The director-general of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, has urged Nigerians to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods and services.

Mr Odii gave this advice at the unveiling of the ‘Drop’ app on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Mr Odii, we can only grow Nigeria if homemade goods and services are massively patronised.

Mr Odii said that SMEDAN would collaborate with the people who founded ‘Drop’ to help convert approximately 100,000 vehicles to CNG. He said that this would reduce the cost of fueling vehicles while promoting environment-friendly practices.

According to him, SMEDAN remains committed to empowering Nigerian businesses and reducing the cost of doing business by supporting initiatives like Drop.

“I want each and every one of us to believe in the ownership mentality and responsibility that what is created in Nigeria will work,” he said.

Mr Odii further explained that the agency had a mandate for the ecosystem called ‘GROW’, adding that it stood for “Guardian, Resources, Opportunities, Work and Support” provided by SMEDAN.

He also stated that the agency had negotiated to the tune of N12 billion single-digit interest rate loan and no collateral for small businesses like drivers and others.

Mr Odii added that the agency was working out a lot of opportunities for drivers using the Drop app.

(NAN)