Nigeria Content Online

President Goodluck
Jonathan has ordered all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to
henceforth give priority to locally assembled cars and machineries
during procurement.

The President gave this order during the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday which lasted for about an hour.

Briefing
journalists after the meeting, the minister of Information and
Communication, Labaran Maku, said the directive was given in order to
boost employment and promote the locally made goods.

“Today in council
Mr President in continuation of his promise and his determination to
promote made in Nigeria goods directed all the MDA’s henceforth to
ensure that every procurement relating to vehicles, attention must
first be given to locally assembled plants in all public procurement
“This decision by Mr President was first issued in Lagos State when he
met with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Today in council he
emphasised the need for the federal government to promote made in
Nigeria goods. He said in terms of procurement it was necessary for the
federal government especially at this time that we are talking about
boosting employment and local production to patronise those goods and
services that are made in the country. So today, MDAs were given
directives to ensure that in all future contracts especially when we
need supplies of machineries efforts must be made to give priority to
locally assembled or produced machines or vehicles” the minister said.
This is, however, not the first time the Nigerian government has
decided to make moves to fully patronise made-in-Nigeria goods.

New tariff regime

Mr Maku also said
the President has directed the office of the National Economic Adviser
to undertake a comprehensive review of tariffs to ensure that a new
tariff regime that will protect local industries and promote locally
made goods in Nigeria is developed.

“This is important
because if indeed our industries are to produce again and if we are to
encourage employment within Nigeria it has become necessary to
emphasise a change of attitude in preference for those business men and
women that have taken their time and resources to invest in the
Nigerian economy,” he explained.

The information
minister told journalists that the minister of Finance Olusegun Aganga
also announced that the ministry is presently working in conjunction
with insurance bodies and banks to develop a consumer credit facility
that will be limited to made-in-Nigeria products. This, he said, is to
ensure that consumers are encouraged to buy made in Nigeria goods. “As
we all know the economy has been picking up at a rate of about 8.5
percent and if we are to promote economic growth and development and
increase the pace of GDP, then emphasis really must be brought back to
locally produced goods and services within the Nigerian economy,” Mr
Maku said.