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  • ISGPP, think tanks and the task of making Nigeria work

    THE Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP) came into existence in February of 2016 with an inaugural conference that brought together a broad spectrum of Nigeria’s best and brightest, from academia, civil society, public and private sector practitioners and a vast number of other significant professionals. The two-day brainstorming addressed the theme: “Getting Government to Work for Development and Democracy in Nigeria: Agenda for Change”, a theme that constitutes the grand objective of the ISGPP as emerging think tank established to deploy available resources, through research and executive education, to ensure that Nigeria works better for democracy, good governance and development. The trajectory of the Nigerian story since 1960 is one I suspect most of us would love to disown.

    This is understandable because it is a long stretch of political narrative that does not instigate hope for the future. After close to six decades after independence, it does not appear, unfortunately, that Nigeria has a template for a future of development and national progress. In the space of fifty seven years, we have muddled our way through a civil war, many years of military adventurism, listless civil government, and now a democratic experiment dodged by plural challenges of kidnapping, terrorism, insurgency and all sorts of internal confrontations that sapped the Nigerian state of its vitality for national development. Nigeria’s democratic governance, as it were, is right from the commencement sapped of fundamental structural and institutional dynamics and matrices that could have given it the required footing to make significant difference in the lives of Nigerians who have waited too long for the promise of postcolonial reinvention of their lives.

    The social science literature in Nigeria is therefore having a field day theorizing and discoursing on the intellectual understanding of what has gone wrong with us. The bright side of this prognosticatory scholarship is that it has turned out some of the best social science theorists that the world has ever encountered, and a host of other engaged scholars and intellectuals who are genuinely concerned about the fate of the Nigerian state and society. Nigerian condition also generated eminently significant concepts, paradigms and theories which attempt to come to term with our collective postcolonial predicament. Why has Nigeria failed to make any significant headway in terms of governance, politics and development fifty seven years after the euphoria of political independence has died down? This is a deep and fundamental question the answer to which is still blowing in the air.

    In 1987, Professor Richard Joseph, a foremost Africanist, published a groundbreaking book, Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria, which aimed at theorizing crisis of Nigerian democracy and especially “the rise and fall of the Second Republic.” However, the theory of prebendalism turned out to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime achievement which refuses to become obsolete because it is fundamental to the understanding of the society it meant to unravel. Twenty six years after its publication, two other eminent Nigerian scholars, Wale Adebanwi and Ebenezer Obadare had good reason to revisit its basic thesis about the working of the Nigerian state and society. In Democracy and Prebendalism in Nigeria, the editors noted that even though there have been many critical encircling of Joseph’s thesis, no one can doubt either that the book has continued to have critical influence on Nigerian social science scholarship or that there remains an urgent responsibility to “take the theoretical spine of the book—and the ensuing critiques—as a point of departure for a creative and robust engagement with Nigeria’s experiments (and experiences) with liberal democracy beyond the Second Republic that Joseph focuses on.”

    It was not out of any attempt at playing to the gallery that we invitated Professor Richard Joseph as the guest speaker at ISGPP’s inaugural conference. The topic of his keynote address, “State, Governance and Democratic Development: The Nigerian Challenge,” continued the intellectual tradition of cogent interrogation which has transformed Richard Joseph into a household name in Nigeria’s social science industry and Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria into a classic of fundamental theorizing.

    Richard Joseph’s book is exactly thirty years old this year, and it is no mere coincidence that the eminent professor will be featuring at the first seminar series of an organization he has immensely assisted in giving intellectual direction to. But beyond this, the deliberate coincidence between Professor Richard Joseph and ISGPP speaks to the unmitigated urgency to continue searching for a functional and pragmatic mix of social science theory and practice that will continue to interrogate social formations and governmental practices in manners that will give Nigerians new lease of life in democratic terms. In Professor Richard Joseph’s intellectual oeuvres as well as those of significant intellectual others, the ISGPP has found a template for a critical partnership that raises the bar of think tanking in Africa. The essence of the vision that gave birth to the ISGPP is to generate a reform culture founded on an efficient institutional template that will enable the reinvention of Nigerian democracy and development to work better for the empowerment of Nigerians.

