Stakeholders bemoan low patronage of made-in-Nigeria products

Owing to Nigerians’ ever-growing tastes for foreign products, stakeholders have called on the citizens to emulate peers in other developing economies who would rather prefer products manufactured in their countries than imported ones.

“The Japanese, the Chinese get to the market and ask for their own. Why shouldn’t we do same here,’’ said Olu Ajakaiye, president, Nigerian Economic Society (NES), during an interactive session on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) entitled, “Rebasing the GDP: Nigeria, Africa’s Largest Economy.’’

There have been campaigns initiated by the past and present governments at different regimes and times to stimulate patronage of locally-manufactured goods. In recent times, such campaigns were carried out in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2010. The Federal Government, alongside the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has also embarked on campaigns at different times in this direction within the current regime.

In the 2009 campaign, under Achike Udenwa, minister of commerce and industry, the Federal Government came up with import ban on certain beverages, biscuits, bottled water, among others, with a view to encouraging local manufacturing.

The current regime has also encouraged previous importers of cement to have manufacturing plants in the country. Consequently, the four major cement makers reached 28 million metric tons mark by 2013, while a few of them are exporting to other countries. Import of cement has been banned, except for manufacturers. Other favourable polices have also been made in sugar/sugarcane and some agricultural sub-sectors.

Real Sector Watch also understands there is a draft by Olusegun Aganga, minister of industry, trade and investment, aimed at encouraging the patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.

However, the campaign is yet to be truly successful in the right sense of it, say stakeholders.

“How many Nigerians, including promoters, use local fabrics? Check their pairs of shoes. They are from Italy, Spain, USA, or any other strong economy. They and their children can never put on made-in-Aba shoes,’’ said a manufacturer who did not want his name in print.

Other stakeholders insist that government needs to do more, lead by example and make people see the seriousness of its campaign.

“Government uniformed agencies do not patronise the local textile manufacturers. Government often gives out contracts to people who go abroad and import the uniforms. This kills this industry,” Paul Jaiyeola Olarewaju, director-general, Nigeria Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMAN).

But government officials think government is doing enough. “You can see that government is doing a lot to help Innoson (local vehicle manufacturer) by asking Nigerians to patronise him. There are tariffs that encourage local manufacturing and discourage imports,’’ said Gabriel Aduda, director of economic research and policy management, Federal Ministry of Finance.

Poor patronage of local products is partly responsible for high closures of manufacturing firms in the last two decades, say analysts. They further blame this partly on influx of goods from Asia as well as poor quality of some locally-made goods.

ODINAKA ANUDU