15 Mar 2009 |
|
Does the seven-point agenda really represent our main priorities? Ayo Akinfe These days, no speech by a government minister is completed without some reference to either President Yar’Adua’s seven point agenda or Vision 20:20. In may cases we hear about both programmes in one presentation as state officials believe that somehow the two projects are inextricably linked. Personally, I must say that I find it rather perplexing that the Yar’Adua administration assumed office before coming up with its seven point agenda. In a mature democracy, this agenda would have been a well-debated policy document within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before it came into office. It should have been the basis of the election campaign and subjected to thorough scrutiny on the stump. Anyway, we cannot turn the hand of the clock back. The seven point agenda is here with us and we have to live with the realities of how it came about. However, if we take a close look at it, does it really reflect out most urgent priorities? Here are the seven points as listed by the government: Power and energy – Infrastructural reforms in this critical sector through the development of sufficient and adequate power supply will be to ensure Nigeria’s ability to develop as a modern economy and an industrial nation by the year 2015. Food security – This reform is primarily agrarian based. The emphasis on the development of modern technology, research, financial injection into research, production and development of agricultural inputs will revolutionalise the agricultural sector leading to a five to 10 fold increase in yield and production. This will result in massive domestic and commercial outputs and technological knowledge transfer to farmers. Wealth creation – By virtue of its reliance on revenue from non-renewal oil, Nigeria has yet to develop industrially. This reform is focused on wealth creation through diversified production especially in the agricultural and solid mineral sector. This requires Nigerians to choose to work, as hard work by all is required to achieve this reform. Transport sector – The transportation sector in Nigeria with its poor road network is an inefficient means of mass transit of people and goods. With a goal of a modernised industrialized Nigeria, it is mandatory that Nigeria develops its transport sector. The PDP government has already started this process by the ongoing rehabilitation and modernisation of the railway. While the reforms might take some time to take effect, it is a need that must be addressed. Land reforms – While hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost through unused government-owned landed assets, changes in land laws and the emergence of land reforms will optimise Nigeria’s growth through the release of lands for commercial farming and other large scale business by the private sector. The final result will ensure improvements and boosts to the production and wealth creation initiatives. Security – An unfriendly security climate precludes both external and internal investment into the nation. Thus, security will be seen as not only a constitutional requirement but also as a necessary infrastructure for the development of a modern Nigerian economy. With its particular needs, the Niger Delta security issue will be the primary focus, marshalled not with physical policing or military security but through honest and accurate dialogue between the people and the federal government. Education – The two-fold reforms in the educational sector will ensure firstly the minimum acceptable international standards of education for all. With that achieved, a strategic educational development plan will ensure excellence in both the tutoring and learning of skills in science and technology by students who will be seen as the future innovators and industrialists of Nigeria. This reform will be achieved through massive injection into the education sector. On paper, they might look good but I ask whether they can stand up to scrutiny. For starters, who conducted a research or survey to determine that these are the areas most needing government attention? Also, does the government really have well thought out policies to tackle each of these areas? Personally, I would come up with an alternative 10-point programme. In my opinion, the following agenda is a more accurate reflection of the problems plaguing Nigeria and the aims and aspirations of its people: What my 10-point programme would look like
[1] Cash crop production Contrary to a lot of commentary out there, Nigeria does not have a food security problem. We simply have too much arable land for this to happen. The only time Nigeria has ever had anything close to a food security headache was during the civil war. We are a net food producer, producing much more than we consume. Believe it or not but up to 40% of our agricultural output goes to waste due to poor storage and transportation facilities. Our min farming problem is cash crop production. Nigeria simply does not generate enough from the sale of agricultural commodities like cocoa, ginger, palm oil, groundnuts, gum Arabic, coconuts, cashews, sesame seed, acre nuts, rubber, cotton, neem, livestock, etc. If this sector were well run, we should at least generate $20bn in annual foreign exchange earnings. We need policies to address this or our economy will be perpetually dependent on crude oil. [2] Healthcare Nigeria has one of the highest rates of death rates at childbirth. This is primarily down to the high number of teenage mothers, particularly in the northern part of the country. In addition, we have the world’s third largest number of people