Date: 2017-03-09

Furniture makers in Omu-Aran, Kwara, have called on the Federal Government to ban importation of finished furniture products into the country to boost the local industry.

Local furniture makers call for total ban on imported products Chief Olu Abioye, Chairman, Kwara state Furniture Manufacturers Association (KSFMA), Omu-Aran Chapter, made the call in an interview on Wednesday.

Abioye said that some Nigerians’ preference for foreign goods had become a stumbling block to the nation’s growth and economic development. "To me, government still has a lot to do to achieve the desired high patronage for locally produced goods. "Though the present administration has been championing patronage of indigenous products through stringent policies, there is also a need for government to have a strong political will.

"An outright ban on importation of finished furniture products will in no small measure promote local production, patronage and income," Abioye said.

The furniture maker blamed both government agencies and the rich for their insatiable taste for imported goods.

According to him, many government offices are filled with imported furniture, neglecting made in Nigeria products.

Abioye said the furniture industry had immense potentialities due to the abundance of raw materials in Nigeria, adding that the business was lucrative.

"The industry is currently providing qualitative and affordable furniture to a teeming market across the country.

"This is quite evident as a substantial number of professionals are flooding the industry on a daily basis," he said.