Photo from left: MD Coleman Wires and Cables industries limited, Mr. George Onafowokan; DG MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir; and Mr. Adetunji Aderinto, Founder Zetamind Consulting Limited, during at BusinessDay Manufacturing Conference in Lagos, on Thursday.
“It will be commendable to see President Bola Tinubu driving a vehicle made and assembled in Nigeria.”
Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director -General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), expressed this longing today during the BusinessDay Manufacturing Conference in Lagos, themed, “Unlocking Nigeria’s Manufacturing Potential: Strategies for Sustainable Growth Amid Economic Turbulence.”
Ajayi-Kadir commended President Tinubu for the recently unveiled Nigeria First Policy, a procurement directive compelling all federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to prioritise Nigerian-made goods and services in public spending.
Ajayi-Kadir, said that to achieve this lofty initiative, the government must go above the policy declaration, and gazette the patronage of locally made products as part of the “Nigeria First” policy to enhance the country’s product competitiveness amidst rising imports.
He emphasised that the Nigeria First Policy must be established as a binding law to promote local competitiveness.
“This is critical to give the policy legal standing, ensuring transparency, public awareness, and enforceability across government institutions and the private sector.
“Legal consequences should be enforced for violators, and there should be repercussions for any CEO or head of an organisation that fails to comply,” he said.