Apex Igbo sociocultural group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called on the federal government and various state governments to show commitment to patronizing locally made products if they want the economic fortunes of the country to improve.
The group also emphasized that patronising locally manufactured products would encourage local manufacturers and help Nigeria to achieve security in various sectors as well as boost the country’s economy.
The group’s remarks followed the decision of the Anambra State Governor-elect, Professor Charles Soludo, on the far-reaching policy statement that Innoson vehicle would be his official car while in office as the governor of the state.
The statement which was issued by the group’s spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia on Friday reads in part: “The implication is that if President Muhammadu Buhari, 36 State governors, National Assembly members, ministers, etc adopt the Soludo Model by patronizing the local goods and services including Medicare, schools, cars, foods, etc, the regrettable tailspin of Nigerian economy, perhaps, may be reversed.”
The pan-Igbo group, which extolled Soludo on the far-reaching policy statement, described as robust the steps he had taken so far, which it said had proved beyond doubt that he is an experienced development economist and a scholar of world renown.
The group noted that the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Ltd (IVM) as a Nigerian automobile manufacturer based in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria, had gained wide market and acceptability, especially in African countries, namely; Mali, Sierra Leone, Ghana, etc.
“In July 2017, the Malian government placed an order for 400 Innoson vehicles and they were duly supplied. Also, in August 2020, the Sierra Leone government placed an order to the IVM worth over $4.7million and were delivered.
“A lot of other transactions with IVM by African countries are replete.
It is therefore morally reprehensible and indeed the worst form of imperialism for Nigerian governments at all levels to prefer and patronize foreign companies as against the locally manufactured goods.
For instance, while other African countries patronize IVM, the Nigerian Lawmakers in 2019, placed an order for Japanese cars valued over N5.5 billion.
“On the other hand, the aggregate expenditure on foreign cars by all levels of the Nigerian government is over 200 Billion per annum.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo posits on a firm wicket that when the volume of import into a country far exceeds its exports, the balance of trade is distorted and the value of its currency severely threatened.
“The self-induced imperialism and mass poverty by the Nigerian leadership takes various forms: most people in government own buildings in the USA, UK, Germany, France, etc, and their children attend schools in foreign countries; the fuel for cars, gas for bigger machines, including kerosene; health care, etc are sourced from foreign countries. In fact, almost everything which can be sourced within are imported without corresponding effort for meaningful exports.
“This obnoxious self-inflicted injury has already thrown Nigeria into the poverty capital of the world and fragile states index status; and counting”, the statement said.
