NEPZA to be self-sufficient in 5 years, says Oni 

Judex Okoro, Calabar

The Chairman of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority(NEPZA), Segun Oni, has siad the management of the organization is working towards enhancing its productivity and hopes to be self sufficient within five years

Engr. Oni , who stated this during the opening of a 3-Day Board Strategy Meeting for management staff of the Organization with the theme: Revisioning for Excellence” and held in Calabar, acknowledged the  challenges affecting effective functioning of the nation’s processing zones, promising that the present management is doing everything possible to reposition the zones.

He said: “The concept of EPZ is more than 20 years. I would not say it has taken roots to the extent that it should be. For example right now, we don’t have power and for any business to be effective, competitive in the international front, you must have power and other utilities. So we are going to ensure that we put in what will make the zones competitive and then attract investors

“I expect NEPZA to be self sufficient within the next two to five years, even as it is now; I expect to generate even with the low patronage a substantial percentage of what we consume.

“We are going to have a session to ook at our revenue stream and compare it with our cost history and structure. From there we would  set targets to guarantee our efficiency and ultimately help bolster the nation’s economy”, Oni said.

He enjoined the staff of the organization to take advantage of the retreat and keep abreast of recent trends in the industry and then queue in.

“Feel free to say anything including criticism so as to move the organization forward. We expect open advice and generation of ideas because the world lives on new ideas and thinking.

“We expect you to come up with new ways of doing things  and if you find ways that are different from the status quo, voice it out  so that at the end of the day, we can collectively move NEPZA forward and expand the nation’s economy”, he further said.

Also speaking, the Acting Managing Director of the Organization, Engr. Terhemba David, said the retreat is critical as it affords them the opportunity to improve the fortunes of the nation’s export zones.

“This retreat is what we need to provide world class zones, jobs to the youths and also a platform to shore up the country’s export.

“Nigeria cannot grow without a free zone and the ACFTA is a big challenge to us to and the way to succeed  is to manufacture goods and export same  to the world and the organization will work in concert to succeed”, he said.