The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN) has called on the Federal Government to ensure that indigenous manufacturers are given priority in the supply of fencing materials for the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, perimeter fencing project.
This is just as the association warned against importing Clear Vu fencing from abroad..
The call is contained in a statement by MAN and made available to media men .
Though the body commended the Federal Government’s infrastructure initiatives, but however argued that the ongoing procurement for the international wing of MMA, Lagos, perimeter fencing and security surveillance project must reflect the Nigeria First Policy of the President Bola Tinubu left administration.
Speaking on the matter, the Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir said, “It has become a matter of national interest for the contractor handling the project to ensure strict adherence to Executive Orders 003 and 005, and the imperatives of President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy.”
“In particular, we strongly maintain that, in considering the procurement of Clear Vu fencing, indigenous manufacturers should be given priority consideration, and it should not be purchased from outside Nigeria,” he warned.
Ajayi-Kadir contended that local firms have the capacity and expertise to produce fencing materials that meet international standards, adding that sidelining local manufacturers in favour of foreign manufacturers and imported fencing materials would “undermine government policy and deprive the country of critical benefits such as job creation, foreign exchange savings, increased tax revenues and a strengthened industrial base.”
MAN stated that local producers had been excluded from similar past projects in the past.
The association cited a situation in the past where the Federal Government imported fencing materials from South Africa despite its advocacy against the move .
The practice, MAN pointed out is discouraging to local industry and not in accordance with the Federal Government’s local content policy.
MAN advised government to as a matter of urgency intervene, noting that sourcing fencing materials locally would align procurement with national interest.
According to the association, “The Lagos Airport fencing project presents a clear chance to demonstrate that the Nigeria First Policy is not just an aspiration, but an intentional policy of government that will be matched with unfettered implementation.”
MAN stated that it is committed to supporting the Federal Government in advancing inclusive growth and ensuring procurements promote Nigerian businesses.
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