We must eat Nigerian foods at state banquets – Osinbajo

Yemi Osinbajo


the acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, said the present administration was committed to ensuring that the Federal Government and Nigerians patronised locally made products.

To this end, he said Nigerians must eat and drink Nigerian products at state banquets.



Osinbajo said this at an interactive session he had with top government officials on the ease of doing business, at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the government would work out some incentives for performance by building a reward system that punishes malfeasance.

He said preference must be given to indigenous providers of goods and services to strengthen the system.

Osinbajo said, “I agree that a system of rewarding performance and punishing malfeasance is key. We must work out incentive schemes even as we tighten up sanction regimes.

“We hit 70 per cent quickly on the 60 days of ease of doing business target because of the cooperation of all the agencies like the ministries of interior, immigrations, customs etc and that is why the remaining 30 per cent we will also achieve and deliver. I will hold myself accountable for it and I will also hold you accountable.

“Usually, we blame the system. But the system is men and women, not machines. So, we can and must reform it. These proposed executive orders present a unique opportunity to perform. Ladies and gentlemen, let us perform.

“The President has laid out a cornerstone policy of this administration. We must grow what we eat and make what we use. The President again enunciated this principle in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan…Buy Nigerian, Use Nigerian.

“So, we must now insist that at state banquets, we eat and drink Nigerian.”

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, said the government was working on moving up 20 places in the ranking on ease of doing business this year, saying this must start with consuming Nigerian products.


The stipulated executive order, as enumerated in a document presented by the minister, stated that all ministries, departments or agencies of the Federal Government shall grant preference to local manufacturers of goods and service providers in their procurement of goods and services.

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