Nigeria is a nation blessed with many resources, I am not going to bore you with facts and figures to buttress that , but it is no news that the country has a population of about 170 million persons, the number itself is a blessing (if managed properly).
Though the country is blessed with many resources (human and mineral), the potentials of the country have not been fully put to use. Often times, we hear a lot of tommyrot about corruption being the reason the country is at a nascent stage. Whatever it is, the anti-corruption campaign (these days it is even hard to tell whether or not the campaign is for or against corruption) is an attempt to flummox (confuse) the jejune (uninformed) masses because it is a clear case of the devil going after the demon or the armed robber chasing the robber, in other words, they all belong to the same category but different nomenclatures.
The question that no one has answered is how will the anti-corruption campaign put food on the table of the average Nigerian? Just when I thought the country was beginning to diversify the economy, the President said he would head the Petroleum ministry; later, I heard he recounted his statement then I decided not to publish this article. Then on 11th November, 2015, after reading the Ministerial list and their portfolios, lo and behold, Mr President is the Petroleum Minister, not only am I shocked, I am extremely disappointed. This indicates that as far as Mr President is concerned, the Petroleum sector is the most important sector of the Nigerian economy, hence, requires his undivided attention.
The question to be asked is whether this indicates that other sectors of the economy will be neglected? Many will argue to the contrary and they will definitely refer to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime where he (Obasanjo) doubled as the Petroleum Minister, many consider his administration a success (many do not for various reasons) but the truth remains that corruption was still perpetrated even under his watch as the Minister! Someone once said it takes three generations (3000 years) to develop an institution, thus, I strongly recommend that the President should concentrate more on strengthening the institutions, the country needs strong institutions, not strong men!!!
Back to the question of putting food on the table of the masses (that are not interested in the oil blocks and the only benefit they enjoy is subsidy), no doubt, it has been established that a viable private sector is the bedrock of a thriving economy (some economists have argued that the current administration will control the major sectors of the economy), I strongly recommend that it is high time the country started promoting its local content. Instead of being interested in becoming the Petroleum Minister, I believe the President should emulate the policies of China some few years ago which was geared towards the promotion of their Creative Industry (Manufacturing Industry) cum development of local content. The more recent example is India, unfortunately, it seems Mr President is more interested in begging for ‘fish’ and not so concerned about learning how to catch the ‘fish’
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If Nigerians had their way, they would import life! If we continue importing as a nation, then when are we going to develop our locally made products? Many contest that locally manufactured products are of low quality, of course the quality will be low! Nobody is born an engineer or a carpenter, we all develop these skills on earth, thus, whatever attempt is made towards manufacturing can be honed and developed. It is then the duty of the government to make policies that will promote the Nigerian Creative (Manufacturing) Industry, let the government trust its local service producers, then with projections and consistency, the country will be able to boast of many local products.
The development of Nigerian Manufacturing Industry will open doors for different types of investors and the Petroleum sector will become one of the many streams of economy in Nigeria instead of being the major stream of income as the country will be able to boast of many viable streams of income generation. It is even sad that the nation is really lagging in ICT; Nigeria should start preparing its citizens for jobs that do not exist. A 7 year old kid can start learning the complexities of Computer amongst other things so that before he leaves the secondary school, he is equipped with many skills that if put to use will add value to the nation.
From the aforementioned the economic hardship currently bedeviling the nation will be squelched if the President during his administration also gives the Nigeria Creative Industry a chance to blossom in the interest of the nation.
Damilola Oyebayo is considered one of the world’s young motivational writers and speakers and is the founder of Reality Check, a consulting column that helps readers discover their dreams, improve their skills and lead value-oriented lives with the aim to make the world a better place.
Damilola Oyebayo
LinkedIn: @ Oyebayo Damilola, Twitter: @Oyebayod
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