SMEs owners urge Nigerians to patronise Made in Nigeria products

Some owners of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have appealed to Nigerians to patronise Made in Nigeria goods and services.

They made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing maiden `Proudly Nigeria Expo’.

Ajibola Zuhri, owner of `Zuhri Concepts’ said it was imperative for Nigerians to patronise goods made in Nigeria instead of imported goods.

Zuhri Concepts specialises in the production of eco-friendly products such as foot wears, bags and souvenir items, using indigenous African materials namely Ankara, Tie and Dye, Batik, Aso-Oke, among others.

“Right now, the country is in economic recession; inflation is high, exchange rate is also high. So, it is important for us to patronise home-made goods.

“This will help to improve the economy and also tackle the problem of recession in the country.’’

She said that home-made goods were of good quality and, therefore, advised Nigerians to buy the products to grow the naira.

Similarly, Sandra Nwaobasi, owner of Sandy Self-Reliance Skills Enterprises, said that the expo was aimed at exposing Nigerian made products to encourage skills development and handwork.

Sandy Self-Reliance Skills Enterprises specialises in home-made beads, wire work, hat, accessories, production of bags, pastries, cakes and all sorts of icing, among others.

“If the expo is maximized to its full potential, it would go a long way in empowering young Nigerian entrepreneurs and most importantly, promote the Nigerian economy.

“If the organisers of the expo focus on the primary objective of the event instead of desires, it would be a definite success.

Nwaobasi condemned the display of non-Nigerian products at the expo, saying it was a ploy to hijack the expo from the entrepreneurs.

According to her, this is against the goals of the expo.

She also criticised the absence of government support and the fact that some Enterprises were given preferential treatment.

“If we are given the needed support alongside the manpower and we are patronised, the small businesses you see today would become large-scale enterprises.”

The entrepreneur also advised Nigerians to jettison the belief that foreign made products were superior to indigenous products.

She stated confidently that her products were superior to the foreign ones.

She thanked the organisers for the opportunity given to the SMEs to advertise their products.

Adewunmi Adeoye, a corps member and Rural Community Development Assistant of the Abuja Enterprise Agency, however, complained of low turnout of visitors to the expo.

Adeoye, who showcased a series of Shea butter products, said that her products were of good quality and that they had no side effects compared to the foreign made skin products.

Adeoye commended the organisers for their efforts to promote the purchase of indigenous products, saying that it would impact positively on the naira.(NAN)