living with HIV behind India and South Africa. Add to this the frightening polio, meningitis, cholera, dysentery, malaria, yellow fever and typhoid statistics and you can see how much trouble we are in. The fact that this is not on the seven point agenda makes a whole mockery of the programme. Several simply basis measures such as the provision of clean water, an awareness campaign to prevent women getting pregnant until they are at least 21, covering our sewers, the free provision of condoms, etc, would probably halve these statistics. [3] Education Unesco, like many other international bodies has called on developing countries to spend as much as 15% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on education of they want to escape the poverty trap. Nigeria currently only spends about 4% of her GDP on education, which is why our literacy rate is 57% instead of 97%. Nothing short of a massive increase in education spending backed up with an awareness campaign about how impoverishing illiteracy is will get us out of this ignorance trap. [4] Transport Our former colonial masters only had one thing in mind when they built Nigeria’s transport network – Find the quickest way of getting her agricultural commodities to the coast. We need a comprehensive review that will involve linking the various parts of the country together, building fast rail services to link our international airports with the rest of the country and above all move freight from road to rail, to cut back on the large number of accidents we suffer each year. [5] Industrialisation Nigeria produces next to nothing for export. If we are serious about being economically self-sufficient, we simply have to make attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) a top priority. Car manufacturers, food processors, engineering firms, phone companies, etc need to be attracted in their hundreds. Our commerce and industry minister needs to be given stringent targets. For instance, he should be told to increase FDI by say $5m every quarter of face the sack. We simply lack enough local capital to attract the required indigenous investment in the industrial sector of the economy. [6] Solid mineral production Due to the induced laziness which constant oil production has brought upon us, we have not only forgotten we have solid minerals but have lost track of the fact that we have products like coal, bauxite, bitumen, aluminium, iron ore, etc. Our minister needs to be given a stringent target of generating at least $20bn from the sale of solid minerals each year. [7] Power A lot of slogans abound on this subject as it has become a national embarrassment but I question whether there is a unified and coherent policy on the ground. What we need is a comprehensive programme involving the generation of hydro, solar, wind and gas-powered electricity. States should be free to dam rivers, attract foreign investors, generate power as they deem fit and opt out of the national grid if they so desire. [8] Resource control Dancing around the Niger Delta issue will get us nowhere. There are hundreds of reports on the matter but the political will to implement them is clearly lacking. The government should stop its hypocrisy and bite the bullet and introduce resource control, which allows states to take charge of the mineral deposits in their domain and contribute 50% of it towards the national coffers. This was the deal that was signed up to in 1957 during independence talks and no one agreed to change it. No one has come up to dispute the fact that resource control was the basis upon which our federation was agreed. Until we do this, the Niger Delta crisis will not go away. It is no surprise that the region’s militants have a popular phrase: “The government keeps telling us their plans are in the pipeline. We keep blowing the pipelines up in the hope that we will find them one day.” [9] Security One of the biggest problems we have attracting FDI is that foreign investors are worried about the security of their staff and infrastructure. They demand policing, protection of their facilities and the ability to transport goods up and down the country at will at any time of the day. If we are to provide this, we need a comprehensive review of the police force, much more numbers, better remuneration packages, better training, more motivation for our men and better equipment. Our policemen need to start regarding themselves and feeling like professionals such as doctors, lawyers, accountants or architects. [10] Corruption and public confidence Yes, we have the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that has successfully prosecuted several public officers and established a financial audit programme but is that enough? Foreign investors still get asked for bribes as soon as they hit our shores. Those who refuse to pay up face all types of delays. Internally, policemen can stop the delivery of goods and services unless their palms are greased and civil servants refuse to action files unless they are remunerated. We need to remove all these barriers and logjams to doing business in Nigeria. Just listening to the way the rest of the world thinks Nigeria is a perpetual war zone makes it clear that we have an image problem here. In the run-up to the 2001 elections, we need these matters clearly debated and parties signed up to delivering. Until we start holding our elected officials accountable, we will get nowhere. This constant looking up to a messiah to deliver the goods with no input from the electorate never has worked and never will work. Ayo Akinfe
|
|||||||||
# 
Your Comments
Please make The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed.