The Director-General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Dr. Hussaini Ibrahim, has said that the scarcity of dollars in the foreign exchange market is a blessing in disguise.
According to him, it has afforded industry players the opportunity to partner government, the academia and research institutes to locally produce raw materials from available natural resources.
He said, “We all have a part to play if the country must make a headway in the circumstances that we have found ourselves. It is my strong belief that with our collective resolve and determination as a nation, we can rise above this challenge through a robust research and development policy that is in consonance with the global R&D competitiveness.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Paint Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Rotimi Aluko, urged Nigerians to patronise locally made goods that could compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
According to him, the Federal Government and regulators should lay emphasis on the importance of producing good quality paints that will keep the environment safe for all to live in.
He said, “We urge Nigerians to use made-in-Nigeria paint products, which carry the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme certification logo for their painting and decoration.
“The menace of adulteration, faking and sale of paints with nuisance value is still rearing its ugly head. The menace has got to an alarming dimension. Those individuals who engage in the act now do it in the open, mainly at the building sites, markets and some residential
corners.
“This poses danger to people’s health as well as the environment. The environment is polluted and people, especially children, are exposed to various health hazards when the process is carried out in the open and market
places.”