President Muhammadu Buhari, today signed Executive Order 5, which is expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation towards achieving the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the economy in Abuja. The President’s media aide, Garba Shehu further disclosed that the Executive Order is expected to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components.
According to Garba Shehu, foreign workers whose skills are readily available in Nigeria, would be denied Visa by the Minister of Interior, as the order compels him not to. However where expertise is lacking, the Executive Order 5 which read; ‘‘procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007″, gives room for procuring entities to give preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.
In the proclamation entitled ‘‘PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 5 FOR PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF PROJECTS, PROMOTION OF NIGERIAN CONTENT IN CONTRACTS AND SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY,’’ the President also directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects.
It added that ‘‘consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria.
GARBA SHEHU
Senior Special Assistant to the President
Media & Publicity
February 5, 2018
The other bills signed into law are the Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), 2018; National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018, and The Rail Loan (International Bank) (Repeal) Act, 2018, and Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Spain (Domestication and Enforcement) Act, 2018, were also assented to by Buhari.
The President also signed into law the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2018, Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration Act, 2018 and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment), Act, 2018.