Local is Better for all!

Many Nigerians go to school, but when it comes to understanding the practical application of what they have learnt, they are a bit slow 

A foreigner is selling something for 100 Naira per sachet 

A local outfit starts producing the same thing and sells it for 50 Naira 

The one selling at 100 will lose customers to the one selling at 50 

If the one selling at 100 does not want to go out of business, he must find a way to sell at 45 Naira. If he has a deep pocket, he can even choose to sell at 30 

He will suffer from temporary loss, but he will get his customers back and run the one selling at 50 Naira out of business 

Then he can increase the price and gain back all he lost 

When push comes to shove, a Nigerian-owned business is better for all of us than a foreign-owned business 

We should learn from some of our experiences in dealing with foreign businesses and stick with those that will ultimately benefit our local economy 

We should also not back the local businesses because they are cheap 

Cheap things are usually the undoing of the poor 

We should back them because they deliver at competitive rates 

Being cheap shouldn't be the reason you fly Air Peace or wear clothes from the local tailor 

You should do this because it is what is best for you and your country 

When I was in Port Harcourt last weekend, I got an invitation to minister at a church on Sunday morning 

I had the brand of clothes I preferred to wear, but I felt a strong urge to be a blessing to someone in Port Harcourt, so I went on a stroll and found a fashion house. I went in and asked them to bring out the clothes they had made for me 

They said they don't make ready-to-wear clothes. I sat down and told them to go and check their store because I was sure they had something made specifically for me 

They laughed, and then they went off to check. A few minutes later, they returned with something beautiful 

I joyfully wore it to my meeting the next day 

A poor nation can only become rich by keeping its funds within its economy 

When poor people have a taste for foreign things, they will only remain poor because the producer of the foreign thing will be the one whose economy they will be funding 

Locally produced stuff does not have to be patronised because it is cheap. It is to be patronised because it meets our needs and delivers on its promise 

If they sell your locally made product at a certain amount and a foreign product for cheaper, don't assume you are benefitting by buying it cheaper from the foreigner. 

You are only empowering this foreigner to send the local business packing and thereby arming it to dominate your economy and jerk up your foreign exchange at will 

Let us learn from the mistakes of the past and patronise local goods at all costs. 

Thank you 

-GSW-