I would like to see the National Assembly pass a bill authorising the purchase of a presidential yacht on the condition that it is manufactured in Nigeria

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Anyone who is a student of global manufacturing will know that nations which carve out niches in certain sectors always go on to do well. You just need to look at how Britain dominated shipbuilding for decades or look at what Japan and Germany are currently doing in the global automobile market

[2] For instance, are Nigerians aware of the fact that there is a niche market for deep sea submarines out there? Just look at what Brazil has done with the aircraft manufacturer Embraer to get my point

[3] When I look at how much luxury jets cost, one can just see the potential that exists in this market. Nigeria should be looking to cash in on this lucrative bonanza

[4] I would like to see a niche shipyard built in somewhere like Bayelsa State that focuses on submarines and private yachts. On average, the world’s five oceans have a depth of about 4,000 metres. There are very few vessels equipped to deal with this level of depth

[5] To augment this niche facility , we could then have a general shipyard which manufactures mainstream ocean going vessels

[6] Imagine having a yacht and submarine shipyard in Brass, a mainstream shipyard in Nembe and then a ship breakers yard at Sagbama

[7] President Tinubu could turn this current controversy to his advantage by making a pledge that he will ensure Nigeria becomes the world’s biggest manufacturer of ocean-going vessels before the end of his tenure

[8] We have 853km of Atlantic coastline yet do not have one marine manufacturing facility. Now, that is a crime against humanity and totally unacceptable on my opinion. Bonny, Opobo, Warri, Badagry, Calabar and Forcados should all have marine manufacturing facilities of some sort

[9] I hope the National Assembly uses the current debacle to woo shipbuilders to Nigeria. Just imagine how many jobs even one shipbuilding facility would create in the Niger Delta

[10] Nigerians have to ask themselves how long they are going to remain a parasitic consumer economy, contributing very little towards the global economy in the form of manufacturing. Are we not ashamed of having to buy everything we need from other people? Why can we not manufacture common yachts for heavens sake?