The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said Nigerians should support full implementation of Executive Order 5 for sustainable growth and development of the nation.

The Minister said this at the sensitisation workshop and the launch of the Complaints and Appeal Procedure of the Presidential Executive Order 5 in Abuja on Thursday.

He recalled that in February 2018 President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Executive Order No 5 for the planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian contents in contracts, science, engineering and technology for Nigerians.

He said Executive Order 5 was a revolutionary one aimed at mandating procuring entities to give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts in line with the Public Procurement Act.

He noted that it was also for the engagement of Nigerian professionals in areas where their requisite expertise was available, among others.

Onu expressed satisfaction that the effect of the Order was already being felt in the country.

“The University of Transportation, Daura, is one of the products of the Executive Order.

“Also, as a result of the Executive Order, it became necessary to organise both the first and second Strategy Competitiveness Workshop for various regulatory bodies in the country.

“This has helped to strengthen the operators of the Small and Medium Enterprises for the good of the country,’’ he said.

Onu spoke on the need for the country to become self-reliant in the face of an ever changing world of technology and commerce.

He was confident that with the abundance of human manpower, Nigeria could develop technologies, find a way to encourage Nigerians to understudy, participate from the beginning and stay along until the project was completed.

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He said Nigeria must acquire the needed technologies that were lacking in the country and use the key of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to unlock big hub of opportunities.

He said the Order was unique and in its design the Nigerian environment was taken into consideration adding that it should be sustained beyond Buhari’s administration.

Earlier, Mrs Monisola Udoh, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said the Order was a child of necessity and its full implementation must be vigorously pursued.

Udoh noted that she was inundated with the various achievements performed by the task office, most importantly, the sensitisation of all Nigerians on the provisions of the Order.

“This should not only be sustained but improved upon,’’ Udoh said.

High point of the event was the induction of the minister into the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions’ (ASURI) Hall of Fame as the most impactful STI Minister since Nigeria’s independence.

Onu became the first inductee into the newly-created ASURI Hall of Fame.

(NAN)