Nigeria’s Development Hindered By Infrastructure Deficit – Saraki

Bukola-Saraki1The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said that the huge infrastructure deficit in the country was a stumbling block to the nation’s economic growth.
Speaking while receiving a delegation of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), who paid him a courtesy visit at the weekend in Abuja, Saraki said it was only when the issue was addressed that the nation’s economy will witness rapid transformation.
“Whatever we do, we cannot move this country forward until when we address this huge infrastructural deficit and this must be done in a conscious, efficient and cost effective way to achieve the desired result. It is based on this our conviction that the Senate identified laws critical to infrastructural provision for urgent review to bring them up to date with the present realities”, he said.
The Senate president stressed that the extension of the Nigerian Content Development Act to cover other sectors of the economy, was behind the upper legislative chamber’s decision to debate and pass for second reading, a Bill to amend the Public Procurement Act.
According to him, “with this, Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs are one step closer to having a first option policy, as this amendment will ensure that as matter of law, agencies of government patronizes made in Nigeria goods”.
Mr. Saraki, however, decried the huge resources being spent on importation of goods, expressing confidence that the trend could be reversed with appropriate policies, firm leadership and the desired encouragement to entrepreneurs.
“By the time we change our orientation to patronize our local products, our economy will surely be where it supposed to be”, he said.