Emma Okonji Following the ambitious plan of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grow Nigeria’s economy to a $1 trillion economy by 2030, economic expert and public policy analyst, Mr. Aliyu Gaya, who described suchambition as a demonstration of audacity in leadership, has said President Tinubu must listen and work with the advice of businessmen and technocrats like the President of Dangote Group,Aliko Dangote, as well as the Chairman of Zinox Group, an African ICT unicorn,Leo Stan Ekeh, among others, in order to achieve the ambitious plan. Gaya, who spoke while delivering a public lecture in Kano, made reference to Tinubu’s statement that Nigeria must lean on and encourage local production, and that achieving food security is the sine qua non for advancing the nation’s economy through heavy investments in the agriculture value chain. Gaya however said a quick fact-check showed that this is not new, especially since the commencement of the 4th Republic. According to him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, laid a solid foundation to promote indigenous production of goods and services. The results of Obasanjo’s Buy-Nigeria policy manifested in diverse ways, such as local patronage of indigenous fruit drinks and ban on imported ones; local production of airtime cards for GSM service providers; local patronage of locally assembled computers that gave a huge boost to local production of the same, such that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) standardised their IT operations on indigenous computer hardware and software. “Sadly, despite the traction gained by indigenous products, the succeeding governments did not even sustain the Buy-Nigeria momentum. Tinubu seems determined to do so. However, to achieve the noble ambition of a $1 trillion economy, President Tinubu must listen to key Nigerians who are notonly employers of labour but are deeply committed to indigenous production as the key to unlocking the huge potential of the nation’s economy,” Gaya said. According to him, one of such Nigerians President Tinubu must take heed to his advice is Aliko Dangote, a major indigenous manufacturer, who is not happy with the manner local companies are treated in Nigeria. “Dangote recently advocated for policies that protect indigenous industries and nurture them into mega corporations capable of generating jobs and fostering prosperity. Addressing a gathering of manufacturers and investors in Abuja recently while delivering a keynote on ‘RethinkingManufacturing in Nigeria’ at the Nigeria Manufacturers’ Summit, Dangote advocated a reversal of government policies that expose local players to vulnerabilities including continued importation of goods and services that are also produced in Nigeria. Such a lack of protection of indigenous players, usually in the form of a lack of patronage from the government and Nigerians, stunts the growth of local players,” he said. He cited countries where governments had to take drastic measures to protect their respective local markets. These include the blocked sale of US steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, the blocked sale of six US port management companies to Dubai Ports World, restrictions on Chinese cranes at US ports, and the US imposition of tariffs such as 100 per cent on Chinese Electric Vehicles(EVs), 50 per cent onsemiconductors, medical products, and solar panels. He also cited instances, including the restriction of Russia gas supply to Europe, which led European countries to increase coal usage despite opposition to fossil fuels, and the US government’s distribution of $39 billion in subsidies to incentiviselocal microchip production. “The above cases clearly show how respective governments deliberately protect their local players, notonly to give them a head-start over competition but also to help them scale up on the path to profitability,” Gaya further said. Speaking about a Nigerian technocrat, Gaya also said the Chairman of ZinoxGroup, an African ICT unicorn, was yet another voice Tinubu should give ears to. According to him, Ekeh, much like Dangote and others, has been a victim of serial blackmail and corporate bullying despite his undeniable sacrifice to create a digital culture in the Nigerian marketplace including education, media, banking, oil and gas, agriculture and other aspects of the economy. His Computerise Nigeria project became the cornerstone for the establishment of digital hubs in the nation’s tertiary institutions. “Ekeh believes that achieving a $1 trillion economy is possible but stressed that the current state of power delivery nationwide (an average of four hours per day according to the latest NBS data) cannot support the type of bullish industrialisation and local production that will bolster the nation’s economic trajectory to the trillion-dollar mark. He warned that a situation where genuine players in local production and service delivery are bullied and blackmailed by private sector fringe players and public sector operators does not bode well for economic growth. He urges more protection from government for the progressive and proven indigenous companies. He says the concept of Buy-Nigeria should be enforced, especially among MDAs,” Gaya said. He regretted that in spite of several local content policies established by the federal government, such policies are consistently disregarded by government employees and appointees, wondering why “we send our children to the world’s best institutions, where they excel, yet we overlook the products they create.” He gave the example of the government of India, which effective November 1, 2023, placedrestrictions on the importation of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers and ultra-small computers and servers with immediate effect. This, according to him, is to boost local productivity both by multinationals operating in India and indigenous Indian companies to create more jobs, encourage proficiency, and discourage capital flight. Gayatherefore appealed to President Tinubu to be deliberate and decisive in encouraging indigenous producers and service providers across all sectors. “This way, we create a market for indigenous products, build confidence in our economy and easily attract international investors. The voices of Dangote and Ekeh echo the voices of other indigenous players who have continued to deliver value amid vicious headwinds,” Gaya said.