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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on the federal government to set up a special intervention fund to enable them access to foreign exchange, stressing that 90 percent of input materials for manufacturing in the country are imported.
The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Office Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji, made the call on the sidelines of at the 19th National Productivity Day Celebration and Conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM), on 48 eminent Nigerians and organisations in both the public and private sectors, for their high productivity, hardwork and excellence.
Azoji, while responding to a question on what challenges government should address, said: “The challenges we would like government to pay attention, we (Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc), are a local manufacturer of pharmaceutical products. And the foreign exchange is a major issue for us. We want to ask the government to support the pharmaceutical manufacturer, a group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria to improve access to foreign exchange, because it has been a major problem, more than 90 percent of input materials for manufacturing in Nigeria are imported.
“If there is a special intervention that the government can do, for local manufacturers particularly, pharmaceutical manufacturers that are improving access to medicines for the ordinary Nigerians.
“So, if you have better access to foreign exchange, it will improve the availability of medicines and in a cost effective manner, because foreign exchange has become a major cost of increasing cost of pharmaceuticals in Nigeria.”
While thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for the award, he said it will cause us to work harder and pursue excellence for the benefit of Nigerians.
On what he did to merit the ward, Azoji, “Well, in all the organizations I have worked, I have committed myself to excellence and improving the outcome that is achieved. Within the three years I have been a managing director/CEO, the company has gone from a period of loss to period of profitability. We have been able to achieve a situation where the company paid dividends, after 10 years of non-dividend payments.
“For the last two years we have paid dividends. And for the past four years there has been consistent growth in profitability, consistent growth in turnover, and service delivery to Nigerians.”
President of Erisco Foods Ltd, Eric Umeofia, on his part, regretted that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were not doing enough to encourage local production of goods and commodities.
He alleged that some agencies charged with the responsibilities of enforcing the ban on imported products were not doing the job effectively saying that their inefficiency was sabotaging government’s efforts to encourage local manufacturers.
While calling on the people to patronize locally manufactured products, the Erisco boss said not doing so would only create jobs for foreigners with consequent use of scarce foreign exchange for importation of products that are being manufactured locally.
He raised the fears that with the influx of imported goods, like tomato pastes banned several years ago, local manufacturers may be forced to close shops. This he said would lead to job loss.
He urged the people to encourage manufacturers by patronizing locally made goods which will in turn lead to enhanced job and wealth creation.
On the award, the Erisco boss, said he was happy with the recognition given to him by the government. He said such would spur him to do more.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on his part said the special Award for COVID-19 conferred on him was a moral burden to do more for the nation and government.
According to the SGF” Well, it puts an additional moral burden of doing more for the nation and the government. It comes with a lot of feelings.
“You know, my award is within the category of the Special Award for COVID-19. And most of you were active participants in the response.
“And I believe that this award is dedicated to all the people that were involved. And the national response to COVID-19. My colleagues on the COVID-19 production that was awesome of you in the media, who worked assiduously in very difficult, hard times and Dangerous in itself.
“Because we were dealing with a virus that was unknown to ensure that lives and livelihoods of Nigerians were protected. And the process, we were able to deal with the adverse effects of COVID-19 one that deals with the economy.
“The economic sustainability plan was able to cause us to exit the recession in a very, very, very quick time addressing the changes in governance because COVID-19 came with his difficult ways of oppression, we had to really do a switch to virtual meetings, virtual way of running government activities, with very little face to face contact.
“So I believe that this award will spur us was to greater achievements in the future, as the events of government and the world dynamics are for,” he added.