    It is on this vision that I have staked my entire twenty seven years in service, and intellectual capacities. And so, this is a vision that I am willing to devote the rest of my entire professional life and investment. A measure of success for me lies first in the successful inauguration of the vision, and second in the critical mass of people that believe that this vision has sufficient strength to bend the reality of Nigeria to what we want it to be. But since a vision is as good as the strategy that sustains it, to reverse Burt Nanus’s fundamental statement, visioning must be backstopped by a fundamental and continuing act of strategic positioning and repositioning.

    This is because the think tank industry across the globe is a very fertile and vibrant one within which the significance of a startup is easily lost. Africa alone has more than forty energetic think tanks with the Nigerian counterparts amongst the weakest. And to aggravate matters, the Nigerian think tanks must compete for the Nigerian government’s consulting and education and training needs with other players with many years of organisational practices. ISGPP could easily be regarded as the youngest of all these think tanks, but with a big vision of becoming Africa’s foremost school of government and public policy. Since its inauguration in 2016, ISGPP has come a long way as an independent think tank that is unique because it is not constrained by specific institutional parameters that hold other think tank in check.

    Yet, ISGPP still has a long way to go in terms of the solid entrenchment of its core institutional capabilities as dialogue partner, policy intervener and connector with the public sector, and especially as a policy research institute that has the mandate to conceptualize, theorize and shape policies through cogent and robust research dynamics and frameworks targeted at (a) policy research and public needs assessment, (b) policy analysis and review, (c) policy articulation, design and development, (d) policy implementation, and (e) policy monitoring, evaluation and impact reporting. At the centre of ISGPP core capability framework is the ISGPP Public Policy Group (ISGPP-PPG) which is the dynamic intermediate point between Nigeria socioeconomic realities and the exigencies of policy research and advocacy.

    Made up of a critical mass of scholars, intellectuals and public and private sector practitioners, the PPG adumbrates policy options that derive from and in turn feed ISGPP seminars, workshops, trainings and executive educations. With this seminar and the return of Professor Richard Joseph, ISGPP intends to push forward the boundary of intellectual networking, expert deliberations and policy advocacy that rigorously intervenes in Nigeria’s government framework and policy architecture for the sale of democracy and development. Nigeria has reached a critical point where social science theorizing must now begin to generate policy practices and pragmatic considerations that reaches the Nigerian streets and market places. It is precisely at this juncture that ISGPP has situated itself as a critical intermediary. •Dr. Tunji Olaopa, Executive Vice-Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy -ISGPP at the ISGPP Seminar Series on ‘Prebendalism and the Nigerian Project’, tolaopa@isgpp.com.ng; tolaopa2003@gmail.com

  • Eighth Senate’s legislative reforms in the transport sector

    EFFECTIVE and efficient transportation provide economic benefits that produce multiplier effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment and additional investments. Consequently citizens who are deprived of transportation infrastructure miss out on several economic opportunities.

    However, the long neglect of the sector, weak and obsolete legislations, lack of corresponding investment, population explosion and other hiccups combined to cripple the sector, to a point of losing billions of public funds in the name of maintaining the few existing infrastructure. It was to reverse the negative trend, the 8th Senate under the leadership of Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, right from inception identified and marked the sector for comprehensive reform through enactment of relevant and effective legislations that will make it conform with the best international practices. Giving an insight on how the Senate would face the challenge, Saraki, while addressing the National Executive Committee of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), pledged that the National Assembly, under his leadership, will spare no effort to ensure that the transport sector is working effectively.

    Saraki said: “In the Senate already, our main focus is to see how we can encourage more private sector participation in the transport sector and that is why we have about six different bills that if passed into law will turn around the sector”. He listed the bills to include the Ports and Harbour Bill, Nigeria Railway Authority Bill, National Inland Waterway Bill, Transport Commission Bill, Federal Roads Authority Bill, the Federal Roads Fund Bill. Matching its words with action, the Senate without quickly committed the bills to legislative processes that led to the passage of four of the bills as of this week, while reports on Federal Roads Fund Bill is currently under consideration of the Senate preparatory to its eventual passage.

    • Nigeria Railway Commission Bill The Bill, titled; “a Bill for an Act to repeal the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act, Cap N129, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and to enact the Nigerian Railway Bill, 2015 to Provide for the regulation of the Railway Sector in Nigeria,” was sponsored by Senator Andy Uba, (Anambra State).

