NCDM: Reps applaud Buhari’s executive order 5

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives Committee on Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring yesterday applauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s executive order 5 for improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components.
The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ochigegor Idagbo, who gave the commendation at the inaugural meeting of the committee on Tuesday said the executive order is expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation towards achieving the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the economy.
He explained that the executive order prohibits the ministry of interior from issuing visas to foreign nationals whose skills are readily available in Nigeria adding that the president has therefore directed ministries, departments and agencies to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects.
According to him, “following the proclamation of the executive order, the House has reviewed the jurisdiction of the committee to accommodate the details of the presidential executive order, hence the change of its name from ‘local content’ to ‘Nigerian content development and monitoring”
He observed that there was need to amend the Nigerian oil and gas industry content development (NOGICD), 2020 act so that the successes achieved in the oil and gas sector can also be achieved in the other sectors of the economy in terms of job creation and capacity building of indigenous companies.
“We all know that it was through strong local legislation that a country like China was able to turn itself from a third world country to a first world country; and today has become one of the world’s leading economy”.
He said through Nigerian content, Nigeria may finally be able to make its oil wealth a blessing instead of a curse stressing that “since the passage of the landmark Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, in 2010, significant progress has been made.
Recall that President Buhari had on February 5, 2018 signed executive order 5 titled “ presidential executive order 5 for planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian Content in contracts and science, engineering and technology”