Ooni Urges Govt To Support Local Fabric Producers

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has called on government at all levels to promote locally made fabrics, saying there would not be pressure on dollar if we patrons our products.

The monarch made the appeal at his palace on Saturday during the graduation of 150 women tricycle riders trained under the Moremi Ajasoro Queen Tricycle Riders program, held side-by-side with the Adire exhibition by the South West Adire makers.

Ooni said to save the naira, Nigerians must work on their cravings for imported goods.

He called on the government to go after those hoarding dollars.

He said, “The exhibition of our local fabrics, we are very happy about it. We implore the government to be involved in this kind of initiative from time to time. If we patronise our own products in this country, there won’t be pressure on the dollar.

“Honestly, we are the problem of ourselves in this country. Why do we need dollars? We don’t need dollars. Our legal tender is naira. We buy things with naira, why pressure on the dollar?

“I implore the government to be very strict. They should go after people keeping dollars, even in their local banks. It doesn’t make any sense because that is not the legal tender of our nation.

“Government should promote initiatives like this (Adire). These are homemade goods, 100 percent made with naira. Our leaders should do more. They should wear Nigeria, they should talk Nigeria, they should reason Nigeria.”

• Kazeem Badmus