    In his lead debate on the Bill, Senator Uba lamented the long years of neglect of the rail sector in Nigeria, noting that the consequences have manifested in the bad road network in Nigeria, worsened by the use of heavy duty trucks that ply them. He said: “The new Bill seeks to provide for the appropriate legal framework for the implementation of Government’s reform programme on the railways system, while providing a platform for the introduction of Private Sector Investments and promote competition for the delivery of efficient rail services in Nigeria”. Sen. Olugbenga Ashafa,Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, at that time, said the passage of the Bill will propel the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) in the transportation sub-sector. Ashafa said the National Assembly had done what was not done in the last 55 years by considering and approving amendment to the NRC Bill, 2016. He said, “That means we have now open-up the rail sector for PPP and it translates to a lot of direct foreign investment into Nigeria”. The bill has been passed since last year.

    •Ports And Harbours Reform Bill The central theme of the Bill revolved around efficient and more profitable management of the Nigerian Maritime space. The Bill, titled, “Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority”, was also sponsored by Sen. Andy Uba. Presenting his lead debate, Senator Uba, said the bill seeks to repeal the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, Cap 126 LFN 2004 and would equally establish the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority. On its passage, the Bill was to provide an appropriate institutional framework for the ownership, management, operation, development and control of ports and harbours, in a bid to ensure the integrity, efficiency and safety of ports, based on the principles of accountability, competition, fairness and transparency. The Bill essentially encourages greater private sector participation in the maritime industry, through avenues for private investment in port infrastructure, provision of port services and facilities. Furthermore, it is to transform the sector, as well as promote internal and international trade, aimed at job creation, efficiency, productivity and improved service delivery. Other benefits of the Bill are increased seaport capacity and productivity; reduced congestion at ship-to-shore interface; improved asset utilization for port, road and railway transport providers; improved transport productivity; intermodal capacity, and lower transport costs.

    • National Inland Waterway Bill Titled, “National Inland Waterways Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill was also sponsored by Sen Andy Uba. Among other things, the Bill seeks to provide for the management, regulation and development of the National Inland Waterways for water transportation and navigation purposes. It also seeks to increase and promote private sector investment and participation in the management and operation of the assets of National Inland Water Authority (NIWA). It also provides for the technical and safety regulations of the National Inland Waterways; promote inter-modal operations in the transport sector; provision of an alternative mode of transportation for the evacuation of goods and persons; and the implementation of the National Transport Policy asit concerned National Inland Waterways in Nigeria .

    In his remarks after the passage of the Bill, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said the passage was a major feat and the 8th Senate’s fulfillment of its promise at inception. According to Ekweremadu, the new law would create a new horizon in the inland waterways sub-sector and the transport sector at large. “I believe with the inclusion of the participation of the private sector and strengthening the regulatory provisions we are going to see an improved management of the waterways and further improvement of the transport sector. • Federal Road Authority Bill The Bill seeks to repeal the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (Establishment) Act 2002 (as amended), thereby scrapping the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and replacing it with the Federal Road Authority. It further seeks to promote the management of the federal roads network, to make them safe and efficient, with a view to meeting the socio-economic demands of the country.

    Other benefits of the Bill include; promoting the sustainable development and operation of the road sector. Furthermore, the Bill seeks to facilitate the development of competitive markets and the promotion of enabling environment for private sector participation in the financing, maintenance and improvement of roads in Nigeria. Chairman of the Senate committee on works, Sen Kabiru Gaya, who led the debate on the Bill, described the proposed road reforms as a means of overcoming Nigeria’s transport challenges by providing solutions to existing problems.

    In his remarks, the Senate President lamented that, “It is an aberration that we have continued to rely on the ministry, whose main responsibility ought to be policy design, formulation, monitoring and evaluation, to be the client, landlord and managers of our federal roads network. “It is this anomaly that the Federal Roads Authority Bill is designed to address. Countries all over the world are rethinking their framework and creating more dynamic governance framework for managing their roads and the time has come for Nigeria to do the same”, Gaya said. The only remaining bill among those targeted for the reform of the transport sector; National Roads Funds Bill had already scaled through the second reading with reports on it presently under consideration of the Senate. •Isa is Special Assistant to the Senate President on Public Affairs

  • Political participation: We’ve had our say, let’s now start having our way

    THE Social media revolution of the 21st century, has bestowed upon us benefits which are unquantifiable. It is amazing that we can now access in real time, information that affects our lives, and also express our opinions on same. Oftentimes when I read people’s comments about a variety of issues affecting us as a nation, (from corruption, to lack of basic amenities of life), I am encouraged by the passion and zeal from which most people comment.

