By Editor
The Director- General Ekiti State Bureau of Local Content, Dr. Olalekan Ijidale has reiterated his total commitment to ensuring the execution of the amended Local Content law in Ekiti for the realization of Governor Biodun Abayomi’s Shared Prosperity agenda.
He stated this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in his office on Thursday.
On the specific role of the Bureau of Local Content, the DG, who hinted that the Local Content law had been in existence since 2022 said the Bureau was created to implement the key mandate of the law.
According to him; “The major role is to ensure the execution of the Local Content law in Ekiti State because the law has spelt out a lot of areas that local content can promote and patronize.
“What the law is saying is that every contract, employment or project execution in Ekiti State should factor in patronage of local artisans, local skills and local professions. We want our people to be adequately patronized”
Speaking further, Ijidale said: ” The law says that 40% of work force in any project execution should be from Ekiti residents”
“This”, according to him. “Will make our people to stay in the state unlike before where when artisans finished their period of apprenticeship in the state, they run to other states to practice and develop themselves. So, we are trying to avoid capital flight to the barest minimum in the state and that is what the Local Content Office is championing”
He said the philosophy of his Bureau was in tandem with Governor Biodun Abayomi’s shared prosperity agenda.
His words: “The Shared Prosperity through Local Content is achievable when the law of Local Content is enforced and people are patronizing local people and local skills, then we are talking of Shared Prosperity and it is achievable when a trader in iron materials is getting patronage, when the cement seller is getting patronage, ditto with bricklayer and carpenter are getting patronage from the contractors. That is when wealth is distributed. Before you know it, the economy of the state will grow exponentially everybody would engage in active productive ventures. It won’t speak well of our economy if if local people are not patronized so that the shared prosperity agenda of Mr Governor is achievable when our people at the local level are patronized adequately in the execution of government projects” he said
…… Details soon.
