The Minister of Informa
tion, Mr Labaran Maku, has urged Nigerians to embrace and patronise Nigerian products in the drive to boost the national economy and culture.
Maku made the call when he declared open a two-day exhibition of made-in-Nigeria products in Abuja.
He also urged Nigerians to stop condemning the country.
The minister said it was known fact that Nigerians appreciated foreign products rather than their home made goods, and called for change in attitude.
He said that from his personal experience, he had noticed that Nigerian products were better in value and durability when compared to the imported goods.
Maku, using himself as example, said the quality of his attire, made in Nigeria was of very high standard.
He urged Nigerians not only to show “our children foreign education but to also expose them to our cultural values”.
“You train your children in the university in engineering and in different professions; where do you think they are going to get a job when their best dress is from Asia and other countries.
“Condemning shoes made in Aba and Onitsha or clothing when we don’t have anything to show, does not promote us.
“We are going to make it a routine in our offices to wear our attire every Friday and we will make every department to monitor the dress code of their members of staff.
“Monitoring the dress of members staff is not going to be only about the punishment, we will also have special awards to the best dressed Nigerian and those monitoring those dresses will be noted and we will give them awards too.
“We should help our president to achieve this project so he won’t spend the millions and billions on importation of rice, or in promoting foreign culture.
“Foreign rice is inferior to Nigeria’s rice.
“It is rice that has been par-boiled; the real rice is the locally made rice in Nigeria.”
Maku urged Nigerians to help the president in reducing the huge amount spent on importation of foreign rice and food items which could be invested in Nigeria to promote local farm products.
“In promoting our products, we can use the money to help ourselves and send our children to school; instead of embracing all those processed food, why not our locally made ones which still have the nutrient,” Maku said.
Items on display include tie and dye wrapper used to make trendy wears, bags, shoes and accessories as well as top of the range fashion designs.
Also on display were farm produce like Yam flour, Moringa leaves, powder, oil and seeds which were used in baking a sample cake.
Also on display were traffic light engines fabricated locally, juice extractors, dehydrating machines used in drying farm products.