    The average Nigerian is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of our dear nation. However, when I go back to do a follow up, to see if these passion and zeal has led to any actions, I discover that most times, the passion ends at the click of the “like or hate button”, and the push of the “comment” button. The average “commentator” has had “his or her say”, and he or she is now ready to comment on the next issue. Having our say alone without more, will not get us to the ‘promised land’ that we all crave for. We also need to have our way. If we are serious about seeing meaningful development during our lifetime, then we all must dive in, we must show up, we must get involved and stay at it.

    President Obama couldn’t have been more accurate when he said: “If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing, if you are disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.” (Barrack Obama, 2016). Having our way or getting involved, means more than the traditional notion of voting; It means active participation in the entire political system i.e. being involved from the election of a ward chairman of a party, to the election of the President of the Country. We as a people can only ensure good governance, transparency and accountability, when we get involved.

    When we speak out, and make comments on social media, of course the government becomes aware that the people are speaking, however when we get actively involved in the entire political process, then those in government will have to act right, and deliver on their promises, because they know that if they don’t, the people are already organized and energized to replace them with better options. “Any claim of a democratic State, must embrace a high degree of competitive choice, openness, and enjoyment of political participation that involves all the groups of the society.” (Awolowo and Aluko, 2010) Political participation is fundamental in a representative democracy.

    Election of political leaders, formulation of governmental policies and political ideology, are cogent civic duties of every patriotic citizen. When the people fail to get involved for whatsoever reason, this opens the floor for mediocres and incompetent leaders to continue to prey on the people’s apathy for politics and political participation. Professor Attairu Jega, (former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.) in his post 2011 election analysis said: “there exists voter apathy in Nigeria, is no longer contentious. Voters turn out in the just concluded general elections, had provided scientific and empirical evidence of the existence of voter apathy, and disinterestedness of sections of the electorate in the elections…. This ugly scenario has implications for popular participation and governance. (Odebode, 2011. P.2) Nigeria is one of the most prosperous nations on earth, we are blessed with everything, from human to mineral resources. Our albatross however, has been bad leadership.

    If we really want to live the kind of lives we are entitled to, and secure a great future for our children, then we cannot continue to be docile and unconcerned, we have to get involved, and stay at it until we achieve our goals. I understand the stereotypes that have been enshrined in the minds of the average Nigerian over the years; that politics is dirty, dangerous, and risky. It is indeed adequate that the Nigerian political system does not encourage mass participation, as a result of violence, intimidation, manipulation, religious and ethnic sentiments, money politics and corruption that’s inherent in our political system. The truth is, yes, politics is dirty, dangerous and risky, that’s the way it is all over the world. However, we cannot then because of the risks involved run away from the issues that actually determine our wellbeing, and our future. The collective will and actions of the people who get involved, and participate in the issues that affect their lives, will always prevail over whatever dirt, danger or risk that may be inherent. Democracy presents all of us with the opportunity to be part of the decision making process.

    The process is more important than the outcome. The process determines the outcome. If we get involved in the process, then we will get the outcomes we desire, but if we don’t get involved, then the reverse will be the case. One may now ask what does it require or mean to get involved: To that I will say; first of all we must identify and join the political parties of our choice; get involved with the inner workings of that political party, from the election of the ward officials, to the election of state and national officials of the party; Also, we must identify the roles each and every one of us is interested in playing in the party, either contesting party positions, or government elected positions; Furthermore, we must be involved in all the primary elections, and election of the delegates of the party; we also must be involved in the debate and formulation of the political ideology and policies, and of course we must go to the polls to vote. •Yekinni is the President, Nigerian American Coalition.

  • A Senate with many firsts

    Today is the second anniversary of the Eighth Senate. The senators have agreed to simply mark the day with a special session devoted to reviewing their activities in order to talk about what and what have been achieved as well as areas that require improvements.

    However, viewed from several perspectives, the last two years in the Red Chamber of the federal legislature had been filled with events and successes. It is true that this Senate resumed as a divided house over the issue of election of its leadership. There was a clash between the preference of the senators for independence in the choice who leads them and the insistence by certain leaders of the party with the majority, All Progressives Congress (APC), to impose their wish on the newly inaugurated lawmakers.

