The Senate has passed a bill seeking to make it mandatory for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise local automobile manufacturers and indigenous companies in their procurement processes through the second reading.
The passage followed a submission by Sen Patrick Ndubueze during plenary on Thursday.
Speaking in support of the bill, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin underscored the economic benefits of such a policy, noting that there has been a sustained public call for increased support for Made-in-Nigeria products.
“There has been a clamour for the government to patronize locally made goods. This is not just patriotic, it is a sound economic decision. Supporting indigenous companies will help grow our economy, create jobs, and reduce our dependence on imports,” he stated.
The bill, which was widely backed, aims to strengthen the local manufacturing sector, enhance job creation, and reduce capital flight by encouraging government patronage of Nigerian-made goods, particularly in the automobile industry.
Meanwhile, the upper chamber called on President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Nigerian Forest Security Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025, which was recently passed by the National Assembly and is currently awaiting presidential approval to tackle insecurity.
This resolution was adopted after the submission of two bills sponsored by the Senate minority leader, Sen. Abba Moro and Sen. Sunday Karimi, strongly condemning the abduction of His Royal Highness, Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke, in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State as well as deadly attacks on communities in Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
In the first motion, the Senate expressed dismay over the abduction of a Kogi monarch by suspected kidnappers who stormed his palace around midnight on Thursday, May 15, firing gunshots before whisking him away to an unknown location.
As lawmakers called for immediate security intervention across affected regions, they noted that the bill could be revisited to accommodate the President’s proposed Forest Guard initiative, aimed at curbing rising insecurity, particularly in forested and rural areas.
The Senate further urged the Federal Government to direct all security agencies to deploy their resources for the immediate rescue of the monarch.
Moro had informed the chamber of coordinated attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Akpete and Ojantele communities in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, which occurred on May 1 and May 7, respectively, killing more than a dozen residents.
