Nigeria’s leading industrialists are urging the Federal Government to back its “Nigeria First” policy with enforceable local content mandates that would make patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products a measurable national priority. The call, led by Otunba Francis Meshioye, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), comes amid concerns that weak implementation of past local content directives has kept Nigeria’s industrial base fragile and import-dependent.
Speaking in Lagos at the 5th Adeola Odutola Lecture and Presidential Luncheon—part of MAN’s 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM)—Meshioye proposed the introduction of annual local content benchmarks for all government procurements across strategic sectors including automobiles, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and agro-processing. He argued that enforcing such targets would “prioritize Made-in-Nigeria products, boost domestic production, and stimulate national industrial renewal.”
Meshioye lamented that the manufacturing sector operates in “a very challenging environment,” weakened by poor enforcement of Executive Orders 003 and 005, which were initially designed to promote local patronage. “It is unsustainable for Nigeria to keep subsidizing production and employment in other nations through unchecked imports,” he said.
To reverse the trend, MAN is advocating for a compliance-based system where Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are rewarded for meeting local content targets and penalized for defaulting. The association also proposed the establishment of a National Made-in-Nigeria Day, to be launched by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) in partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and private sector groups. This, Meshioye noted, would help “build consumer confidence and showcase the quality of Nigerian products.”
Beyond public campaigns, MAN wants the Industrial Revolution Working Group to receive better funding and authority to act as a central policy engine driving industrial reform and innovation. Meshioye emphasized that the Nigeria First framework must be tied to legislation, with the National Bureau of Procurement monitoring compliance as part of MDA performance metrics.
He warned that despite Nigeria’s rebased GDP of $244 billion (₦372.8 trillion), the manufacturing sector’s share continues to shrink, signaling “a bigger but less productive economy.” Prioritizing local production, he said, would conserve foreign exchange, spur innovation, and reduce unemployment.
“The Nigeria First policy isn’t just patriotic—it’s economic survival,” Meshioye concluded. “If we don’t deliberately support our own manufacturers, we’ll remain consumers in a world of producers.”
