SENATE President, Bukola Saraki, said on Monday that the National Assembly will amend the Procurement Act to deliberately promote made-in-Nigeria products.

Saraki, who stated this while declaring open the third edition of the made in Aba products, facilitated by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), in Abuja, said that the time to encourage Nigerian products is here.

According to him, the National Assembly would make it a top priority to amend Section 16 of the Procurement Act to ensure that organisations give advantage to Nigerian products in the procurement line.

“I am fully here to show my support for the Made in Aba Trade Fair. I believe that as a country, we have no choice than to support homemade goods. I assure you manufacturers that today we have opened a new chapter in the quest to promote made in Nigeria products and we will make it a matter of utmost priority to amend the Procurement Act to compel organisations to buy made in Nigeria products.

“We shall change the operating word from “may” to “shall” to make it mandatory that companies must give allowance to Made in Nigeria,” Saraki said.

The senator representing Abia South, Senator Abaribe, who is the facilitator of the project, said that he was inaugurating the third edition of the trade fair with a renewed hope that made in Nigeria products have come to stay.

He said that his decision was to help the local manufactures showcase their wares and convince Nigerians that the goods they go abroad to purchase can be well made at home.