Poverty, unemployment will persist in Nigeria unless… ―FG

THE Federal Government, on Monday, stated that poverty and unemployment might still persist and pervade the country unless Nigerians patronized made-in-Nigeria products.

According to the Federal Government, “we don’t have to be relying on importation of everything we need because when we do that we are losing jobs and we are also losing wealth creation and we are not in any way working to reduce poverty and above all the pressure on our currency will continue to be severe”.

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, stated this while receiving the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Aisha Abubakar in his office in Abuja on the need to patronize made in Nigeria products.

He stressed that the Ministry of Science and Technology was very committed to making sure that it puts in its own contributions to ensure that the ministry converted the enormous and abundant raw materials into products in which Nigerians could be buying, thereby making the nation’s currency stronger.

“We want jobs for our people and that is what President Muhammadu Buhari has promised Nigerians and that is what he is working very hard to achieve and we are supporting him to make sure that he achieves that and though we are the largest economy in Africa now but we want to be the largest in the world and it can be done, it is a matter of aspiration and then working hard and be committed to achieve it.”

“There is no way they (producers) can improve on their qualities if Nigerians are not patronizing them. It is when we buy the beans made here that we can now make sure that this jobs that we have exported to other countries we come back to Nigeria and our people will now have jobs to do and as they are working they will be paying tax and government will make more money and the economy will grow.”

“By reducing importation to our country, our currency will be stronger and it is really in our best national interest so Nigerians should patronize made-in-Nigeria products,” the minister pleaded.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Abubakar intimated her counterpart that it has become imperative for all MDAs to put in place structures to actualize the Federal Government’s directive on the need to increase patronage of locally manufactured goods through the use Executive Order 03 of May 18, 2017.

According to her, in order to achieve uniformity, it is necessary for all heads of all agencies of government to assess the monitoring, enforcement, implementation and compliance of Executive Order 3 and local content stipulations in the Procurement Act or their relevant Acts.

“It is necessary for all heads of all agencies of government to direct the utilization of locally manufactured goods to enhance employment generation, increase wealth creation and save scarce foreign exchange. A procedure on how to implement this policy from MDAs should be produce in not more than two A4 pages,” she added.

Mrs. Abubakar therefore implored the Science and Technology Ministry to consider hosting Technology fairs similar to trade expos to encourage local research and development so that scientists could come forth their inventions and innovations for industries to appropriate.