Senate passes bill on mandatory buying of local goods

The  Senate  on Thursday passed the Public Procurement Act Amendment Bill, which is part of the efforts of the legislative chamber to champion the patronage of locally-made products.

Under the amended Public Procurement Act, government agencies including military and para military organizations are expected to patronize local producers in their purchases.

The amendment of the Act was sequel to the report of the Senate Committee on Public Procurement Chaired by Sen. Joshua Dariye (PDP Plateau Central) on two bills that seek the amendment of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

The bill, titled “A Bill For An Act To Amend The Public Procurement Act To provide for and Adopt A Local Content Policy and Timely Completion of Procurement Processes and Other Related Matter,” passed third reading at the Senate.

Dariye said the amendments were done to stimulate local industries and ensure speedy completion of projects.

“The committee has sustained the amendments of section 34(1,2) sought by the bill for the purpose of patronizing made in Nigeria goods: this will go a long way to encourage our Nigerian manufacturers.