Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged the Federal government to ensure local manufacturers are given priority in the ongoing procurement process for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Operational Perimeter Fencing and Security Surveillance Project, in the spirit of its ‘Nigeria First’ Policy.

 

 

MAN, in a statement signed by its Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, recently, stated that while it acknowledged the competence of foreign manufacturers,  it however believed indigenous  companies also have the capacity to produce fencing materials of equal, if not superior, quality of international standards.

 

 

It,  therefore, maintained  that, in considering the procurement of Clear Vu fencing, indigenous manufacturers should be given priority consideration, and such material should not be purchased from outside Nigeria.

 

MAN noted that the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, has rekindled the confidence of Nigerian manufacturers,  building on earlier Executive Orders 003 and 005, which mandate the prioritization of locally manufactured goods and services in public procurement.

 

The association believed that importing fencing materials for the project would not only undermine the policy, but also deprive Nigeria of critical benefits.

 

One of such benefits, it argued, would be job creation for Nigerian youth and skilled workers.

 

MAN also believed  such action would also deprive the country of foreign exchange savings; adding   that the opportunity for the country to increase tax revenues and government earnings through local production, would also be hampered.

 

“The call became necessary as Nigerian manufacturers, regrettably, lost out in similar situation in the past.

 

“In this particular instance, despite MAN’s advocacy, fencing materials for an airport project were imported from South Africa. That decision discouraged local industries and contradicted government’s stated local content policies.

 

“We strongly believe that this administration has the opportunity to correct past errors. The Lagos Airport fencing project presents a clear chance to demonstrate that the Nigeria First Policy is not just an aspiration, but an intentional policy of government that will be matched with unfettered implementation,” it argued.