The founder and chief executive officer of the Erisco foods processing limited, Chief Eric Odinaka Umeofia has averred that despite the good intentions of President Muhammadu Buhari in supporting local manufacturers, the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) are frustrating the activities of manufacturers in the country.
The business magnate who said unequivocally that he has remained in business for passion added that Nigerians must be encouraged to produce what we eat and wat what we produce if the economy must grow.
Chief Umeofia stated his while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after he was conferred with an Honourary Doctorate Degree award in Management Science from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna at the occasion of the 32nd combined convocation ceremony in honour of the cadets of 6o Regular Course and postgraduate students.
According to him, his desire and aspiration is to become a good general providing food to defend the territorial integrity of the country.
“ Nigerians are the problem of this country, the MDAs are not supporting manufacturers because all banned foreign foods can still be found in Nigeria markets which is very discouraging to local manufacturers.
“ If importation of goods produced in Nigerian are banned, certainly Nigeria will be better for it because employment will be created and insecurity will be reduced to the barest minimum.
“We must be committed to buying made in Nigeria goods because those buying foreign foods that are also produced in Nigeria are sabouteus, let us eat made in Nigeria goods because they are safer and healthier” he said.
“For me, patriotism is what is still keeping me in business, so Nigeria must lead for others to follow, as you can see, for over ten years now I wear made in Nigeria cloths and shoes”.
Erisco Foods Limited is the top indigenous producer of tomato paste. The company produces about 4,500 metric tons of tomato paste per annum, it also produces and supplies ready to eat meals for soldiers to be consumed during military operations for the Nigeria military.
The NDA also conferred a former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Alwali Kazir (RTD), former Chief of Army and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Alexander Ogomudia (RTD) and the Founder of African Leadership Centre, Professor Funmi Olonisakin with Honourary Doctorate Degrees in Military Science and Management Science respectively.
Speaking earlier as the Special guest of honour at the 32nd Combined Convocation Ceremony which was in honour of 239 cadets of 69 Regular Course and 1654 Post Graduate Students of the academy, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo while congratulating the cadets, post graduate students and awardees stressed that institutions exist to forestall disruptions and produce valiant officers and academic specialists to safeguard the country and drive the knowledge economy.
According to him, “Education is the fulcrum of our national security, and this administration treats as an utmost priority the advancement of security education and academic specialisation in this era of fast-evolving local and global security threats.
“This Academy stands out in its uncompromising dedication to revamping a curriculum tailored to meet our peculiar security needs since its establishment in 1964. The threats surrounding us, and across the world, warranted the review of the curriculum of this institution which has prepared these graduating cadets for the dynamics of modern warfare, and in their strategic responses to emerging security challenges.”
He noted that cadets are therefore marching to the world with superior military education and training, and into the country’s Armed Forces eagerly waiting to allocate their expertise to various segments of our national defence.
Also Speaking, the NDA Commandant, Major General Ibrahim Yusuf said the academy has began to explore modern and evolving technologies and articulating an Academic Strategic Action Plan to reposition the institution as the paramount military university in Africa and one of Nigeria’s most prestigious universities by the next ten years.
