Senator Saraki to wear Made in Aba clothing to senate's plenary session next week

SENATE president Senator Bukola Saraki has indicated that he will wear Made in Aba clothing to the upper chamber's plenary session next Wednesday as part of his support for the campaign to patronise locally manufactured goods.

 

Despite being involved in a bitter legal battle over corruption involving the false declaration of assets while he was Kwara State governor, Senator Saraki has tried to continue functioning as normal. Last week, he called on Nigerians to patronise home-made goods, saying the country’s economy can only grow through such action.

 

During the recent Made in Aba Trade Fair which took place in Abuja, Senator Saraki was presented with 29 locally made fabrics by Adiele Ekeke, the chief executive of local firm Adic Designs. At the event, Senator Saraki said he was happy that the Public Procurement Act was in the process of being amended to encourage Nigerian industries through the purchase of locally-produced goods.

 

After receiving the 29 Made-In-Nigeria fabrics designed for him, the Senate President said he would spread the message to all his colleagues in both chambers to begin to patronise made in Nigeria products. He visited the trade fair along with Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South Senatorial District in which Aba is located.

 

Senator Saraki said: “On a serious note, we must all work together to help our local industries. A lot of people laugh about it but it is a serious matter and I think that we should be very committed as this is how other countries started and have been able to succeed, so let us join hands in supporting our own entrepreneurs.

 

“We went round, looked at some of the products being made by Nigerians and we made a commitment then that we will definitely support the patronage of Made-In-Nigeria products by all. This might look like a small step in our action but it is very symbolic and we truly believe that it is time for us to drive our economy, stimulate jobs by encouraging and supporting our indigenous manufacturers."

 

He also added that the National Assembly will support locally produced items from garments, wears and cars. Senator Saraki also urged the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment to step up its oversight activities to ensure that most of the close to N4trn (£14bn) earmarked for expenditure by the federal government in the 2016 budget was spent to support local industries.