Nigerian printers decry industry monopoly by foreigners

The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria on Wednesday lamented that foreign printers have monopolised the market, making it impossible for Nigerians to freely import paper into the country.

The President and Chairman-in-Council of the Institute, Mr. Olugbemi Malomo, said the ease of doing business in the country has allowed foreigners to come unhindered to retail level, thereby denying the industry opportunity to build capacity.

Malomo spoke at the second edition of the Institute’s annual National Conferences in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital with the theme: “Using Regulation To Revive The Ailing Printing Industry.”

He expressed regrets that the obvious distortion in the equilibrium of the print-related economy of the nation has resulted in the current predicament of the “ailing” industry.

Malomo expressed concern that large number of printing jobs, including ballot papers, are done abroad to the detriment of the indigenous professional printers.

This, he said, is not due to lack of capacity of the Nigerian printers but “because people are taking advantage of outdated government policy.”

Earlier, the guest speaker, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, in his keynote address, charged the Federal Government to rescue the industry from imminent collapse caused by the incursion of foreigners into the industry.

He stressed the need for the protection of practitioners from foreigners who he said have almost hijacked the industry from the real practitioners.

“The printing industry is capable of generating billions of naira for the country as revenue, but unfortunately, the industry is not well coordinated.

“Both the government and the institute need to work together in order to fully tap into the multi billion naira potentials in the industry.

“The printing serves as a veritable ground of providing millions of jobs for the teeming youths, that is why the industry needs to be properly regulated and rid of quacks,” Oladele stated. PUNCH