Peter Obi, Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate has been condemned by Reno Omokri a former special adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for his plans to lift import restrictions.
Omokri stated this on Friday in a social media to analyze the presidential candidates plans to remove import restrictions.’
Peter Obi’s Economic Agenda Will Destroy Nigeria#TableShaker pic.twitter.com/xHKvxo4e6h
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) October 7, 2022
On Thursday, LP’s candidate stated that if elected president, his administration would ensure that Nigeria has only one foreign exchange (FX) market.
We should have long reaped the fruits of that potential by now if we had had the serious leadership commitment to do so. That said; let me say that Nigeria does have the potential to be a key exporter of agricultural produce to the world.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) October 7, 2022
He also stated that import restrictions would be lifted.
“We will remove import and forex restrictions and insist on a single forex market.
“The current system penalises exporters who bring in forex by forcing them to sell at a rate that they are unable to source for when they need to purchase forex,” he had said.
In response, Omokri stated that the presidential candidate’s plan to eliminate import restrictions “favors traders like Obi while destroying local manufacturing.”
He believes that removing import restrictions does not help developing countries grow.
“Peter Obi, who is the single largest individual importer in Nigeria, wants to remove ‘import restrictions.’ Yet, this is the same man that wants to ‘move Nigeria from consumption to production?’ Removing import restriction favours traders, like Obi, but destroys local manufacturing,” he said.
“Take the Dangote Tomato Paste factory in Kano. If you remove import restrictions, as Obi proposes, his company, Next Cash and Carry, will be able to import cheaper tomato paste from Italy, which will force Dangote Tomato out of business and make thousands of Nigerians he employs unemployed.
“No developed nation grew to the point where they are by removing import restrictions, as Peter Obi proposes. Such policies only favour traders, like Obi, who only import and sell. A nation can’t grow like that. We must restrict imports so local manufacturers can grow!
“Obi’s plan to remove import restrictions will only favour traders, like him. But it will completely destroy the textile industry in Kaduna and Kano, and the manufacturing sector in Ikeja, Lagos, and Agbara, Ogun State. Nigeria must produce and not import what we can produce.
Obi’s plan to remove import restrictions only favour traders, like him. But it will completely destroy the textile industry in Kaduna and Kano, and manufacturing sectors in Ikeja, Lagos, and Agbara, Ogun State. Nigeria must produce, not import what we can produce! #TableShaker
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) October 7, 2022
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