The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Olusola Fatoba, has canvassed support for the manufacturing sector to discourage imports and boost the country’s economy.
The statement was coming after he disclosed that clamours in some quarters for the reopening of borders were unnecessary as Nigerians should be preoccupied with how to produce what Nigerians consume rather than dependence on foreign-produced goods.
The lawmaker representing Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Ekiti State in the National Assembly spoke during a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Tuesday.
He said, “Re-opening the borders will not solve the economic crisis the nation has found itself, but it will rather cripple the country. I am not an advocate or a supporter of opening of our borders for foreign goods to be brought into our country.
“Let us endure whatever situation we find ourselves in. We should be able to produce what we eat and if there are things we cannot produce, let us call on the experts from those countries to come and put us through so that we can do them ourselves and we pay those experts off rather than allowing all manners of junks finding their way into our country.
“If the federal and state governments can empower the average Nigerian through incentives that will boost massive production at the local level, the economy of Nigeria will be back in no distant time.” he added.
Speaking on the rising prices of foodstuffs despite the naira gaining value against the dollar, Fatoba stated that it was the duty of the government to regulate prices of goods and services in the market at a time like this.
