In a bold and historic legislative stride, the Nigerian Senate has thrown its full weight behind the revival of the nation’s industrial pride by passing the Local Automotive Industry Patronage Bill, 2025 — a law that mandates all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to exclusively patronize made-in-Nigeria vehicles.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Patrick Ndubueze of Imo North, is more than policy — it is a nationalistic call to action, aimed at jumpstarting Nigeria’s local automotive sector, creating jobs for the teeming youth, and putting a firm brake on the age-long addiction to imported luxury.
Under this legislative compass, MDAs must ensure that at least 75% of their official vehicles are sourced from Nigerian manufacturers — not just in name, but in substance. Eligible manufacturers must meet key criteria: they must employ no less than 70% local workforce and demonstrate verifiable investment in local research and development.
Speaking passionately after the bill scaled third reading, Senator Ndubueze declared, “This is not merely about buying cars — this is about buying into a future we build ourselves. The steel of our will must reflect in the steel we ride.”
The Abuja Network News can confirm that the move has received resounding applause across industrial corridors — from Nnewi’s resilient fabricators to Kaduna’s budding engineers and Lagos’ auto innovators. Many view this legislative push as the ignition key Nigeria has long needed.
But not everyone is clapping. Skeptics point to the graveyard of good intentions buried under the weight of weak enforcement and bureaucratic sabotage. Will this bill be another fine law gathering dust on the shelf of forgotten reforms? That, analysts say, depends on the executive’s commitment and the vigilance of the public.
What is clear, however, is that the Senate has sent a powerful signal: Nigeria must begin to consume what it produces, and produce what it consumes. As foreign reserves dwindle and unemployment looms like a ticking time bomb, there could be no better time to steer the country’s policy wheels toward local empowerment.
The Nigerian car may not yet roar like a foreign beast, but with the right fuel — patriotic policy, steady investment, and national pride — it can become the engine of a new industrial revolution.
And if government officials must ride, let them ride on wheels built by Nigerian hands, powered by Nigerian dreams.