NAN-H68
Implementation
By Lilian Chukwu
Lagos, Feb. 16, 2018 (NAN) A former Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr Samuel Okpong, has called for implementation of the Local Content Act to check domination of the building and construction industry in Nigeria by foreigners.
Okpong made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday.
President Muhammadu Buhari had recently signed an executive order on local content to ensure that jobs that can be undertaken by indigenous professionals are not given out to their foreign counterparts.
The president advised indigenous professionals in the building and construction sector to initiate reforms to ensure that Nigerians occupy the commanding heights of the industry.
“Greater percentage of construction work in the country are being executed by foreign contractors, while in some cases, Nigerians are only involved at the lower level of execution,’’ Okpong said.
According to him, Nigerians are mere executioners in the construction industry, unlike in other professions like law and medicine where Nigerians play major role.
He argued that the construction industry needed to comply with the Local Content Act, which is being applied in the oil and gas industry.
“The act stipulates that certain percentage of contracts in the oil and gas industry should be reserved for Nigerians, if this can be done in the construction industry, it will improve the sector.”
The former chairman said that corruption was the bane of the industry which, according to him, should be the catalyst of national development.
Okpong advised that operators should come together to salvage the industry and move it forward collectively.
“There is corruption in virtually every aspect of the construction industry in Nigeria, beginning from contract awarding stage to implementation and maintenance.
He said that the worst side of the corruption was the award of contracts to non-indigenes, stressing that it would continue to retard the nation’s economy if indigenous players in the industry failed to collaborate.
Okpong noted that that the industry’s set objectives could only be achieved through active collaboration by all well-meaning players in the industry. (NAN)
LUC/OSA/SN
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Edited by Shittu Obassa/Silas Nwoha