•With Aba-made ballot boxes, and shoes for the military and NYSC, we have the potential for greater things
Very exciting news from Abia State has come from Governor Okezie Ikpeazu about the manufacturing of ballot boxes and military shoes in Aba that both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Ministry of Defence have patronised to the tune of almost N500 million. The good news is not only for Aba industrialists who have been steadfast about making Aba a major centre of manufacturing in West Africa, but the entire country whose economic diversification initiative is being given teeth by hardworking manufacturers that are committed to turning the town into a poster child for Nigeria’s search for economic self-reliance.
Aba industrialists’ capacity to manufacture ballot boxes that meet INEC’s standards, and shoes that are competitive for the military and even the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is commendable and should be encouraged, not only by government and public agencies but also by private sector players. We all must assist in promoting the government’s campaign for ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods and services. Local manufacturing is a sure way to stimulate the country’s economy, increase its GDP, and grow local industrial technology, as it is also a sure step towards job creation for the teeming population of youths.
With experience in manufacturing of diverse products, ranging from textiles, casual and formal garments, shoes, and now sensitive materials such as ballot boxes, the challenge for budding manufacturers is to become more competitive in a fast growing global market, to the extent that such products will not be sold on the steam of sheer nationalism preached by Ikpeazu at the same event in which he announced the achievements of the Aba industrialists: “The other side is that your child produces something; it is not like the one that the Italians have produced, it must not be like that, but it is something, which you can wear proudly and say I am wearing this thing for reason that my child produced it. So, I’m proud of this my child.”
Aba and other manufacturers can produce goods that match those from Italy and other countries and should be encouraged to do so. It is improved competitiveness of local industries that can save the country substantial amount of foreign exchange that is currently spent on items that Nigerians should have been able to produce, not only for domestic consumption by its huge population but also for export.
We urge the government to put its money where its mouth is by committing resources to enhance competitiveness of domestic manufacturers. One sure way to achieve this is for governments to patronise products from the country’s factories. A more urgent way to encourage local manufacturing is for the government to be more forthcoming than it is on the importance of constant electricity for industrial and agricultural development.
It is reliable energy that can inspire innovativeness and increase efficiency. Erratic electricity supply increases the cost of manufacturing and makes local factories less competitive than their foreign counterparts.
Reduction in cost of electricity via generators and water via boreholes is an effective way to prepare local industries for fair competition with manufacturers in China and other countries. The fear once expressed by the Chairman of INEC, Mahmud Yakub, in respect of local products: “Sometimes, it is easier said that we have manufacturers who have the capacity; but when you engage them, you realise that we may not have such capacity for volumes and this is not only peculiar to elections” would be baseless if obstacles to industrialisation, such as irregular supply of electricity and water, in the way of local industrialists, are removed. No modern country has become industrialised without constant supply of electricity and water.