By Demola Akinyemi

Ilorin — Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has blamed the Federal Government for neglecting the industrial sector and making policies that stunted the sector’s growth thereby causing explosion of employment crisis and general hardship in the country.

National President of the Association, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Borodo, speaking in his address at the official commissioning of the resuscitated Jebba Paper Mill yesterday in Jebba, however, commended the efforts of Governor Bukola Saraki  os Kwara State who he said cared about industrialising his state and urged other governors to take a cue from him.

According to him,”we have been neglected by the Federal Government, they don’t care whether we exists or not. They don’t care how many thousands of people are unemployed. They are telling us that it’s market forces, let the market decides. They take policies that deliberately harm Nigeria industries.”

Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chief Achike Udenwa, in his address, however, assured that the industrial sector would regain its vibrancy, sayng government had mapped out strategies to revamp the ailng sector.

Udenwa who was represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Benny Adejinle, commended MINL Limited, Bureau of Public Entreprises (BPE)  and Kwara State government on the rescusitation of the paper mills.

Governor Bukola Saraki in his address commended the Federal Government and BPE for ensuring that the mill found a buyer and hailed commitment of the management of the MINL to rescucitation of the mills.

He said: “By importing we are not creating jobs in our society, we are giving some people elsewhere jobs. This is why local production of what we otherwise import is important.”

Chairman of MINL Ltd which bought the paper mills, Suresh Agrawal, said the rescucitation of the mill would be done in three phases at an estimated cost  of N12 billion.