Getting Nigeria to Reset for Progress -By Adekunle Adekoya

Problems are like plants, they have roots — Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987).

The text I am reproducing below is not original to me, but copied from one of the numerous platforms where I am a member. The text, rendered in italics is from an unknown author, and is not new in the social media.

In case you don’t know the root cause of our problems today, please take time out and read below:

42 years ago, precisely on 25/07/1980 the exchange rate was: $1 = 0.80k

Are you surprised? 

Well, we were far more productive in 1980 than we are today.

In 1980 the key reasons for economic growth were as follows:

lWe were a net exporter of refined petroleum products. Today we import all our refined petroleum products.

lWe rode in locally assembled cars, buses and trucks. Peugeot cars in Kaduna and Volkswagen cars in Lagos.

lLeyland produced  trucks/buses in Ibadan and ANAMMCO in Enugu also produced buses and trucks.

lSteyr in Bauchi produced our Agricultural tractors. And it was not just Assembly, we were producing many of the components:

lVono products in Lagos produced the vehicle seats.

lExide in Ibadan produced the batteries, not just for Nigeria but for the entire West Africa. Berec was there too.

lIsoGlass and TSG in Ibadan produced the windshields.

lFerrodo in Ibadan produced the brake pads and discs

lDunlop produced Tyres  in Lagos and Michelin Tyres were produced in Port Harcourt. The raw materials for the tyres came from rubber plantations located in Ogun, Bendel and Rivers State.

lWe were listening to Radio and watching television sets assembled in Ibadan by Sanyo.

lWe were using refrigerators, freezers and air-conditioners produced by Thermocool and Debo.

lWe were putting on clothes produced from the UNTL Textile Mills in Kaduna and Chellarams in Lagos. They were not from imported cotton but from cotton grown in Nigeria.

lOur water was running through pipes produced by Kwalipipe in Kano and Duraplast in Lagos .

1lOur toilets were fitted with WC produced in Kano and Abeokuta.

lWe were cooking with LPG gas stored inside gas cylinders produced at the NGC factory in Ibadan.

lOur electricity was flowing through cables produced by the Nigerian Wire and Cable, Ibadan; NOCACO in Kaduna and Kablemetal in Lagos and Port Harcourt.

lWe had Bata and Lennards Stores producing our footwear. The shoes were not from imported leather but from locally tanned leather in Kaduna.

IWe were mainly flying our Airways, (the Nigeria Airways), to most places in the world. Nigeria Airways was about the biggest airline in Africa at the time.

lMost of the foods we ate were grown or produced in Nigeria.

We were producing all of the above and many more in 1980

Today, we import almost everything. Isn’t that alarming?

There lies the source of the terrible exchange rate we are experiencing today and everyone reading this has a critical role to play in reversing this very UGLY trend.

We have been talking about these problems and more for ages.

It is not enough for us to complain about the exchange rate or point out what others are not doing or are failing to do. The key questions are:

lWhat are we producing now?

lWhat role are our so- called Leaders/ Politicians of today playing? 

We are forever shying away from responsibility whereas it is a stark reality and if we don’t deal with it, it won’t go away. In fact it will get worse.

To our dear Politicians, if you don’t have the capacity to RESET Nigeria to what it was at least back in 1980 then please stay in your house and don’t waste our time.

There you have it. Reversing the ugly trend that brought Nigeria to this present sorry pass is actually what Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda should be about. Let me ask this: Is the Minister of Trade, Industry & Investment, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite aware of the above? If not, why not? If she is, what action plans does she have, in collaboration with other government officials to reset the industrial sector?

As for government appointees and legislators flying starched agbadas all over the place and revelling in the privileges of their positions, let them know it is WORK time, not play time. If work is done to revive these dead and moribund industries, along the line, we’ll generate solutions to insecurity and solve the power problem. Enough rhetoric. Leaders, politicians, and appointees, GO TO WORK!