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

In a statement, MAN commended the Federal Government’s infrastructure initiatives but stressed 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 Segun Ajayi-Kadir 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 maintained that local firms have the capacity and expertise to produce fencing materials that meet international standards. It added 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 recalled that Nigerian producers had been excluded from similar past projects, citing the importation of fencing materials from South Africa despite its advocacy. The group 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,” MAN said.

The association called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene, insisting that sourcing fencing materials locally would align procurement with national interest. MAN reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government in advancing inclusive growth and ensuring procurements promote Nigerian businesses.