Unemployment Makes Your Brief Case Heavy; Ceramic Makes You Rich, Says Oaikhinan
Prof. Patrick Oaikhinan, the founder of Oaikhinan Ceramics Foundation, stated that unemployment makes the brief case heavy and ceramics is the solution to it,
He made this statement at the launching ceremony of Oaikhinan Ceramics Foundation, in Lagos recently.
Ceramic is a living and growing form that seems to know no bounds and the knowledge of it is important because its development is the driving force of economic growth, joblessness, growth and transformation of rural communities to urban cities, he said.
He stated that a ceramic is an inorganic non-metallic solid, made up of either metal or non-metal compounds that have been shaped and then hardened by heating to high temperatures.
Ceramic plays an important role in the sustainable industrialization of any nation in the light of its strategic applications in numerous industry sectors that include but not limited to aviation, automobile, building and construction. Others include defence and security, electrical and electronics, engineering, industrial manufacturing, medicine, power and energy and many more, he said.
Nigeria is currently spending approximately US$900 million yearly on ceramic importation, out of which ceramic tiles imports per year is over US$500 million and is projected to reach US$2.1 billion by the year 2025, he said.
He stated that despite the economic downturn, Nigeria remains a nation with great growth potentials for ceramic tiles and other products, if taken seriously.
Ceramic manufacturing is an old discipline in Nigeria. During the 1950s and 1980s, Nigeria was home to a vibrant ceramic industry and during this period, five international ceramic manufacturing companies (Richware Ceramics, Modern Ceramics, Nigergrob Ceramics, Ceramic Manufacturer, and Quality Ceramics), among others have adequate installed production capacity to meet local ceramic demands, he said.
He stated that due to a neglect of the industry as government abandoned its ‘buy local’ directive and shifted its focus toward oil production, these industries became moribund.
The first ceramic industry in Nigeria was established in Okigwe in 1951. Currently, there are nine (9) operating ceramic companies in Nigeria (8 for tiles and 1 for sanitary wares). They operate under various capacities, Ceramics (ROYAL) is the oldest major manufacturer of ceramic tiles and is closely followed by PNT. The average production capacity is 40,000 - 45,000 sqm per day for the 8 manufacturing companies combined, he said.
He stated that the sheer pace of technological change has caught the ceramic industry in Nigeria unawares and the absence of adequate skills is an element of weakness for it, both now and looking to the future.
This has led to the failure of many in our nation. ‘We cannot produce quality ceramic products locally, which is what everyone in the country is saying.’ This is a very serious observation, he said.