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Senate urged to stop unbridled importation of goods

The Senate has been advised to stop the importation of goods that can be manufactured in Nigeria.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of Prince Interior Furnishing and Furniture Company Ltd, Abuja, Prince Emeka Egwuekwe hailed the government for trying to boost the country's economy.

He noted with concern that continued importation of such products into Nigeria, which according to him would continue to affect the manufacturers and the country's economy in no small measure.

Egwuekwe addressed reporters shortly after marking his company's 24 years of existence in one of his offices in Abuja.

He observed with dismay that at their visit to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio last week, they found out that all the furniture in use at the Senate were imported.

He said: "Nigerian manufacturers produce furniture in Prince Interiors Ltd, and other manufacturing companies, but Nigerians import them and the 10th Senate and the National Assembly as a whole are using those imported furniture in their offices, homes, rooms and other places; not only foreign furniture, but other foreign goods that are produced in their country, including foreign vehicles. I respect legislators in the 10th Senate, but I enjoin them to look into what other nations did and survived.

"In order to build their economy, 20 years ago, China shut their borders 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. We can feed ourselves with the food we produce, clothe ourselves with cloths produced in this country, among others."

Reiterating that their products can compete favourably with their foreign courtparts, he said: "Our furniture can compete favourably with their foreign counterparts. Although, we need more, but we have the machines to outdo our foreign competitors, but the problems we are encountering are in the area of energy. They export our gas to our neighboring countries, making them expensive and unavailable here. So the best thing to do is to close the border to all those things that will affect our economy negatively. If we can shut our borders, at least for four years to address our economy, I don't see what is wrong in doing that.

"Encouraging manufacturers to produce enough for use domestically and also for importation, will go a long way to address our unfavourable balance of trade, at the international trade, that has over the time been affecting our economy in small measure. The former Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) governor, Sanusi (Lamido) condemned in its entirety, the speed at which Nigeria was exporting, even a toothpick, something that could be produced locally in the country. I wonder how a nation that does that would survive."

Disclosing how government of China helped a furniture maker by buying him a machine that resulted in producing more furnitures for local use instead of importing from Italy, and training more people, he said he has started to build an institute: Prince Interior Vocational Institute in Abuja, where bricklayers, carpenters, welders, among others.

He disclosed that UNIDO has indicated interest to partner with him in the project, just as he decried moving out of the country to areas they can get greener pastures, by carpenters trained by his company.