– Reno B. Omokri
The Naira is now ₦1348 to the dollar, and you are blaming Tinubu. Perhaps you have not heard that the Naira has been floated. That means the laws of demand and supply determine the value of the Naira. Gone are the days when the government artificially set the Naira’s value. And all major Presidential candidates said they would do this, except Kwankwaso. If you want the Naira to appreciate, do these twenty things.
- Instead of MTN, Airtel or Etisalat, use Glo.
- Instead of Mercedes, Range Rover, or Honda, buy Innoson.
- Fly Air Peace over Air France, KLM, or Lufthansa.
- Bank at First Bank, UBA, GTBank, and Zenith over Stanbic.
- Watch AriseTV, Channels and NTA over Multichoice DSTV.
- Buy Dangote and Ibeto cement, and avoid Chinese brands.
- Watch and buy Enyimba FC, Kano Pillars, and 3SC over Manchester United, Barcelona, PSG, and Napoli.
- Buy music of Nigerian origin from streaming sites instead of downloading foreign artistes.
- Patronise DAKOVA, Mai Atafo, Mudi Africa, and JADZ Couture (maker of my babanriga and agbada. Show her some love on +234 (0) 704 477 9973) over Armani, Gucci, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton.
- Drink palm wine over champagne, Hennessy, Scotch Whiskey, and Irish Cream.
- Shop with your local market woman instead of at Shoprite.
- Buy and eat only made in Nigeria rice, and let Thailand eat their rice.
- Consider cassava bread over bread made with foreign-grown wheat.
- Buy Zinox PCs, laptops, and tablets.
- Instead of Birdseye custard, Quaker oats, and Kellogg’s cereals, drink Akamu, Pap, and Ogi.
- Leave KFC, and patronise Mr Bigg’s, Tantalizers, and Mama Put.
- Stop using Holland Wax, and imported George and wrapper. Use Kaduna textiles, Aso Oke, Akwete cloth, and other local textiles.
- Watch less Hollywood and Bollywood movies, and go for Nollywood and Kannywood.
- Holiday and honeymoon in Obudu Cattle Ranch, Yankari Games Reserve, Ikogosi Warm Springs, and attend Argungu Fishing Festival.
- Reject imported frozen fish, meat and dairy products and buy fresh produce from local producers.
Nobody is coming to save Nigeria. It is only Nigerians that will save Nigeria. Local brands may or may not be as good as foreign ones, but with continued patronage, they will improve in quality. Buy them, and your Naira will rise along with your personal happiness and the international rating of the green Nigerian passport. Your value is tied to Nigeria’s value. Buy Nigerian and Nigeria’s foreign reserves, trade balances, and debt to GDP ratio will automatically improve.