Local content: NIS hails initiative of Nigerian product campaign

Barth Ndubuwah,Port Harcourt

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has hailed the current campaign for the need to patronise made in Nigeria products.

Comptroller of Immigration, Rivers State Command, A.J Kwuasau made the commendation over the weekend at a one-day sensitisation workshop to drum support for made in Nigerian products in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Represented by Deputy Comptroller Peter Adache, Kwuasau said it gladdens his heart when Nigerian products are patronised.

Speaking on the ‘imperative of patronising locally made products as a panacea for economic growth and development,’ he pointed out that NIS has a lot to contribute in ensuring that Nigerian goods and services are appreciated globally.

The Comptroller said the visa policy of the Federal Government driven by the Nigerian Immigration Service is tailored towards ensuring that only productive foreigners gain entry into the Country, with a view to growing the economy of the nation.

He cited high level of patronage for Nigerian produced rice as plausible and urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other similar organs to sustain the tempo.

In a chat with journalists shortly after the event, the Deputy Comptroller of NIS, Peter Adache said the call for Nigeria to be among great nations of the world is overdue and this can only be achieved when the country’s productive capacity is upgraded.

This, he said, NIS is a major stakeholder in the nation’s productivity.

“Production cannot take place without the people coming into the country and it is the duty of NIS to regulate movement of people into the Country,” he said.

Adache dismissed claims that nothing is happening in Nigeria in terms of productivity, noting that a lot has been happening in that direction since the Country’s independence in 1960.

He cited unbridled demand for Nigerian doctors abroad, asking if the standard is not there, how would such demand be possible.

The Deputy Comptroller said all that Nigeria needs is continuous improvement on what it has, expressing confidence that the country is on the right track.