This week episode of trending Maxwell Onwordi writes about the made in naija campaign which has been the talk of town...
MADE IN NIGERIA GOODS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED
There has been renenwed talk recently about the need for Nigerians to patronize locally made goods.
It all sounds so familiar but what has triggered this latest effusion of patriotism was a Made in Aba Trade Fair in Abuja, where locally made products including shoes were displayed and purchased by the snobby class now acting as great promoters of Nigerian identity and entrepreneurship. Senator Ben Bruce and the National Assembly have also purchased made in Nigeria vehicles from Innoson Motors, a local vehicle manufacturing company. The interest that this has generated is good publicity for Innoson Motors, and it will probably provide good justification for the National assembly purchasing more vehicles.It is also an excellent advertisement for local entrepreneurship. There was a time in this country when the phrase Aba-Made was meant to be denigrating, but today, corporate suits and other items made in Aba have made it to the status of a Trade Fair.
We must be reminded nonetheless, that this buy Nigeria campaign, or proudly Nigerian, as it was once called, has been promoted in one form or the other for more than 30 years. At a time, Federal Ministers chose to wear Ankara fabrics, which is supposed to be locally made, and at another time, the Federal Government only patronized Peugeot Motors, which then had a thriving car manufacturing company in Kaduna. Virtually every government has tried to promote Nigerian goods. And there is certain no doubt that there is a lot of entrepreneurial talent out there in Nigeria, a gift for innovation and a capacity to aspire.
Given the right, enabling environment, Nigerians are willing to help government promote the objectives of diversification, backward integration, and non-oil exports which are at the root of all this talk about made in Nigeria. Especially in the agriculture and food sector, and the need for government to encourage entrepreneurship and manufacturing. But lessons were also learnt, and it is the same lessons that should guide the current patriotic excitement over locally made goods.
The first lesson is that we need to truly encourage the transformation of Nigeria into a primary, productive market, and not a secondary market for the dumping goods. We may be celebrating the fact that some Nigerians are making the effort to produce goods locally, but really how much of that local production is local?
The second lesson has to do with quality and standards.
The third lesson is that government must just make up its mind about this whole thing about the diversification of the Nigerian economy. It is not the responsibility of one government or administration; it is a process that should move Nigeria from being a democracy observing electoral commission rituals into a developmental state.
There has been renenwed talk recently about the need for Nigerians to patronize locally made goods.
It all sounds so familiar but what has triggered this latest effusion of patriotism was a Made in Aba Trade Fair in Abuja, where locally made products including shoes were displayed and purchased by the snobby class now acting as great promoters of Nigerian identity and entrepreneurship. Senator Ben Bruce and the National Assembly have also purchased made in Nigeria vehicles from Innoson Motors, a local vehicle manufacturing company. The interest that this has generated is good publicity for Innoson Motors, and it will probably provide good justification for the National assembly purchasing more vehicles.It is also an excellent advertisement for local entrepreneurship. There was a time in this country when the phrase Aba-Made was meant to be denigrating, but today, corporate suits and other items made in Aba have made it to the status of a Trade Fair.
We must be reminded nonetheless, that this buy Nigeria campaign, or proudly Nigerian, as it was once called, has been promoted in one form or the other for more than 30 years. At a time, Federal Ministers chose to wear Ankara fabrics, which is supposed to be locally made, and at another time, the Federal Government only patronized Peugeot Motors, which then had a thriving car manufacturing company in Kaduna. Virtually every government has tried to promote Nigerian goods. And there is certain no doubt that there is a lot of entrepreneurial talent out there in Nigeria, a gift for innovation and a capacity to aspire.
Given the right, enabling environment, Nigerians are willing to help government promote the objectives of diversification, backward integration, and non-oil exports which are at the root of all this talk about made in Nigeria. Especially in the agriculture and food sector, and the need for government to encourage entrepreneurship and manufacturing. But lessons were also learnt, and it is the same lessons that should guide the current patriotic excitement over locally made goods.
The first lesson is that we need to truly encourage the transformation of Nigeria into a primary, productive market, and not a secondary market for the dumping goods. We may be celebrating the fact that some Nigerians are making the effort to produce goods locally, but really how much of that local production is local?
The second lesson has to do with quality and standards.
The third lesson is that government must just make up its mind about this whole thing about the diversification of the Nigerian economy. It is not the responsibility of one government or administration; it is a process that should move Nigeria from being a democracy observing electoral commission rituals into a developmental state.
So, the matter is not as simple as just buying Nigerian goods. It is not
about trending hashtags, slogans or propaganda, but a decision to move
this country beyond the on-going knee-jerk, desperate elite was of
position withing the political spectrum and see what can work for
people's benefit.
Producing or promoting our local made goods is not really an issue but improvement on the quality of the product to attract consumers willingness to buy, while the government as a matter of necessity should create the enabling environment that would generate a favorable business climate and stable electricity.
Producing or promoting our local made goods is not really an issue but improvement on the quality of the product to attract consumers willingness to buy, while the government as a matter of necessity should create the enabling environment that would generate a favorable business climate and stable electricity.
By Maxwell Onwordi
Please don't forget to drop your opinion in the comment box below!
No comments:
Post a Comment