Tomori urges shift to local production

Prof. Oyewale Tomori, a renowned virologist and former president of the Nigeria Academy of Sciences, has called for a decisive shift in Nigeria’s economic and production policies toward self-reliance and sustainability.

He urged Nigeria to prioritise local manufacturing, strengthen domestic consumption of locally made goods, and rethink its long-term dependence on foreign aid as a strategy for sustainable economic development.

Tomori said this in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday in Abuja, warning that Nigeria’s development would remain constrained without deliberate investment in local production and patronage.

He emphasised that producing what the country consumed and committing to buying locally made goods were critical steps needed to reposition Nigeria’s economy toward resilience, growth, and reduced external dependence.

Our correspondent reports that Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector has evolved from a colonial-era import system into a growing local industry supplying about 25 to 40 per cent of essential medicines, though it relies heavily on imports.

Tomori emphasised that local manufacturing must move beyond policy rhetoric into practical implementation, warning that nations failing to produce what they use would remain dependent on others for economic survival.

He said that even where local production capacity existsted, weak patronage of Nigerian-made goods continued to undermine industrial growth, limited job creation, and discouraged further investments in domestic manufacturing across sectors.

According to him, the real challenge lies not only in producing goods locally, but ensuring that Nigerians, including government and private sector actors, consistently prioritise purchasing domestically manufactured products.

He warned that failure to support domestic industries through procurement decisions often forced manufacturers to shut down or operate below capacity, in spite of having the technical capability to meet national demand.

Tomori also raised concerns about long-term reliance on development assistance, cautioning that the perceived benefits of foreign aid could ultimately constrain national progress if not strategically managed over time.

He said that dependence on external support might inadvertently shape national priorities away from domestic needs, limiting Nigeria’s ability to pursue independent, locally driven development strategies across critical sectors of the economy.

While acknowledging the importance of international partnerships, Tomori emphasised that Nigeria must gradually transition from aid dependency toward self-sustaining systems driven by local innovation, production capacity, and financing mechanisms.

“Nigeria’s manufacturing sector continues to face challenges including high production costs, infrastructure deficits, and limited access to financing, all of which reduce competitiveness against imported goods in both local and international markets.”

He added that strengthening local industries would require consistent policy enforcement, improved electricity supply, and stronger government commitment to patronising Nigerian-made goods through public procurement and institutional support mechanisms nationwide.