PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend affirmed that Nigerians are benefitting from the ongoing massive infrastructural development in the country.
This, he said, was made possible with the Executive Order No 5 issued earlier this year which ensures that Nigerians benefit from the various completed and on-going investments in infrastructure across the country.
The President made the disclosure, at the 60th Anniversary Colloquium of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) with the theme: “Re-Engineering the Engineers for Optimum National Economic Growth and Development”, in Abuja.
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Buhari, who spoke through the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola stated that the Order on local content is a step towards ensuring that, in the short term, the economic benefits of these investments in infrastructure are maximised for the benefits of Nigerians.
According to him, a snap audit of 77 works construction sites and 50 housing sites was conducted to ascertain the number of foreigners employed on those sites which showed that more Nigerians are employed on these sites.
He affirmed that the policy of infrastructural development will bring about a total diversification of the economy away from oil dependence and open new opportunities for prosperity to Nigerians.
He further noted that massive projects like the Kano-Maiduguri dualisation, the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, the East – West road, Lagos- Ibadan expressway, the Benin- Okene- Lokoja dualisation, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Bodo- Bonny highway, and the Mambilla Hydro Power will form the foundation for building the country’s prosperity.
He said, “these projects and many others like our rail projects from Lagos – Kano, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Air and Sea Ports at various stages of completion will form the foundation for building our household of prosperity.”
Earlier, the President of NSE, Engineer Adekunle Olumuyiwa Mokuolu, in his address, disclosed that the association was founded in 1958 to build a cohesive organisation for recognition of professional expertise.
He further noted that NSE has become “a veritable platform for true professional development of Engineers and the vehicle for driving the technological advancement of our country”.
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