Business

Govt’s Excise Duty Puts 950,000 Manufacturing, Allied industries jobs at Risk of Layoffs

Published

3 years ago

May 18, 2023

620 Views

The increases in excise duty on sweetend beverages, beers, tobacco and single use plastics by the Federal Government will severely affect 950,000 direct and indirect employees in the manufacturing sector’s value chain.

Based on this, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on the Federal Government to reverse the 2023 Fiscal Policy Measures, and retain the 2022 -2024 excise duty roadmap as approved in the 2022 FPM.

This is to foster stability in the affected sectors and their value chain.

Otunba Francis Meshioye, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), said that the government had better suspend the policy in the interest of the national economy.

At a press conference in Lagos, the previous day, the MAN President noted that companies in the affected industries support other businesses in their value chain, cutting across agriculture, logistics, bottling, labelling and packaging businesses, as well as factory and office staff, distribution, wholesale and retail businesses, catering for over 950,000 direct and indirect employees.

” For instance, over 37,000 sorghum farmers rely on the brewing sector for their livelihood. Unemployment rate which stands at 41 percent , puts about 489,000 existing jobs at risk and which will further widen the unemployment gap,” he said .

He explained that a crash in sale volumes and consequent cuts in production will severely impact
these businesses in the value chain, which will have a multiplier effect on the national economy.

” For instance, supplier transactions in the sector declined by over N260 billion by the end of 2022, when compared to 2021,” he said.

He said that retaining the 2023 FPM will have a negative signalling effect on current and prospective investors.

“A continuing decline in sale volumes will necessitate production cuts and a re-evaluation of investments in the sector. Specifically, if sales proceeds can no longer sustain
business overheads and operating expenses, businesses will be forced to scale
down their operations which would result in factory closures, job losses, a decline in exports and much more.

It is instructive to note that the Excise increase is a direct attack on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),” he said.

Commenting on the introduction of the Single Use Plastics tax, he said that it is necessary for the authority to reverse the tax on Single Use Plastics and engage with relevant stakeholders
to facilitate ongoing initiatives, which have a better prospect of achieving the desired environmental objectives.

“A good example of this is the Food & Beverage Recycling Alliance, approved by the federal government,” he said.

Business

TCN improves Power Supply to Apapa corridors by additional 208MW

The upgrade replaces an outdoor transformer that had served as a stopgap after the original facility, commissioned in 1985, was decommissioned.

Published

2 days ago

August 18, 2026

OCHEFA

33 Views

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz , says from now Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can Island and other major commercial areas, will be having improved power supply.

Abdulaziz made the declaration on Monday during the commission of Ijora and Apapa Road transmission substations in Lagos by additional 208MW .

The project is aimed at improving the volume and reliability of electricity available to distribution companies for onward supply to homes, businesses and industries.

Abdulaziz said that the projects, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank respectively, in partnership with TCN, underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to modernising the transmission network and improving grid stability.

He commended the Ministry of Power, JICA, the Government of Japan, Lagos State Government and other stakeholders for supporting the projects, while appealing for additional grant assistance to upgrade other critical sections of the transmission network.

Speaking at the commissioning, Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, said that the projects were part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address longstanding transmission constraints and infrastructure decay that have limited the country’s ability to fully utilise available generation.

The upgrades increased the Ijora substation’s capacity by 112MW, from 90MVA to 230MVA, following the installation of two new 100MVA transformers.

At Apapa Road, a new Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) added another 96MW, raising the facility’s capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA.

The upgrade replaces an outdoor transformer that had served as a stopgap after the original facility, commissioned in 1985, was decommissioned.

Business

CBN’s Sidi-Ali wins 2026 overall Spokesperson of the Year Award, courtesy of NSA

Published

2 days ago

August 18, 2026

OCHEFA

36 Views

•Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali.

The Ag. Director of Corporate Communications of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, has won the 2026 edition of the National Spokespersons Award (NSA).

The recognition was announced during the 6th National Spokespersons Awards and the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, held in Abuja, recently.

The organisers stated: “With the latest honour, Sidi-Ali completed an unprecedented hat-trick at the National Spokespersons Awards, becoming the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award twice consecutively to claiming the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.