MAN demands priority for indigenous manufacturers in Lagos airport fencing project

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged the Federal Government to ensure that indigenous manufacturers are given priority to supply fencing materials for the Lagos airport perimeter fencing project, warning against importing Clear Vu fencing from outside the country.

In a statement signed by Director-General of MAN Segun Ajayi-Kadir, the Association commended the Federal Government’s infrastructure initiatives but emphasized that the ongoing procurement for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport perimeter fencing and security surveillance project must reflect President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy.

Director-General of MAN said, “It has become a matter of national interest for the contractor handling the project to ensure strict adherence to Executive Orders 003 and 005, and the imperatives of President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy.

“In particular, we strongly maintain that, in considering the procurement of Clear Vu fencing, indigenous manufacturers should be given priority consideration, and it should not be purchased from outside Nigeria.”

Ajayi-Kadir acknowledged that local firms have the capacity and expertise to produce fencing materials that meet international standards.

He maintained that sidelining local manufacturers in favour of imports would “undermine government policy and deprive the country of critical benefits such as job creation, foreign exchange savings, increased tax revenues and a strengthened industrial base.”

MAN recounted that Nigerian producers had been excluded from similar past projects, citing the importation of fencing materials from South Africa despite its advocacy and described the development as discouraging to local industry and contradictory to the government’s local content policy.

“The Lagos Airport fencing project presents a clear chance to demonstrate that the Nigeria First Policy is not just an aspiration, but an intentional policy of government that will be matched with unfettered implementation,” DG MAN said.

The association called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene, insisting that sourcing fencing materials locally would align procurement with national interest.

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to supporting the government in its Nigeria First Policy, advancing inclusive growth and ensuring that government procurements impact the lives of Nigerians and promote Nigerian businesses.