Nigeria will no longer be a dumping ground for all manner of foreign products, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said.
He made the declaration on Tuesday in Abuja at the 26th Engineering Assembly organised by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.
He said the present administration was determined to change the trend by empowering local capacities through policies and programmes that could promote economic diversification
Osinbajo, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonaya Onu, said the administration was working hard to place engineering at the centre of national development.
He said, “For too long, we have depended on imports to meet many of our needs; for too long, we have paid a very big price for this. Nigeria cannot continue to be a main consumer nation; Nigeria wants to be a producer nation, whereby we can produce many of the things that we need and this is the thrust of this administration.”
Osinbajo observed that with what was being put in place, in the next 10 to 15 years, Nigeria would be looking for scientists, engineers and many other professionals even from outside the country because of industrial revolution.
According to him, many decisions being taken, particularly in the science, technology and innovation road map, covering a 13-year period, will help the nation plan ahead to meet the short, medium and long- term needs of many sectors, including engineering.
The Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, who chaired the occasion, advised that a stringent regulatory framework and more attractive conditions of service be evolved to forestall capital flight and persistent emigration of indigenous engineers to other nations in search of greener pastures.
“This will go a long way in reducing Nigeria from being a dumping ground for all kinds of pseudo engineers as expatriate engineers in the country, as well as address the critical challenges affecting the engineering sector,” he said.
It was also revealed at the event that the Federal Government would henceforth ensure strict regulation of the practice of engineering in Nigeria by expatriates.
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote, also condemned the way all manner of foreigners came into Nigeria and dabbled into the engineering practice.
