Bill to promote local industries scale second reading in House
The Local Content Industry Patronage Bill, on Thursday, scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
Sponsor of the bill, Rep. Buba Jibril (Kogi/APC) in his lead debate said that the legislation seeks to make it mandatory for government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to give priority to local manufacturers and indigenous companies in the procurement of goods, award of contracts and services.
He added that the bill further seeks to prohibit the exclusion of locally produced goods in the procurement process in the country.
Expressing concern that the current procurement process does not favour locally manufactured materials, Rep. Jibril emphasised that the current practice kills the morale of local manufacturers.
According to him, the non-patronizing of local goods negatively impacts on the growth and development of local manufacturing industry.
The lawmaker stated that “this bill proposes to reverse the ugly trend to create a favourable atmosphere for the growth of our local industries and make the procurement process more transparent through diversified competition between indigenous and foreign actors.
“The legislative proposal will also create a sense of corporate responsibility by the MDAs towards local manufacturers engaged in the public procurement in Nigeria.”
Furthermore, he said that the bill will enhance the probity and integrity of the procurement process through an effective legal regime that creates a favourable atmosphere for participation by the local companies.
Contributing to the debate, Rep. Samuel Onuigbo (Abia/PDP) said that the bill will promote local manufacturing as well as facilitate job creation in the country.
He added that “if we protect our own, we will benefit in many ways including creation of employment, increase in GDP and we will see our economy grow fast.”
Another lawmaker, Rep. Abubakar Chika (Niger/APC) faulted the dependence on foreign products and services, just he advocated for an attitudinal change among Nigerians in the quest to promote locally made goods.
“We need to change our attitude; we need to seek for services locally instead of training our children abroad and seeking for medical services abroad.
“Most of the fabrics we wear are not locally made and we are talking about promoting local tailors,’’ Chika added.
Also, Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia/PDP) said that the bill will act as a catalyst for industrial revolution in the country, discourage migration and promote skill acquisition among the youth.
