Made In Nigeria: An Entrepreneur’s Dream For Locally Made Products

BY CALEB THOMPSON

Sometime in 2017, a movement surfaced in Nigeria. This movement, was founded on a slogan, ‘Buy the Naira, Sell the Naira”. And the champions of this crusade? The Federal Executive and Legislative arms of government Led by the then President Muhamadu Buhari. Don’t get it twisted, it was not a call to citizens to launder the Naira. It was simply a figurative call which urged Nigerians to ‘Buy Locally made Products’, which would strengthen the Naira, rather than spend foreign currency on importing products that were readily manufactured in Nigeria.

Kudos to then  government of the day, efforts were made to spread the movement all over the nation. But as is always the case in our dear nation, everything returned to normalcy just few months after. Little wonder the General Buhari, after all Disciplinary reforms he brought to Nigeria, still found his efforts frustrated, made this statement: “Why is it that policies that work in other places and transform Nations cannot work in Nigeria? A really good question  to ask, yet under his sleeves lied the very answer.

Fast forward to 2025, Again; the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu banned MDA and Federal parastatals from procuring foreign goods and services that could be found in Nigeria. Yet another government effort. One will only pray this is not truncated like times past. But like Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States of America said, “think not what America can do for you, but rather; what you can do for America”, very few Nigerians held the National consciousness and understanding to key into the movement spearheaded by the government. One of such few person, was Collins Oscar, an entrepreneur who hails from, and is based in Akwa Ibom State.

Collins, an entrepreneur, speaker, business developer and author of ‘Idiots with B.Sc’, amongst other books, founded an enterprise called ‘Made in Akwa Ibom’, where he partnered with enterprising Akwa ibomites in Production, Marketing and selling of Products and services made in Akwa Ibom State. But what prompted  such a move?

In his own words, “I’ve always loved patronizing and supporting locally made products. I have always been hosting conferences and seminars to enlighten entrepreneurs who are into any kind of products.”.

Collins established a massive showroom in the heart of Uyo, Akwa Ibom’s capital city where locally made products like cocoyam flour, packaged tomatoes, package crayfish, footwares, furniture etc, were wer sold. And beyond just products, the Showroom housed several local services offered by Akwa Ibomites.  Services like Barbing, mini restaurants etc.

However, the most impressive move by Collins was identifying viaable, promising products by enterprising Akwa Ibomites and providing the necessary resource to support production of such items. Resources, inluding funding . In the course of this, Collins partnered with a local inventor to produce an energy product called ‘Yama’ which powers appliances at home for up to ten hours before going off, if fully charged with solar.

Years later, Collins found the need to evolve. Hence, there was a name change. ‘Made in Akwa Ibom’ became ‘Made in Nigeria’. Collins upgraded the Showroom to accommodate not just products made in Akwa Ibom but made in other parts of Nigeria. The showroom still exists to this very day.

Collins Oscar’s firm believe in locally made products fueled his desire to see an entire economy built around them. This initiative by Collins, brought about massive , positive economic ripple effects in the city of Uyo and Beyond. Going forward, Collins dreams of expanding the made in Nigeria Showroom to other cities in Nigeria, as well as setting up a massive online marketplace strictly for products made locally in Nigeria.