Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga has advised manufacturers in the country to ensure their products meet standards to be certified fit for consumption and export
The Minister gave the advice during a facility tour of the newly commissioned Coleman Wires and Cables Multi-billion naira factory, in Sagamu, Ogun state
He expressed delight at the facility, saying, “I wish more Nigerians could see what I’m seeing so that they would be so proud of this country and her citizens. The future of this country is very great”.
Aganga noted that Nigeria was not where people think it is industrially, adding that “when one talks about investment in Nigeria, most people think industries cannot thrive because of electricity. But Nigerians are creatively finding ways around it. I’m so excited it is the younger generations that are making this possible”.
Continuing, he said that government has created the right atmosphere for younger generation to go into manufacturing, adding “This government has made it possible in the last four years by opening up the economy to the private sector and in the process creating the enabling environment for them to succeed; and today we have seen the results”.
He explained further that Nigeria was once a country that exported raw materials and import-dependent, which put a lot of pressure on her foreign reserves and exchange, stressing that because the country depended on imported finished goods in terms of revenue to the government, it could not diversify. “We relied on oil money. But today oil prices are going in one direction and one can see the impact”, he said
Agangu observed that with industries like Coleman in Nigeria succeeding, it means more tax revenue to the government, adding that they are the ones that are creating jobs, not the government. According to him, all the government needed to do was to create the enabling environment
MD/CEO of Coleman Wires and Cables, George Onafowokan, in his response, thanked the Minister for his visit. He told the minister that the principal operation of Coleman is the manufacturing of electrical wires and cables for oil industries, commercial and residential as well as specialty cables all in good quality and high standards.
He pledged that Coleman will never compromise standards because all their products are of acceptable standards as required by law. He also informed the minister that everything about the ultra-modern factory was done is in line with the local content initiative of the federal government
The minister was later taken on the factory tour by Michael Onafowokan, executive director in the company.
