NIGERIANS AND THE CRAZE FOR FOREIGN BRANDS

    Gucci, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger. These are some exquisite foreign brands that enjoy a considerable amount of patronage from Nigerians. This ought to be a normal thing, but then, the rate at which our people source for these brands is so high that it is gradually becoming a menace. 

   The bottom line is that our craving for these brands not only affects indigenous manufacturing businesses, but also affects the nation's economy. Most of us have the staunch belief that any product made by Nigerians is very likely to be a fake and would not serve us well. In order to survive, our indigenous manufacturers have adopted the names of some of these foreign brands to sell their products, further intensifying the claims that they produce fakes. Our warped belief and sense of belonging doesn't help their case because most of us never patronise them. Sometimes when I see people going crazy over an accessory because of its brand name, I ask myself "where are we headed as a nation?". We tend to prioritize products of outsiders over our own products and so, it's very unlikely that we'll make much headway as a nation, to be brutally honest. This is because at the end of the day, it's all money going out. These companies mostly do not have production facilities in the country and as such, don't reduce unemployment or improve the economy. As a result, the economy suffers as huge sums of money are spent yearly in importing and buying these goods. 

   A very good example is that of the Team Nigeria kit for the World Cup in 2018 produced by sportswear giants, Nike. These were released officially to the public for purchase at a standard rate of 41,000 naira for the jersey and 70,000 naira for the complete tracksuit. These jerseys came out for sale in Nigerian markets at 1,000 naira or slightly higher. These replicas were manufactured in the country by our own people, but are branded as fakes because they were not gotten from Nike. An ex-senator, Ben Murray-Bruce had something to say about the deal with the sportswear giants which cost about $100 million. He said that kind of money ought to have been utilised within the nation's economy with the contract being awarded to indigenous sportswear makers in Aba, a major hub for indigenous products in the country. We all know that the nation stands to gain from its association with Nike, but on the flip side, it would have been absolutely fantastic if the contract had been awarded to an indigenous sportswear maker. Given that kind of money, I'm absolutely certain that we'd have gotten good value for money from within the country, and at the same time, we'll have created employment opportunities for a large number of unemployed people in the country, also creating a good brand for ourselves. Renowned Musician and son of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Seun Kuti has also in the past criticized our over-indulgence of foreign brands. We all know that there are lots of our indigenous manufacturers who can't be trusted because they are so corrupt and inefficient, but at the same time, there are so many others who do their work so well that they can actually compete with the foreign brands if given a chance. Now, there are so many brands from which you can be sure you're getting a very good quality. We know we aren't up there yet, but with a good market, our people will surely deliver.

   We are Nigerians, let us buy Nigerian and move Nigeria forward. Let's do away with our over-dependence on foreign brands and start patronising our own. This change of mentality is required, so we can stop seeing ourselves as inferior to the foreigners who produce these brands, and then the future would certainly be better for our child