Abuja, Nigeria: President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to adopt locally made products as a means to foster economic growth and national pride.
According to him, we should be a nation of producers, not just consumers.
Tinubu made this statement in his address commemorating Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary on Wednesday in Abuja.
“On this 65th Anniversary of our independence, my message is hope and a call to action.
“The Federal Government will continue to do its part to fix the plumbing in our economy. Now, we must all turn on the taps of productivity, innovation, and enterprise.
“I urge the sub-national entities to join us in nation-building. Let us be a nation of producers, not just consumers. Let us farm our lands and build factories to process our produce.
“Let us patronise ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ goods. I say Nigeria first. Let us pay our taxes,” he said.
Tinibu said that the administration has achieved a record-breaking increase in non-oil revenue, thereby surpassing the 2025 target by August with more than N20 trillion.
He said that in September alone, non-oil revenue raised was N3.65 trillion, adding that it was 411 per cent higher than the amount raised in May 2023.
The president said that Nigeria has recorded a trade surplus for five consecutive quarters.
“We are now selling more to the world than we are buying, a fundamental shift that strengthens our currency and creates jobs at home.
“Nigeria’s trade surplus increased by 44.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 to N7.46 trillion (4.74 billion dollars), the largest in about three years,” he said.
Tinubu noted that the value of goods manufactured in Nigeria and exported increased by 173%.
“Non-oil exports, as a component of our export trade, now represent 48 per cent, compared to oil exports, which account for 52 per cent.
“This signals that we are diversifying our economy and foreign exchange sources outside oil and gas,” he said.
Also in her address to mark Nigeria’s independence, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said that Made in Nigeria products were a pathway to economic growth, job creation and national development.
According to her, it is important to buy what we produce and produce what we consume. I urge Nigerians to support and purchase products made in Nigeria.Additionally, Dr Nonye Ayeni, the Director-General of the Nigerian Exports Promotion Council (NEPC), reiterated the council’s commitment to building the capacity of exporters from the farm gate to market access.
