A Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory at the red chamber, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has called on the government, to mandate made in Nigeria vehicles, for all government officials in the country.
Kingibe disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Politics Today,’ on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
According to her, government officials should be mandated to use only vehicles assembled in Nigeria.
The Labour Party Senator, who spoke based on the outcry by the public, over the high cost of governance during this economic turbulence in Nigerians, noted that she rides “a 1986 car.”
Expressing her frustration concerning the current realities in the country, maintained that “we cannot continue like this.”
When asked what she would do differently to tackle the situation in the country, Kingibe said, “I would insist that all government vehicles must have been assembled in Nigeria. That would go a long way to improving productivity in Nigeria.
“For one thing, Innoson, perhaps Volkswagen and Peugeot, and maybe even Toyota might decide that it’s worth their while to set up an assembly plant here.”
She however maintained that certain commodities, such as tinned tomatoes, should not be imported, to encourage homegrown production in Nigeria.
Noting that the public would have “a short period of some kind of inconvenience”, Kingibe explained that such developments would cause the dollar to fall to the naira and help grow the economy.
Reacting to the criticisms directed at her and other members of the Labour Party, for not speaking out more often, during the recent screening of ministerial nominees.
“Whenever people talk about us Labour senators, they’re only eight of us. And in a democracy, the minority will have their say, and at the end of the day, the majority will have their way,” she said.
“We will make changes that we can make, but we’re also new in the Senate. We’re trying to find our feet; we’re trying to know the run of the place. So, they have to give us a little bit of time to see the impact that we can make as well,” Kinjibe added.
