Youths urge govt to enforce local content in telecoms operations

A PAN-NATIONAL youth organisation, Youth Arise for Nigeria, has called on the Federal Government to set up a body with a mandate of enforcing the country''s local content participation in the telecoms sector.The group through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Liborous Oshoma, at the press briefing in Lagos, said there is need for the Federal Government to set up a body to enforce the country''s local content and the registering and scrutinising of every foreign investment proposal in line with the local content component, with a view to deregistering any foreign investment that will take away the local jobs and the capacity for technological advancement.He added that foreign investors in Nigeria rather than aid the country''s growth are adding to the problems of the country.According to Oshoma, the telecom operators in Nigeria have not played any obvious role in helping the government to achieve its goal of transforming the economy through employment generation, entrepreneurial growth and infrastructural development.The youths asked for a timely intervention is required to arrest the ugly trend before it degenerates into a situation where unemployed youths will begin to see every foreigner as a threat to job creation and local empowerment in Nigeria, which eventually might fuel a revolt against foreign investors and government.''For the past three years, almost all the telecom operators have been downsizing their staff strength as it affects local employment and corporate patronage, citing harsh business climate as one of the reasons, in spite of the huge profit margin.''Also the local engineering firms providing in- country service are not spared too as their jobs are now being carried out largely by equipment vendor companies who are mainly foreign companies from Asia like ZTE, Alcatel, Huawei and Nokia Siemens among others,' Macnobleson said.The group explained the multiplying effect of this trend is a geometric increase in the labour market in the country in recent years.''Rather than invest in local content and local manufacturing, the companies have turned to foreign companies from their parent company to serve as equipment vendors, thereby increasing cost and encouraging capital flight, which defeats government policy on job creation.
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