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A Federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, on Wednesday, described the critics of the bill to establish the National Commission for Technology Transfer, Acquisition and Promotion as enemies of the country.
Jimbo raised the concerns at a stakeholders engagement meeting organised by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research in Abuja with the theme ‘Planning for Economic Development and Policy Coordination in Federal State.’
The PUNCH reported two weeks ago that the contentious bill has scaled the first and second reading and has been brought up for public hearing.
Jimbo, who was the sponsor of the bill had explained that the proposed legislation seeks to leverage the huge population to create jobs for youths, process raw materials and ultimately transfer the technology to Nigeria.
But the Akwa Ibom lawmaker represented the Chairman of the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, Ibrahim Isiaka, said he was shocked to discover that some highly placed Nigerians are against the bill.
He said, “I was heartbroken when some Nigerians, who are captains of different agencies came and talked down the bill on why it should not see the light of the day. I sat down there looking at them and concluded that some of our people are equally the reason Nigeria has not developed.
“These are people saddled with critical responsibilities. These are opinion leaders and critical stakeholders. If we don’t develop this country, nobody will develop it for us. Today, there are certain social media platforms you cannot operate in China. They blocked it.
“The USA is called a super-world power, which they also use as a bargaining chip to get whatever they need from other nations. Some persons see this proposed legislation as a threat to whatever they are sitting on. But this should not be done to the detriment of Nigerians. This country is bigger than any one of us.”
Continuing, Jimbo expressed conviction that if assented into law by President Bola Tinubu, the bill has the power to boost local production and reduce importation by over 50 per cent.
Earlier in her speech, the Director-General of NISER, Prof Antonia Simbine, announced that the institute is currently implementing a Special Team Research Project to focus on economic development and policy coordination.
Simbine explained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to introduce the project to government partners and seek their input into its design and implementation.
The DG also described development planning as a multifaceted and cross-cutting undertaking that plays an important role in shaping development goals and priorities.
She said, “As a research parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, NISER is expected to be a strong engine room for the provision of reliable inputs into its policy process activities.
“Nigeria is one of the countries practising the federal system of government. This practice, while allowing the sub-national units to develop their plans for their growth, has frequently created duplication of policies, fragmentations, and overlaps among the tiers of government.
“The scenario above underscores the need for policy coordination in a federal state. Indeed, several economic development plans in Nigeria have failed to achieve their aims and objectives due largely to inadequate planning and coordination across tiers of government. This has made the special team research project imperative and timely.”
According to her, the study will provide insights into the different issues of policy coordination and frameworks for mainstreaming policy coordination across tiers of governments, including ministries and agencies, into the current and future national development agenda.
