The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji has hailed Air Peace for its strides in enhancing local content and capacity within the aviation industry.
Nnaji’s commendation came in the wake of the airline’s maiden flight to the United Kingdom on March 30, 2024. The inauguration of Air Peace’s London route has significantly disrupted market dynamics, prompting foreign airlines, which previously monopolised the route, to reassess their pricing strategies.
Highlighting the importance of Executive Order Number 5 (EO5), Nnaji underscored Nigeria’s progress in bolstering local content to meet the burgeoning demands of travellers. He emphasised that EO5 signifies a notable surge in capacity for local content, reflecting Nigeria’s commitment to fostering national pride. Presently, Nigeria relies on expatriates for refinery maintenance due to a lack of policies facilitating the training of indigenous professionals to acquire essential skills and achieve self-sufficiency in utilising pertinent technologies. Nnaji stressed the need for conducive policy and legal frameworks to enable Nigerian professionals to participate actively and harness technologies for national development.
Aligned with the incumbent administration’s drive to diversify the economy and propel rapid industrialisation, EO5 aims to accelerate Nigeria’s sustainable growth trajectory. The order focuses on strategising and executing projects while promoting Nigerian content in contracts, science, engineering, and technology. It specifically addresses the issue of capital flight stemming from the importation of technologies readily available within the country.
This groundbreaking order mandates procurement entities to prioritise Nigerian companies and firms in contract awards, in line with the Public Procurement Act of 2007. Additionally, it advocates for the engagement of Nigerian professionals in areas where their expertise is readily accessible.
A statement by the technical assistant to the minister, Patrick Oghuma revealed that the Secretariat overseeing EO5’s implementation is situated within the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (FMSTI). Managed by the Strategy Implementation Task Office for Presidential Executive Order No. 5 (SITOPEO-5), the secretariat is headed by a national coordinator.
