“You Left Local Factories to Die” — Micro-Entrepreneurs Boss Blasts FG’s Benin Industrial Tour
By Naomi Onome
Local business owners and key players in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector have expressed outrage over the Federal Government’s decision to send a high-level political delegation to the Republic of Benin to study manufacturing and industrial park operations.
Leading the outcry, Comrade Prince Saviour Iche, a prominent entrepreneur and President of the Association of Micro-Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), described the move as a “shameful act” and a direct insult to domestic producers who are currently struggling to keep their businesses afloat amid severe economic hardship.
The criticism follows an official diplomatic visit led by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside six state governors—including Hope Uzodimma (Imo), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dikko Radda (Katsina), and Umar Namadi (Jigawa). The delegation traveled to Cotonou to tour the 1,640-hectare Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) to evaluate its integrated textile and agricultural processing model for potential replication under Nigeria’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program.
However, Comrade Iche argued that sending political office holders—rather than actual factory owners and private-sector operators—renders the entire exercise meaningless. He raised sharp questions regarding the composition of the delegation, pointing out that political figures lack the practical manufacturing background needed to implement industrial strategies.
He questioned what the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, was doing on such a mission as a delegate, asking how many of the political attendees actually own factories, who they intend to report to, and how they plan to translate whatever knowledge they gain into practical application on Nigerian soil.
A major point of contention raised by the AMEN President is the total exclusion of real manufacturing stakeholders and organized private sector (OPS) groups. Iche revealed that despite making inquiries, no leading business association was consulted or invited to be part of the delegation.
He noted that the government failed to host a national stakeholders’ meeting or involve prominent manufacturing bodies, including Association of Micro-Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nigerian Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (NASME), the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON).
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Expressing dismay over the government’s failure to consult those on the front lines, Iche questioned whether policymakers are truly aware of the severe operational struggles and power supply challenges facing domestic manufacturers.
Comrade Iche also highlighted the irony of studying industrial growth in Benin Republic, pointing out that many of the thriving facilities in Cotonou’s free zones are owned by Nigerian manufacturers who were forced to relocate due to a harsh domestic business environment. He lamented that businesses fleeing Nigeria continue to produce goods under more favorable foreign conditions and export them back into the domestic market, effectively turning Nigeria into a dumping ground.
In a scathing assessment of the administration’s handling of local industries, the AMEN President stated that the government has allowed indigenous manufacturers to crumble while turning around to admire industrial progress abroad. He described the situation as a sacrilege, adding that local manufacturers who are still surviving are virtually in a coma, and declaring that everyone involved in the trip should cover their faces in shame.
In response to public backlash regarding the trip, government officials maintained that the tour was a strategic peer-learning initiative aimed at rebuilding Nigeria’s textile and agro-processing capabilities under the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program.
According to the Presidency, state governors participated directly to evaluate how the GDIZ public-private partnership model could be replicated locally to foster state-level industrial hubs and drive job creation.
Despite these assurances, AMEN and other organized private sector groups insist that meaningful industrial growth will remain elusive until the government engages active local producers directly and resolves systemic bottlenecks like high electricity tariffs, foreign exchange volatility, and multiple taxation.
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