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| Gbasham Fwa |
The high level of damage caused by the covid-19 pandemic is one that cannot be over stated; we are eye witness and partakers of the scene. The question rang in my head: "What will be our fate after the pandemic?" Am sure within me that yes we will survive it. The recent cases of workers retrenchment and continues deterioration of the economy through fall in oil prices and high level of unemployment, source of livelihood are lost. A patriotic look at this situation calls for a holistic review and analysis towards scouting for alternatives of creating employment, boasting our economy and sustaining means of livelihood.
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AGRICULTURE
Pictures of the told groundnut pyramid of the Northern Nigeria and Kano precisely comes in mind. The cocoa and rubber plantation and the lumbering activities of the coast all on a sad note appears to be missing 60-90%. The discovery of oil in the 1970s in Oloibiri thwarted our direction and made us a mono economy: the oil sector. This has made it a herculean task for just one sector to maintain the economy. Despite being a major contributor of our Gross Domestic Product, GDP the free gift of nature is being overstretched and appears that we are abusing it.
I wish to applaud PMB on the Diversification Policy on Agriculture which has yielded positive result evident in the GDP raise by the sector. It has therefore become imperative that government at all levels be so much concerned in this area and revive it because I foresee hard times if this pandemic should continue now the WHO is even playing deaf ears and clearly showing her Eurocentric nature. The rainy seasons are here. Governments should and must provide farming inputs such as seedlings, fertilizer, herbicides and as wells as extension services towards bumper harvest. This will help reduce hunger, increase food security and may lead to export thereby boasting our Balance of Payment on the income side with less expenses.
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Permit me to argue on this note as third world scholar and tell you that the so much clamor for a one world economy and free trade amongst nations isn't for the benefit of Africa but the greater advantage of the West. Lumumba once asked "Why is Africa so attractive? " They call our leaders for world economic summit to their greatest advantage and very unfortunate our leaders lack foresight and knowledge on how to play the game and be beneficial. We are being deceived that the rules of the game are the same. If you will allow me at this latitude, I will borrow from the words of Julius Kambarage Nyerere when he said " you can't join a heavyweight champion and a lightweight champion in a boxing match and tell me the rules are the same, NO, its called Murder. On this note, we must be Afrocentric in our approach towards achieving economic buoyancy. Activities of the Breton Woods institutions such as the WTO, IMF and Multinational Corporations have kept us tied and subservient to the West and remain highly indebted by the conditions attached. The so called assistance, grant and aids aren't all for our good. It amuses me when our leaders keep on borrowing from outside and tell me why can't they dance to the their tune?.
I wish at this juncture to celebrate and collaborate a well articulated article by my friend and colleague Alex on the Deception by China where he also suggested some solutions towards reviving the African economy.
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Opportunities keep knocking on our door but with virtually no one to open the door. I was so much relieved time back when African leaders agreed and signed the Free Trade Area Zone Deal so as to promote economic activities within the African continent. Unfortunately, i was shocked few days later when PMB again ordered the closure of our borders. What could have been done was a restriction on the importation of certain locally produced goods. This will help create employment, promote indigenization and boast income circulation in the country and as well as protecting our infant industries in such a way that they can compete internationally.
The TraderMoni policy of the Federal Government is a good one. It opens up opportunities of capital to business men and women. The provision of credit facilities such as loans should be made available. Rather than the continous distribution of the Excess Crude Account Revenue by the federal government and the state governments that mostly don't yield result, her is an angle that it will be useful. This brings to fore the success recorded by the SURE-P policy of GEJ. This activities must be well mapped and schemed out void of politics in it.
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We are Africans, let's patronise our own product. We are not children of a lesser God.
In my next article I shall be focusing on the Mining and Steel Industry and The Transportation sector.
Thank you.
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