The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, has called for a significant reduction in Nigeria’s dependence on imports, urging the country to deliberately channel its large population into productive industrial activities.
Enoh made the call on Saturday while speaking at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 35 Economic Summit, where he warned that population size alone does not guarantee economic growth without deliberate policies that drive productivity.
He said the success of the Federal Government’s Nigeria-First policy depends largely on policy predictability, coordinated implementation and the strategic deployment of public procurement to stimulate local manufacturing.
President Bola Tinubu introduced the Nigeria-First policy in 2025, directing that Nigerian-made goods be prioritised in government procurement.
According to the minister, Nigeria has the capacity to manufacture many of the goods it currently imports, including clothing and other industrial products.
“Nigeria does not need to import what we can produce. We can clothe ourselves,” Enoh said, adding that his ministry was already engaging the Bureau of Public Procurement to ensure the effective execution of the policy.
He explained that the discussions focus on critical sectors such as textiles and apparel, automotive manufacturing, medical equipment and furniture, with the aim of using government procurement frameworks to drive domestic production.
Enoh described public procurement as a powerful but underutilised instrument for industrial development, noting that consistent government demand could attract private investment and strengthen local value chains.
Drawing comparisons with countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, the minister said their industrial success was driven more by predictable policies, competitiveness and focused value chains than by perfect infrastructure.
“A large population will only make sense if it is inclusive and productive,” he said, stressing that self-sufficiency in areas such as clothing and automobile manufacturing was achievable if government procurement prioritised local production.
He disclosed that manufacturers across the country consistently stress the need for policy stability.
“One manufacturer told me, ‘I don’t need everything to be perfect; I just need things to be predictable,’” Enoh said, noting that predictability encourages investment, expansion and job creation.
The minister added that entrepreneurs innovate when rules are stable, investors commit resources when policies are clear, and manufacturers grow when planning horizons are reliable.
He said the reforms of the current administration are designed to shift Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to a rule-based, production-oriented one anchored on stability, fairness and confidence.
Enoh warned that Nigeria’s youthful population could become a liability if industrial capacity is not expanded rapidly enough to absorb labour and provide sustainable employment.
“A large population only makes sense if it is productive. Otherwise, it becomes pressure, not potential,” he said.
He added that aligning industrial policy with procurement reforms would reduce import dependence, strengthen local manufacturing and ensure government spending supports domestic industries.
“We are aligning policy, procurement and production. That is how we convert demography into demand, demand into production, and production into jobs,” he said.
The minister concluded by stressing that reforms in 2026 must translate into increased job creation, stronger industries, expanded trade and deeper investments.
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