An Abuja-based industrialist, Emeka Egwuekwe, has urged Nigerians and governments at all levels to increase patronage of locally produced furniture and other goods against the rising patronage of imported products.

Mr Egwueke, Prince Interior Furnishing and Furniture Company CEO, made the call on Wednesday while addressing journalists in Abuja during the firm’s 24th anniversary.

“The solution is not in giving money to the people because if you give money out without patronising the person, it will be in vain. If you can’t sell what you produced, you will not only shut down the business but also you will not be able to pay back the money you were given on loan,” stated Mr Egwuekwe. “You know that when you shut down the business, it will affect your workers.”

Mr Egwuekwe said it was a challenging moment for the Nigerian manufacturers, given the country’s economic situation.

“Nigerians import and use those imported furniture in their offices, homes, rooms and other places, not only foreign furniture, but other foreign goods that are produced in other countries, including foreign-made vehicles.

“But I enjoin them to look into what other nations did and survived and are still doing and surviving,” added Mr Egwuekwe.

Mr Egwuekwe said there was a need for Nigeria to seek ideas from countries that had experienced the same challenges and could overcome the issues.

“In order to build their economy, 20 years ago, China that was passing through what we are passing through now, shut their border and started to use what they were producing.

“What we should do now is to close the border to what we can produce and be using them, instead of importing them. This country is blessed by God with manpower, natural resources and we have a population of over 200 million and the timber we have for furniture gives us the best timber you can think of all over the world,” he explained.

Mr Egwuekwe stressed that “we can feed ourselves with the food we produce, clothe ourselves with clothes produced in this country.”

According to him, his furniture products can compete favourably with foreign counterparts across the globe, saying that the major challenge to manufacturers is energy.

(NAN)