    As the facts today show, the senators prevailed. This however exposed the lawmakers to mischief and sabotage by those who decided to ensure that if the senators refused to be controlled from outside, then they would have to face public odium arising from manipulation from outside. This explains the ceaseless attack and campaign of calumny consistently waged against the institution by those who specialize in manipulating public opinions and putting spins on issues, events and occurrences around the Senate and the senators.

    Today, the Senate has risen from the ashes of the division that plagued it in the early days. It is now very stable, united and focused on its agenda to build a strong economy through using the instrumentality of law-making to create a working partnership between the public and private sectors. Thanks to the leadership acumen, foresight and resilience of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senate President.

    The Eighth Senate has set itself apart with many innovations that it has brought to the business of law-making. First, in the consideration of the 2016 budget, the Senate introduced the concept of public hearing as part of the process. What this means is that the budget process is further democratized and many people from the professions, the civil society groups, the private sectors, youth groups and the rest have a say in the making of the budget.

    Again, the 2017 budget was the first time the report of the Appropriation Bill was passed on the floor with the full details made available. The details enabled the executive and interested members of the public to have a holistic view of the budget with the necessary details to make informed analysis, review and comments.

    This present Senate, in further revolutionizing the budgeting process, has passed a law establishing the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO) which is to provide technical support, sustained specialized services and necessary research materials that would aid the legislators in the preparation of the budget.

    The current National Assembly in demonstrating its transparency, openness and accountability acceded to popular request in making public details of its own budget. It was the first time in about a decade that the National Assembly will provide a 34-page detail on its budget instead of the one line item that members of the public had been presented with over the years.

    Another innovation of the Eighth National Assembly is the establishment of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) which is now a clearing house for getting the private sector to take part in the conception, formulation and enactment of laws aimed at achieving comprehensive reform of the national economy and bringing it in line with international best practices.

    The partnership created by NASSBER has helped the Senate to identify 56 laws which are said to be essential for reforming the economy. Thirteen of the laws are categorized as high priority laws.  As at today, seven of the high priority law have been successfully passed. The remaining six are in the process of being passed while several others in the medium and low priority bills have equally being passed. These are among the 92 bills already passed as at the time of putting together this piece.

    One of such successfully passed laws is the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) which has suffered defeats for the past 12 years in the federal legislature. The Eighth Senate has broken the jinx. The now successfully passed PIGB will be a precursor to two other key bills dealing with host community and fiscal issues. These proposed laws will revolutionize the oil sector in Nigeria, create efficiency, attract global players to invest in the sector, generate more money for the federal government and create massive employment, among several other benefits to the nation and her citizens.

    Also, working on the NASSBER template, the Senate has successfully amended the Nigerian Railway Act, the first time in 62 years. The new law will allow private sector participation in ownership, management and investment in the sector. This is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs, uplift the transportation sector, and revive the hitherto agro-based economy in our rural areas. By the time the National Road Fund Bill, Federal Road Authority Bill and other proposed laws in the sector now in the final stages of their passage successfully become laws, the combined effect will raise the level of investment in national infrastructure, generate more jobs and improve the general standard of living of the people.

    Also, this Senate has successfully amended the Customs Act, the first time that is being done in 35 years. The amendment has been hailed by several international organizations as it incorporated the Kiyoto Agreement adopted by in many countries across the globe and seeks to modernize the operation of the revenue generation department.

    In the same vein, the present Senate is the first to successfully amend the Electoral Act introducing key reforms like the use of card reader and electronic collation of results, all coming two years before the General Election. The tradition in the past is to amend the law governing elections few months to the polls and at a time when all interested parties focus on how the law could help their electoral fortunes. By amending the law when there was no election, the amendment was informed by non-partisan and patriotic considerations.

    The plan is to follow up the amendment of the Electoral Act with making the desired changes in the constitution at a sane time when all issues could be viewed from the prism of national interest, rather than parochial personal interest.

    This Eighth Senate is the first since 1999 to consider and conclude work on as many public petitions as 72 in an entire tenure. The 72 petitions were concluded in two years. It should be noted that the petitions are from Nigerians who have been short-changed in their dealings with government agencies and who prefer that the Senate helps them to seek redress rather than going to court.

    The Committee on Public Petitions in serving as an ombudsman, arbitrator and mediator has helped to restore the jobs of those whose appointments were unjustly terminated or secure the necessary payments to those whose entitlements are denied.

