Artisans in the FCT have underscored the need for government intervention through the provision of soft loans to boost local content fabrication and manufacturing of Nigerian-made Industrial ovens.

Mrs Patience Peace, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pattino Production Enterprise, gave the advice in an interview with the media on Tuesday in Abuja.

She spoke on behalf of the Artisans, saying difficulty to access soft loans often hindered the production of local content industrial oven, therefore the need for government intervention.

She said although government ministries, parastatals and agencies were designed to assist local producers in the development of local content, more needed to be done to realise President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on economic diversification.

Peace said, “If we have the right encouragement from relevant government organisations, we will be able to achieve greater things and where we are now, we will not be there again.

“We will rise as a country and soar with little encouragement, through financial assistance from government, because local content production like this is what Nigerians need right now.

“It is the best thing you can give to any young Nigerian to further produce things with their own hands, as obtainable in a country like China.

“Chinese people do not wait for their government to create jobs for them, almost everybody is into manufacturing in China.

“Artisanship is a good opportunity for Nigerian youths to keep themselves busy and to be able to contribute to the growth of the country.”

According to her, intervention support in area of production of local content industrial kitchen equipment, such as multipurpose electric/gas baking oven, mixer, stove, among other domestic accessories, would boost economic growth.

She, however, said that provision of soft loans to assist local content development would also boost nation building, create employment for teeming youths population and encourage Nigerians to become financially self-reliant.

In another interview, Mr Kamar Mohammed, an Artisan, said he had ventured into fabrication and manufacturing of local content industrial kitchen products since 2006 and often relied on recycled wastes to produce domestic goods.

“I like this work because many people venturing into bakery demand local products than foreign ones; so what the foreign product can do the local ones perform much better.

“I am 25 years old and I have been in artisanship since 2006, I have so far employed 7 other persons; it is from this handwork I cater for my family needs and train myself in school.

“I am proud to have a handwork rather than to steal or wait for white collar jobs; I want local content products to be sold across Africa, promote Nigeria made goods and Nigerians’ innovation,” he said.

He said that foreign made industrial oven cost over N2 million but consume high energy, while locally made electric/gas industrial product cost between N40, 000 and N65, 000 with lower energy.