Lawan canvasses for local contents in engineering projects in Nigeria

Nigerian Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has said it was high time Nigeria insisted on the local contents in carrying out engineering projects in the country.

He stated this when he spoke in Abuja on Friday, during the launch of a book on “Engineering and sustainable rural development in Nigeria.” The book was authored by Engineer Ahmed Amshi.

The president of the Nigerian Senate said, “I believe in the local contents and I think it is high time we insist on the local contents when it affects our engineering projects in this country. After all, even if we don’t insist on the local contents, those big companies use Nigerian engineers.

“The bulk of the work, the real engineering work, is done by Nigerian engineers. So we must insist on the local contents.”

According to a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Ola Awoniyi, Lawan assured that he was going to take up the issue of local contents at the senate as a good ambassador of the engineering profession.

Noting that Nigerians always give a good account of themselves anywhere they are in the world and in all fields of endeavour, Ahmad called on them to believe in themselves as the only ones that could develop Nigeria.

“Nigerians are the people to develop Nigeria. Nobody else will help us develop our country. Nobody will get us out of our misery, our challenges but ourselves. So we should believe in ourselves,” he said.

Making comment on the title of the book, he said for Nigeria to develop at all, that the process should start with the development of the rural areas.

Noting that the bulk of the population resides in the rural areas, he said, “Therefore if there is anything we have to do, it’s for us to target the rural areas. Our farmers deserve every intervention. Our farmers and those in rural areas deserve every kind of subsidy.

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“Other countries have achieved greatness because they face the reality of development. They subsidise farming, particularly those that have chosen to stay in rural areas.

“Therefore as a government, we don’t have too many options but to face the reality that the rural areas have to be attended to properly.”

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