating laws guiding NIMASA and Nigerian Port Authority (NPA). The amendment under that in the economic stabilisation bills is that all their fees, charges, levies, fines and other monies accruing to them and payable to those agencies will now be paid in naira at the applicable exchange rate,” Onanuga said.
“Hitherto, those agencies were charging in dollars but now collect it in naira. This government wants to put a lot of emphasis on our national currency instead of everything being dollarised in our economy.”
Since the unification of the naira on June 14, the country’s currency has significantly deteriorated, depreciating from N471.67 per dollar to N1667.42/$ in the official market as of Wednesday.
As part of its effort to reduce demand for dollars, the federal government said on October 1, it would commence the sale of crude oil in naira to the Dangote refinery and other local refineries.
‘FOREIGNERS WILL BE MADE TO REGISTER FOR NIN’
The special adviser to the president also said when the ESBs are passed into law, all foreigners in Nigeria will be mandated to register for the national identification number (NIN).
“The bill also provides that all, everybody living in Nigeria, foreigners, all of them will now be registered and be given NIN,” he said.
“Once you are doing some work here and you are earning income, you will be registered and be given names so that you can be taxed.
“Your NIN will give you a kind of tax identity and you can also be taxed.
“You come under our tax structure. That’s one of the bills to amend the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
“That’s the law that was set up initially which precludes foreigners from being registered. They will now be registered under that amendment.”
Although, Section 16 of the NIMC Act 2007 already mandated permanent residents and foreigners who are legal residents in the country for a period of 2 years or more to register.(The Cable)
