NOA charges Nigerians to buy locally produced products

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), has called on Nigerians to always patronize locally-made products and services in order to grow the nation’s economy.

The Director-General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari, stated this in Abuja, at a 2-day exhibition of various Nigerian products with the theme: “Promoting Local Production and Services to boost National Economic Development,” organized by NOA.

Abari noted that the programme is part of efforts to sensitize and mobilize Nigerians to adopt habits to support national economic growth through made in Nigeria.

He said: “For us as NOA, like many other concerned Nigerians, we believe that our economy has relied too much on oil revenue and it is long overdue, we diversified and prioritized our local production sectors to generate more manpower, increase revenue and transform the economy.

“This is pursuant of our key function, which is to propagate and promote the spirit of dignity of labour, honesty and commitment to qualitative production, promotion and consumption of home produced commodities and services.

“The various strategies and approaches we deploy to sensitize and mobilize the citizens to act in ways that encourage, promote and support local production and services include advocacy, stakeholders forum and exhibition, media and social media engagements, video documentary, town hall meetings and community engagements. Others are association meetings, school outreaches, motorized rallies and roadshows, theatre for development to mention just a few,” he said.

The Director of public enlightenment and mass mobilisation, Mrs Ruth Ogun, said that economic development, advocating and supporting made- in -Nigeria goods is a way to turn around the dwindling economic fortune of Nigeria.

She called on states and local governments as well as Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the organised private sector to comply with the government’s procurement law giving priority to Nigerian products in all procurement activities.

She said: “We don’t buy imported products, all our cars that the directors are using for almost 10 years now are made- in -Nigeria. And we are enjoying the vehicle. So we are saying that it is when we patronize that we improve in quality”.