The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has emphasized the need for the Federal Government to back Executive Orders 003 and 005 with enabling laws in order to make them more effective in boosting domestic production. The Orders were meant to compel patronage of locally made products.
In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, Director General, MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, recalled that the association’s advocacy for improved patronage of made in Nigeria products in the nation’s public procurement value chain led to the issuance of Executive Orders 003 and 005, and the launching of the “Buy Naija Campaign” in 2017.
He, however, lamented that “there appears not to be in existence, a well structured platform for monitoring, evaluation, control and objective interrogation of the effectiveness of these orders”.
Executive Order 003 states that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) shall grant preference to local manufacturers of goods and service providers, in their procurement of goods and services.
Executive Order 005 directs all MDAs to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects and maximize in-country capacity in all contracts and transactions with science, technology and engineering components.
Ajayi-Kadir stated: “Therefore, in order to improve domestic production, Government needs to back the Executive Orders with enabling laws; deliberately release fund for the payment of staff salaries and contractors to improve their purchases and create a sustainable platform through which Nigeria’s general public will be continuously educated on the need to jettison the current penchant for foreign goods and patronize locally manufactured products.
“Government should make it mandatory for MDAs to comply with Executive Orders 003 and 005 through guided monitoring and evaluation mechanism; promote the establishment of a structured platform that will enable critical stakeholders in the economy to regularly interrogate the implementation of Executive Orders 003 & 005.
“MAN strongly believes that the three tiers of government remain the largest spender in the Nigerian economy and can actually stimulate sustained growth of the manufacturing sector and drive improved contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) through intentional procurement of locally made goods for contracts, consumption, events and programmes.
“Imagine what will be the spiral effects on the performance of the Textiles and Wearing Apparel industry if the armed forces, the police, correctional service, immigration and schools are directed to use textiles produced in Nigeria!”
