Senate seeks review of import duty on newsprint

The Senate on Tuesday sought a review of import duty on newsprint as well as the establishment of paper mills in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria to boost paper production, economic growth, and employment opportunities in the country.

Adopting a motion by Senator Stephen Ekpeyong (Akwa Ibom North-West) and 25 others, the Senate lamented the high cost of newsprint in the country.

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It urged the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service to review duty on importation of published books and importation of paper as raw materials into the country and make it favourable to print locally in Nigeria.

The Senate mandated its Committee on Privatization to investigate the activities and operations of the mills and report back.

Earlier in his lead debate, Ekpeyong had said Nigeria’s paper mills had gone moribund since privatization, leaving the country with another huge income deficit.