AdminThe Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed the significance of the “Nigeria First Policy” for economic activities across all sectors in the country.
The NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Omatsola Ogbe said Nigerian companies producing products that meet global standards would gain immensely from the policy.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe stated this during the inauguration of Yikodeen Company’s expanded safety footwear manufacturing plant in Ejigbo, Lagos State, on Tuesday.
He said Yikodeen stands to get significant benefits from the policy if it is strategically positioned.
“The President, through the Bureau of Public Procurement, has directed that all safety footwear procured with public funds must be made in Nigeria. Yikodeen stands to benefit immensely from this directive if strategically positioned,” Engr. Ogbe, who was represented by NCDMB’s Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele stated.
The safety footwear manufacturing plant is a 120,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility capable of producing 5,000 pairs of safety boots per day.
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The Board pledged its full support to ensure that world-class safety boots being manufactured by Yikodeen Company Limited are utilised in-country.
He described the inauguration as a landmark event that aligned with the Board’s core mandate to promote local content across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain and beyond.
“Enterprises like Yikodeen are at the heart of what we stand for at NCDMB. The ‘D’ in our name stands for Development, and the ‘M’ means Monitoring, which describes our dedicated effort to ensure Nigerian-made products are not just produced but utilised,” he said.
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According to him, the NCDMB will continue to support the company, especially as its products meet global standards and are already being adopted in the oil and gas industry.
“The Executive Secretary has mandated me to confirm our full support to ensure that these world-class safety boots are utilised in-country,” he said.
He also commended the founder’s determination, saying, “If indeed he started in 2016, and you take away nine years from his age, you can imagine what he looked like when he started this dream. That ‘shoemaker’ is now a billionaire shoemaker.”
The NCDMB boss urged Nigerian youths to channel their energy into entrepreneurship, describing the Yikodeen journey as one that inspires national pride.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, applauded the company’s achievement, describing it as symbolic of Lagos’ industrial vision.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, noted that from a modest workshop in 2016, Yikodeen has emerged as the largest footwear manufacturing company in West Africa.
“This is not just a factory; it is a movement, a demonstration that Lagos can produce, compete, and export globally,” he said.
The governor affirmed that the factory directly aligned with the Lagos State Industrial Policy (2025–2030), which seeks to double manufacturing’s contribution to the state’s Gross Domestic Product from 7.5 per cent to at least 15 per cent by 2030, reduce dependence on imports for basic consumer goods, and foster an ecosystem where local industries can thrive through forward and backward value chain integration.
“Yikodeen is not only producing shoes; it is producing livelihoods, opportunities, and dignity,” the governor added.
Founder and CEO of Yikodeen, Mr. Atunde Shamsideen, recounted his entrepreneurial journey, describing the venture as a stubborn dream born in 2015.
“This vision started in a room, with just 20 pairs of shoes. Today, we produce over 2,000 pairs daily to ISO, ASTM, and Nigerian industrial standards,” he said.
He hailed the NCDMB for its pivotal role in his company’s growth, noting how the Board helped facilitate years of product testing and eventual adoption by oil and gas companies like Saipem and Daewoo. “Their enforcement ensured our products got through. Today, those same companies are our biggest customers,” he said.
Shamsideen stressed the potential for job creation if local procurement policies are enforced, claiming that “Just two percent of safety boots used in Nigeria are locally manufactured. If we enforce local purchase in the oil and gas and public sectors, we can create over 35,000 jobs.”
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Yikodeen’s production ecosystem already engages women in raw material recycling and trains over 1,000 people yearly, according to the CEO. “Buying Made-in-Nigeria goes far beyond commerce; it is about creating value chains, livelihoods, and national dignity,” he added.
Director for Lagos Operations, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Mrs Teresa Ojomo, who represented the Director General, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, praised Yikodeen’s adherence to national and international safety standards.
“This is not just a facility; it’s a declaration that Nigerian manufacturing can lead globally. SON will continue to support companies like Yikodeen who take quality seriously,” he said.
Okeke underscored SON’s partnership with Yikodeen since 2006, culminating in the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme certification, which assures consumers of quality and safety.
He also cited Yikodeen’s certification under critical standards such as NIS ISO 20346:2004 and ISO 20345:2022, adding, “Standards are not obstacles — they are enablers. They are the bridge between ambition and market access.”
The Ogwa-Olusan of Warri, Chief Brown Mene, representing HRM, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri, described Yikodeen as a beacon of hope for Nigeria.
He likened the company to a stubborn vision that refused to be beaten by headwinds, proving that “Nigeria is on an upward trend.”
He also urged the team to remain visionary and expand globally, assuring that “the name of Yikodeen will blaze bright and proud.”
