The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said that Nigeria is losing business to neighbouring countries due to poor business environment caused by bad business laws and lack of infrastructure.
The Speaker said this when he received Council members of the Business Law of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Wednesday.
A statement issued by the Speaker’s special adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, also added that Dogara charged the Business Lawyers to contribute to the amendment of business laws in Nigeria in order to create a better environment for investment.
“We have lost competitive edge even in the West Africa region. Businesses have migrated to other countries with better business and legal regimes. If we don’t put the right business environment in place, there is no way we can attract investment to this country,” he stated.
Dogara said the best way to solve the problem was by having forums to improve on the laws of the country to reflect the dynamics of the present society and by eliminating ambiguous and obsolete laws governing business transactions.
He, therefore, urged the group to take advantage of the ongoing reform of the laws and statutes that the House was undergoing to make necessary amendments.
He said they could achieve this by interfacing directly with the relevant committees, or by making their contributions during public hearings.
Earlier, leader of the delegation, Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), informed the Speaker that the Council seeks to partner with the House of Representatives to host a conference on law reform and economic development in Nigeria.
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