Locally assembled vehicles get priority -- FEC

Locally assembled vehicles get priority -- FEC
Uche Aneke, Abuja

All Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government are to ensure that attention is given first to all locally assembled vehicles' producing plants in Nigeria in all public procurements.

Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku stated that the directive was in continuation of President Jonathan’s efforts to promote Made in Nigeria goods as a way of increasing the country’s GDP and promoting employment and technology transfer.

Mr. Maku, who was briefing newsmen at the end of the weekly Federal executive Council meeting, said that the directive was first issued when he met with the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria in Lagos last week.

Local industries tariffs review

The minister said that the Council directed the office of the National Economic Adviser to undertake a comprehensive review of tariffs and develop a new tariff regime that would protect local industries and locally-made goods.

“This is important because if indeed our industries are to produce again and if we are to encourage employment within Nigeria, it has become necessary to emphasize a change of attitude,’’ he said.

Incentives

To ensure that consumers are encouraged to buy locally-made goods, Maku said the Ministry of Finance was working in conjunction with insurance bodies and banks to develop a consumer credit facility that would be limited to made-in-Nigeria products.

“This development is in process and in the following weeks, the public will be briefed about the details and the decisions that will be made to promote made-in-Nigeria products,’’ he said.

NAN/Williams/Ekata