    As the Senate begins its third and penultimate year, it is believed that the members will not slow down the momentum and will move on to continue to make its work relevant to ordinary Nigerians by working for the improvement of their standard of living.

     

    • Olaniyonu is Special Adviser to Senate President.

  • Lagos, record keeping and International Archives Day

    Records are documentary evidence of a transaction kept for reference, maintenance of history and continuity of activities of an individual, organization or country. They come in different forms.

    Some records are kept longer than others while some are destroyed because they have outlived their usefulness. Others are deliberately or consciously selected for preservation because the information contained therein has “enduring value” which could be administrative, financial, legal or historical. Records kept for this purpose are referred to as archives. The term archives can also refer to a place (building/ room/ storage area) where archival materials are kept or an agency responsible for the selection, preservation, documentation and making available archival materials for use.

    Since 1960, governments, organizations and the media have established various archives. However, The National Archives of Nigeria remains the oldest government archives in Nigeria. It started as Nigerian Records Office in 1951 before metamorphosing   vide the Public Archives Ordinance No. 43 to the National Archives of Nigeria. It has three main branches in Kaduna, Enugu and Ibadan with local branches at Abeokuta, Benin, Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Lagos, Maiduguri, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Sokoto.

    The creation of The National Archives of Nigeria was a fall out of the efforts to decolonize colonial historiography and engage nationalist historiography in the then University College Ibadan. It is not surprising that the brain behind the first effort leading to the creation of the National Archives Ibadan was a historian, the first with PhD in African history from the University of London, Dr. Kenneth Onwuka Dike. He became the first indigenous professor of African history, and the first Nigerian principal, later vice chancellor, of the University College Ibadan (later University of Ibadan after independence).

    In contemporary time, the need by countries and their peoples  to establish archives and put in place a robust policy that is credible on records and archives management, especially in public administration has been expanded to include documenting policies and decisions of government, identifying the rights of people, providing continuity in case of disaster and serving as societal memory. In same vein, the users or archives have moved beyond historians to include scholars, students, researchers, biographers, genealogists, demographers, writers and film makers.

    It has been realized that adequate records and archives management provide data for planning and policy options. An effective record management ensures that the right information is available to the right person at the right time and at the least possible cost, by the right person or agency. Thus, the whole essence of record management in public administration is to serve as credible repository of accumulated experiences, values, innovation and initiatives of people, entities or polity in which it operates in their quest to achieve growth and development as reported or recorded at a given time.

    The Lagos State government in recognition of the importance of record keeping, established the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) pursuant to Law No 22 of May 2007 for the permanent custody, regulation and control of records and archives of the government of Lagos State, the local governments and other archives or historical records of entities operating within the state or outside as may be acquired by the state.  LASRAB serves as a – one- stop – shop for information on Lagos State.

    The bureau which is headed by a Director General  ensures that public offices follow standard record keeping practices; establishes standards and advise on best practices on records and archives management in the state; establishes and implements  procedures for the control and management of records of enduring value; establishes and implements procedures for the transfer of public records of enduring value for preservation and management  in the state archives or such archival repository as may be established under the law.

    The bureau has been working relentlessly across the state, and indeed beyond, to acquire and preserve records with key historical values on the state. It has in its custody, security reports especially during the colonial time, policy files, administrative files, maps from colonial time, government publications, international and private bodies publications, pictures of old Lagos and important personalities old and present, audio and video tape, As – Built Drawings, newspapers dating back as the early 1960s among others. LASRAB is on the verge of coming up with a policy on archive and record management, the first of its kind in the country.

    It is important to stress that data generated from the birth and death rate, marriage and population distribution of the state, land information/ urban memory services, budget information and statistical records, public organization records, if properly managed, would enable government to determine health and quality of life of the citizens, the literacy and educational level, welfare and the well-being of the people and thereby provide appropriate policies.

    Though we live in highly urbanized and information –rich society, yet Lagos State is a state that has from time immemorial remained hooked to value system, culture tradition and family histories, hence the outstanding performance in their chosen field. Records and archive of Lagos State are part of its cultural heritage and development resources. They are thus essential element in helping the present and future generations to understand, improve, manage and preserve their patrimony, less the physical and cultural discontinuity of urban change obliterate the historical milestones of development, for there can be little or no sustainable  development without preserving cultural continuity. Hence, the bureau is currently encouraging traditional rulers in the state to document the history of their respective domains and forward such with it for preservation and public consultation.

