Former Managing Director of Academy Press Plc., Gbenga Ladipo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain the local production of electoral materials, saying that Nigeria possesses the necessary equipment, skilled manpower, and resources to handle sensitive and non-sensitive election materials.

Ladipo, who made this known yesterday, while speaking during his send-forth ceremony held at Radisson Blu in Ikeja, stressed that continued patronage of indigenous printers would enhance self-reliance, strengthen local capacity and position Nigeria as a hub for printing services across Africa.

He noted that while Nigeria previously relied on foreign countries for the printing of certain materials, the situation has changed significantly.

“The printing industry in Nigeria is big enough to do whatever we need to print. We have equipment, people and resources that will enable us to be self-sustaining.

“There is no need to go outside the country anymore. In fact, we should be exporting these services to other African countries, as we are already doing,” he stated.

The Academy Press former MD, while reflecting on his 28-year journey with the company, noted that despite numerous challenges encountered during the period, the company achieved remarkable success under his leadership.

He said: “Academic Press has grown substantially over the years, expanding from a yearly turnover of about N500 million when he joined the company to approximately N6 billion today.

“We are thankful and appreciative that we were able to get the company to the level it is today. I have high hopes that the team I left behind will do even more, and you are going to see us flying in no time.”