Standardising home-made goods

Home-made goods are now becoming popular in Nigeria. From my observations in recent times, many people are eager to patronize those dealing in home-made goods. This is obviously not unconnected with the call by the Federal Government to embrace locally produced items. It is also worthy of note that the Bukola Saraki-led National Assembly has been championing the “Patronise Nigeria” project.

But there are other reasons for this shift. There is the issue of national self-reliance and the need to avoid promoting foreign economies at Nigeria’s expense, as well as the need to avoid obsession with foreign products. Another factor is the need to reduce the high level of unemployment ravaging the country now, especially among school leavers.

Home-made goods which are now common in the market include aluminum of different kinds, plastic buckets, kettles, cups, plates and other utensils meant for household use. We also have textile materials of assorted types, yarns, threads, detergents, soaps, beverages, soft drinks, slippers, shoes; synthetic materials, building materials, among others.

Though the intention or rationale behind embracing locally made good is unimpeachable, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome. A careful look at most of the locally-made plastic products and items, for example, would show that they are almost always of bad quality. They often leak without any real damage being done to them by buyers. In most cases, owners have to take them for repairs to make them fit for use. The situation is the same regarding home-made shoes which often have to be taken to cobblers for repair.

In the case of the textile material popularly known as ankara, which many people cherish and use during  social outings, it is not as good as the imported ones from countries like Great Britain, United States of America, France, Germany, Holland, Denmark and others which are cheap, of good quality, and durable. Locally-made textile materials easily get torn, soft or faded when soaked in water, probably because they do not undergo the necessary quality assurance processes before they are taken to the market. It could also be that the raw materials being used are insufficient or substandard in quality. Many people have complained about the poor quality of these textiles.

I believe that the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria and the nation’s regulatory agencies have a duty to perform in ensuring that manufactured goods comply with the global best standards. Doing this will enhance the little prestige which locally produced goods would seem to have already earned.  Other countries of the world would even like to patronise Nigerian goods if they are of good quality and durable. Samples of them can also be taken abroad for the purpose of widening the market for Nigerian products. More money than hitherto envisaged will get into the coffers of the manufacturers and this will be a pride not only to the Federal Government alone, but also the country in general.