A former presidential adviser, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has called on the ruling party to deliberately embark on promoting the manufacturing and patronizing of made-in-Nigeria goods.
He also emphasised that the country should export these goods to other countries to earn foreign exchange.
He was reacting to prevalent hyperinflation and hardship in the country in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Monday morning, blaming undue advantage of the dollar over naira.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain warned that the Federal Government cannot peg the exchange rate of the naira to international currency, making the dollar to become over dominant.
“We cannot continue to have a dollarised economy when the dollar is not our national currency. Our national currency is the naira, which should be the means of exchange, buying and selling but we descended to the ridiculous level of making the dollar superior to our national currency in our disposition to embracing everything foreign no matter how worthless it is.
“We only export crude oil in commercial quantities as the only means of earning foreign exchange. The international oil market is very sensitive, it is volatile and easily vulnerable and quickly reacts to the vagaries of international geopolitics and interest to market forces so depending on such commodity as the only means of earning foreign exchange for a country of 230 million people is dangerous and indeed injurious to our national interest.
“We must strengthen the naira through conscious and deliberate efforts of partnership and collaboration between the government and the people of Nigeria.”
On wanton killings and insecurity in the country, the activist and lawyer insisted that it is corruption and the institutionalizing of lawlessness that is fuelling insecurity and crime in the country.
He lamented that the well placed and wealthy are those disobeying and largely fueling the insecurity.
“Over the years, the governing elite has manifested a propensity and desire of strong aversion to obeying law, adhering to due process and doing things in an orderly manner.
“The consequence is that it became engrained in the psychology of the ordinary Nigerian that there are no consequences for crime in the country. So we are paying the price for the lawlessness, disorderliness and greed of the governing elites over the years,” he said.
Hardship: Embark on deliberate production, patronizing of locally made goods – Obono-Obla
