By Merit Ibe
The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, FAE Limited, Princess Layo Bakare-Okeowo has charged government on the provision of immediate interventions and sustainable policies necessary to support manufacturing and advance the country’s industrialization agenda.
Bakare-Okeowo made the remark when she bagged the Centre for Values in Leadership – Leader Without Title (CVL- LWT) award of leadership excellence in entrepreneurship and manufacturing at the 60th edition Tribute Colloquium of CVL.
The awardee with over 40years experience in the paper manufacturing sector, further emphasized the need for Nigerians to allow Nigerian manufacturers become the pride of the world by embracing made in Nigeria products whether perfect or not.
According to her, it has become necessary to allow Nigerian manufacturers make mistakes in their growth process, learn from their mistakes, restrategise and expand for global competitiveness.
“We know there are a lot of issues that affect manufacturing on ground, but we must address them to revive comatose industries and discipline those that are not compliant with the buy made in Nigeria goods executive orders.
“There is need for a functional paper mill in the country to preserve the three billion dollars used to import paper for production seeing that Egypt with their population has about 40 paper mill clusters in their country.
“On this award, I am happy that people are taking note of the good works we are doing and I must let you know that honesty, truthfulness and a success mindset contributed to my achieving success in life,” she said.
Prof. Pat Utomi, Founder, CVL, in his remark at the 60th edition Tribute Colloquium themed: “Moving from Consumption to Production: The Challenges” stated that Leader Without Title (LWT) colloquium was focused on the live-wires of economic growth and transformation, entrepreneurship and manufacturing.
Utomi noted that the award recipient was deserving of the honour in view of her effort to keep manufacturing alive in Nigeria where public policy and factors in the environment limit factories as the anchor of prosperity since the Industrial Revolution.
He said the the theme of the event resonated during the 2023 elections and remained topical if jobs were to be provided for the galloping population