The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on the Federal Government to issue its members licenses to import diesel from the Republic of Niger and Chad, Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, in order to avert the avoidable monumental paralysis of manufacturing activities that could arise from total shut down of production operations.
The MAN also tasked the government to develop a response strategy to address challenges emanating from the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General of MAN, who made the calls at the weekend, in a release titled ‘The Position of MAN on the Recent Increase in the Price of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)’, popularly called diesel, which MAN stated that its price went up by over 200%.
Part of the statement said: “In light of the gravity of the precarious situation that we have found ourselves as a nation and the looming dangers ahead, the expectations of manufacturers in Nigeria is that government should urgently allow manufacturers and independent petroleum products marketing companies to also import AGO from the Republic of Niger and Chad by immediately opening up border posts in that axis in order to cushion the effect of the supply gap driven high cost of AGO.”
The Director General also asked the government, ‘’To issue licenses to manufacturing concerns and operators in the aviation industry to import diesel and aviation fuel directly to avert the avoidable monumental paralysis of manufacturing activities arising from total shut down of production operations and movement of persons for business activities.”
Ajayi-Kadir pointed out that Nigerian manufacturers are worried about the implications of the over 200% increase in the price of diesel on the Nigerian economy and the manufacturing sector.
