Reps move to investigate 30 abandoned industrial devt Centres

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, resolved to investigate the abandonment of over 30 Industrial Development Centres (IDCs) across the country.

The House equally mandated its Committee on Industry to investigate the neglect and recommend appropriate optimal utilisation of the centres for their objectives and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by the member representing Onitsha North/South federal constituency of Anambra State, Hon. Emeka Idu, at the plenary.

Presenting the motion, Idu noted that over 30 IDCs were established in the 1970s with the objectives of providing assistance to small and medium scale industries.

The lawmaker said that despite the four zonal centres located in Osogbo, Owerri, Zaria and Maiduguri, the country cannot be said to have benefitted much from the establishment.

He noted that the main objective of establishing the centres with public funds was to promote industrialisation, reduce foreign exchange demand, and provide numerous benefits to the country.

Idu said the IDCs, particularly the four zonal Centres, were fully equipped with heavy machineries for the purpose of disseminating industrial technical knowledge and skills that would have impacted tremendously on the country’s drive towards industrialisation.

He expressed concern that, “over the years, virtually all of the IDCs, staff and equipment are wasting away and some of the equipment have become obsolete.

“Although the federal government had handed over these Centres to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) for some years now, nothing has been done holistically to redress the pathetic situation in these centres.

“If this trend is not checked, the country will continue to lose the benefits of industrialisation, which will in turn affect the standard of living of the people.” the Lawmaker stressed.