Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment Hajia Aisha Abubakar has advised Nigerians to patronise locally made goods to grow the economy and tackle unemployment.
She said such patronage, even when the quality may not be comparable to imported ones, is an act of patriotism, which every Nigerian should practice.
She spoke yesterday when she visited The Nation office in Lagos on the campaign for patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products with the slogan ‘buy Naija’ slated for Monday and Tuesday in Lagos.
She said the campaign is Federal Government’s policy to encourage Nigerians to buy and utilise goods and services made in Nigeria.
Its main objective, according to her, is to increase industrial productivity, promote non-oil export and reduce import of consumer goods.
She maintained that it is an import substitution and inward-looking policy of government to make Nigerians favourably disposed to the consumption of locally made products.
The minister, who was represented by Director, Commodities and Products Inspectorate, Mrs. Opewe Omololu, said government is poised towards encouraging small and medium enterprises to grow capacity by providing an enabling environment for them to thrive, including concessionary rates from regulatory bodies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
She said: “There is a need for us to look inwards as a nation and stop wasting scarce foreign resources on importing all manner of things when we have local alternatives. Studies have shown that we have the best cashew, cocoa and cassava. But unfortunately, we have not taken the opportunity of this comparative advantage to grow the economy.”
She reiterated government’s position in encouraging locally made products through the ‘Executive Order’, where the military and the para-military organisations are being encouraged to buy their uniforms and shoes locally. Mrs. Abubakar stated that this policy has saved government a lot in terms of foreign exchange and also grown the capacity of local manufacturers.
On the enforcement of the procurement law, she said this is being done through the inter-ministerial group, which was set up to ensure compliance by the relevant ministries and departments.