NECA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER THE EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA –

The Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed its concerns over the recent sealing of the premises of Nestlé Nigeria PLC by officials of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) stating that this approach is counter-productive to the efforts to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria and could roll back progress towards attracting further investments into the country.

Mr. Timothy Olawale, Director-General of NECA, told journalists that the Association rejects allegations in recent news reports that Nestlé Nigeria owes N65.1 million Naira to the NLRC as unpaid lottery fees. He stated that this matter is currently pending at the Court of Appeal  and that the  officials of the NLRC, fully aware of this situation, invaded the premises of Nestlé Nigeria accompanied by cameras, forced the management to sign an undertaking to pay the claimed sum within four days as a pre-condition for unsealing their premises.

“NLRC’s recent actions in sealing the premises of a company and forcing them to sign an undertaking to make payment in a matter pending in court raises concerns about the ease of doing business in Nigeria.  The rule of law requires that parties in a court case should respect the rule of law and maintain status quo until the final determination by the court,” the DG said.

The NECA DG noted that this is not the first time that the NLRC unduly pressures its members. He called on the Federal Government to impress on the NLRC the imperative of respecting the rule of law as well as promoting dialogue and engagement to resolve issues amicably within the provisions of the law when dealing with businesses.