Abuja
Senate Sets To Enforce Use Of Nigerian-Made Vehicles In MDAs
Senate Sets To Enforce Use Of Nigerian-Made Vehicles In MDAs
Senate sets to enforce use of Nigerian-made vehicles in MDAs. A bill seeking to compel ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to prioritise the purchase of Nigerian-made vehicles has passed second reading in the senate.
The legislation, titled ‘Local Automotive Industry Patronage Bill, 2025’, is sponsored by Patrick Ndubueze, senator representing Imo north.
Ndubueze introduced the bill in October 2024 and passed its first reading. Leading debate on the bill during plenary, Ndubueze said Nigeria’s overdependence on imported automobiles has continued to weaken the naira and damage local industries.
“Any country that aims to achieve steady economic growth and development must have a policy that encourages and provides a framework for local production,” he said.
“It is also important that goods and services are produced locally, as its ripple effect is a reduction in imports and a rise in exports (balance of trade).”
The senator said Nigeria had failed to institutionalise the use of indigenous brands and instead glorified foreign products of no superior value.
“Today we see the seesawing of the naira, and with every plunge, inflation bites harder,” he said.
Ndubueze said 54 automobile manufacturing licences had been issued in Nigeria, noting that only six companies remain operational due to forex shortages and poor infrastructure.
He added that many automobile firms had moved to Ghana, where they are now setting up plants to produce vehicles for the Nigerian market.
“How do we stem the free fall of the naira if we cannot address our appetite for foreign goods?” he asked.
“How do we support the development of indigenous brands if the biggest spender, year on year — the government — refuses to buy made-in-Nigeria goods?”
He proposed that at least 75 percent of vehicles procured by public officers and civil servants be locally manufactured, not merely assembled.
“This is the first step to saving our economy, protecting our currency, and creating jobs for our people,” he said.
He said only firms with at least 70 percent Nigerian workforce, 75 percent local research and development (R&D) spend, and technology such as robotic painting machines and electrophoresis systems should qualify as local manufacturers.
“Government support for local industry should be seen as both strategically important, a long-term investment, and a national security imperative,” he said.
He cited China, India, and Malaysia as examples of countries that banned imported cars in their early years to grow domestic industries.
“Today, these countries have perfected their local processes, and we are now importing their products, some of which cannot compete with our locally manufactured vehicles,” he said.
Mohammed Monguno, senate chief whip and senator representing Borno central, said the bill would give legal backing to an existing directive by the federal executive council (FEC) on the use of local products.
Senate
“This law will insulate the directive from the whims and caprices of subsequent administrations who may want to reverse it,” he said.
Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president and the presiding officer, said the bill would “provide jobs for automobile engineers in the country and encourage more investors to move into the sector.”
The deputy senate president said the bill will “strengthen our economy and the naira and galvanise the automobile industry.
“We hope the process to get it assented to by the president will be expeditious,” Barau added.
The bill was referred to the senate committee on public procurement for further legislative scrutiny, with a report expected within four weeks.
On Wednesday, the senate commenced an investigation into alleged violations of the federal character principle in recruitment and appointments across MDAs.
The probe began with an interactive session between the senate committee on federal character and heads of key federal agencies.
The inquiry follows a resolution passed on March 25 after a motion sponsored by Osita Ngwu, the minority whip and senator representing Enugu west.
Strike: Normalcy Returns At FCT Secretariat As Workers Resume
Strike: Normalcy returns at FCT secretariat as workers resume. The FCTA secretariat is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.
The secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.
The protest was suspended after a truce was reached between FCT minister Nyesom Wike and the labour unions in the early hours of Tuesday.
The workers, who resumed work on Monday, were seen carrying out their activities and providing various services.
A visit to some offices in the Minister’s Block, the Treasury Department, the Federal Capital Development Authority, the Abuja Geographical System, and others on Wednesday showed that workers were at work, carrying out their duties.
The FCTA workers under the Joint Union Action Committee had on January 19 embarked on industrial action over unresolved welfare concerns.
The strike, however, was halted by a ruling of the National Industrial Court on January 27, which ordered the workers to resume work, a decision that didn’t sit well with the union leaders, who insisted that the strike must continue.
A truce was reached after several hours of meeting, from late night Monday to the early hours of Tuesday, between the union leaders, officials of the FCTA, Mr Wike, and the chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Mohammed Bomoi.
Reacting to the truce, the minister told journalists after inspecting some ongoing projects in Abuja on Tuesday that there were no winners or losers.
He expressed delight that the union leaders have seen the realities on the ground, which have helped to clear misconceptions.
“I’m happy that the trade union and labour congress came to see things for themselves. Sometimes it’s good. What they were told is not really what’s on the ground.
Wike
“But by and large, we have had a good meeting, and they’ve directed the workers to go back to work, which you can see has been done. So, we’re happy that at the end of the day, there is no winner, no loser. It’s in the interest of Abuja to progress,” he said.
The organised labour had on Tuesday resolved the dispute between JUAC and Mr Wike, leading to the immediate resumption of work by affected employees.
A circular, jointly signed by the secretary-general of the TUC, Nuhu Toro, and the acting general secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, stated that the minister assured labour of mutual respect and sustained engagement on labour-related matters in the FCT.
It said the parties also agreed that no worker would be victimised for participating in the strike action and that all outstanding cases at the National Industrial Court would be withdrawn immediately.
Following the agreement, the NLC and TUC directed all affected workers to resume duty without delay.
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.
FCTA
The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.
Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.
The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.
On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.
In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.
Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.
However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.
Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.
Police
“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.
The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
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