We’ll engage MDAs on Made-in-Nigeria products — Saraki

President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said the National Assembly would use ongoing 2017 Budget defence to engage Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) on need to patronise locally-made goods.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sanni Onogu, on Wednesday quoted Saraki as saying this when an management of an American firm, Diamond Designs Limited, visited him in Abuja.

Saraki said that encouraging MDAs to use local products in the implementation of the 2017 budget would help in getting the country out of the current recession.

“At the moment, the budget process is on and we intend to use that opportunity to engage the MDAs.

“This is to ensure that when they start implementation of the budget, they will make sure that they patronize locally-produced goods more than imported goods.

“The Senate will support all Nigerian-based entrepreneurs in the `Made-in-Nigeria project’ to see how we can create an enabling environment that will support businesses.

“This is to ensure we provide jobs for a lot of Nigerians and thereby contribute to the growth of the economy,” he said.

Saraki commended efforts by the firm in the promotion of made-in-Nigeria products and assured of senate’s commitment to supporting the company in its effort to promote local products.

“Living in America and having that belief in what we are doing here is commendable.

“This is what we are talking about that the made-in-Nigeria initiative is likely to take us out of the recession.

“The main aim of this is that we can produce for export and local consumption,” he said.

The statement also quoted Managing Director of Diamond Designs Limited, Mary Francois, as promised to invest in Made-In-Aba products.

She said that the company would produce American designs with Nigerian fabrics and sell them in the U.S.

According to Francois, the designs made from Nigerian fabrics have been overwhelmingly received by Americans.

“What we have been doing is that we have hired tailors and we are still looking for more tailors from Aba and Abuja, to make clothes in the American designs using the Nigerian fabrics.

“We are also opening up a shop in Aba, not only to produce our items but we also want to take some of the items from the people in Aba and market them in boutiques in the US.

“This is so that these people in Aba will have an income and have their goods sold in the US, ’’she said.