Purchasing Nigerian-made goods is the only way to keep the nation moving in the direction of industrialization, By Adesina Julius Oluwamayokun

It is imperative that consumers support products created in Nigeria because doing so is a key factor in the country’s economic development and progress. Any country’s economy expands quickly when its citizens support locally produced goods through exports and later through patronage.

It is no secret that Nigeria’s economy is struggling, even as the value of the Naira maintains its erratic upward and downward trajectory.

Embracing the consumption of made in Nigerian goods will increase our economic performance. It will lead to more jobs for our graduates and more confidence in our market. China is now making the best quality of goods for themselves and sending the worse to other countries. China did not become a producer of standard products at the inception. So, we can start by improving on the quality of our products. This high taste for foreign goods should be checked by ensuring that we are patriotic and consume made in Nigerian goods.

The yawning lacuna between where we are as a country and where we ought to be can only be bridged if we start patronizing and supporting local made goods.

Not only will poverty be kept at bay in our country but also the teeming youths of working class background would be productively engaged if we all unanimously begin to patronise Nigerian products. The gainful employment of the nation’s abundant local labour is guaranteed if an outright ban is placed on massive importation and consumption of foreign products with no local value addition and which can be replaced with local products.

Charity, they say, begins at home, and truly no nation will develop when its economy is at the mercy of foreign products and service.

Going forward, it is, therefore, time we changed our orientation and psyche as a nation from an addicted penchant for foreign products and services to valuing our locally made goods in order to boost and develop our economy.

Overtime, several interest groups within the shores of Nigeria have persistently called for the need to ensure the citizens of the country patronize locally-made goods coupled with services. But unfortunately, the myriad of calls is yet to come to fruition.

It is, however, dispiriting to know that we obviously have been growing other countries’ economies through our over-dependence on imported goods, especially those which have local substitutes. Nigeria can easily experience a breakthrough in the quest for local content development and a stable, strong and advanced economy if Nigerians would patronise made-in-Nigeria products.

However, there are several measures that needs to be met before we can talk of patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products. Government should improve trade free zones in the country, reduce taxation on companies that manufacture locally made goods, boost electricity which is an important commodity because without electricity how would the companies function effectively, provide long-term and short term loans as the case may be for such producers and also improve on our transportation systems because without good road networks and functionality of the railways how will the goods be transferred from one location to the other?. Without the necessary prerequisite and production of quality products how will there be patronage.

So, for the government to walk the talk in the use of made in Nigeria goods, it must put in place measures to provide stable electricity for local industries to thrive, and ensure tax holidays for atleast a period of five years for genuine foreign investors who come into the country to start business.

Also, all government officials must be made to patronise our local goods like clothing and shoes which they must put on during officials hours and even when performing officials functions.

While President Tinubu and his team continues to toil assiduously to renewed the hope which they have promised, every Nigerian can cause a big turnaround in his or her little corner; just by a patronizing that which is made in Nigeria by Nigerians for Nigerians and indeed the world at large

Adesina Julius Oluwamayokun write from Igbeti, Oyo State.