    It is in order to properly stress the importance of record keeping that the International Council on Archives [ICA] in Vienna, Austria, in 2004 declared June 9 every year as the International Archives Day (IAD).  The day is geared towards spreading the word about the Universal Declaration on Archives, which recognizes the essential role of archives in supporting administrative accountability and transparency, protecting the rights of individuals and organizations, and forming part of the cultural heritage of society. This year’s International Archives Day celebration comes under the theme “Archives, Citizenship and Inter-culturalism”. The theme relates to the connection between archives, culture and the people. In a world where hitherto revered cultural values are being daily eroded, placing high premium on the essentiality of archives and record keeping will, no doubt, help in preserving the culture and tradition of various societies.

    As it has become customary, especially in the past five years, LASRAB will also be joining other stakeholders across the globe to mark this year’s edition of International Archives Day by drawing the attention of stakeholders to the need to chart the way forward for the sector in the country. Hopefully, aside the usual fanfare and intellectual discourses that typically characterize the day’s commemoration, it is expected that this year’s edition would impact greatly on record keeping in the country and, indeed, the world at large. Considering the importance of record keeping as previously illustrated above, the imperative for a vibrant and active record keeping tradition should not be lost on both the public and private sectors.

     

    • Onayele is Director General, Lagos State Records & Archives Bureau.

  • Agitations for Biafra

    Nigeria, the state, is a living organism which will rightly defend itself against threats to her existence and will therefore not passively watch her own dismemberment irrespective of the sit-at-homes executed or planned for execution by the Biafra agitators. The dreadful scenario may only be contemplated if the demand for it is nationwide, simultaneous, and possibly spontaneous.

    The agitation for Biafra is misdirected, misplaced, and misrepresented. A prominent politician of northern extraction, known very well as the best friend the Igbo never had, was so overwhelmed by the characterization of the Biafra agitation that he uncharacteristically accused Igbo leaders of misleading their people. Igbo call everywhere home. Why should the agitation not be to have West Africa from Senegal to Angola become one country instead of asking for a smaller enclave?

    The agitation in its present state is actually anti-Igbo. The late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu himself said that Biafra was intended to give the people of present day South-east and South-south geopolitical zones fleeing the pogroms in the north, a place to run to for protection. This enclave was the South-east region with capital at Enugu. Hence Biafra was a one-off resistance. But to the present day agitators and their sponsors, Biafra is an Igbo affair. In this present form it is a rebellion. The people of the South-south geopolitical zone say that they are not part (whether by geography or conviction) of the present agitation. That any issues they have (resource control, onshore offshore dichotomy, derivation) can be otherwise addressed.

    What makes this agitation harder to comprehend is the fact that there are still alive, people who served in the Biafra army and other adults who otherwise witnessed the horrors of the civil war, but the uninformed youth have failed to take heed –the folly of having to learn from “experience rather than history”.

    The current agitation for Biafra could be better presented as a call for good governance. Good governance that provides gainful and dignified employment and eliminates wastage will go a long way in minimizing the agitations. A common feature of the agitators is their need for the first of the three basic necessities of life-food, shelter, and clothing (needs 1, 2, and 3). Numbers 2 and 3 are still a luxury. Let the government not allow this problem to remain unresolved until the demographic changes. Failure to understand this demographic and acting fast to depopulate it is a failure of governance.

    But how many times have Nigeria leaders allowed a wound to remain untreated until it festers? The demographics of Boko Haram members before it became ideological and religious had a lot of similarities with that of the Biafra agitators. There too the government missed an opportunity for early resolution, leaving a gap that was filled by ideologues. The North East Development Commission and PINE are well-intentioned but should have come years earlier! It is still not late to wrest the South-east from people seeking to fill the same void. Threatening the agitators with the misinformation that Biafra consists of “land-locked” states is futile. The provisions of the United Nations Conventions on Laws of the Sea take care of this with the presence of the River Niger and Orashi. But why must government wait for the agitations to dredge the Niger and Orashi and make them navigable to Onitsha and Oguta respectively? The rivers Rhine and Danube serve a similar purpose in Europe, providing access to sea and jobs to the citizens. Nigeria needs to do more to secure the loyalty of citizens.

    A situation where families drill a borehole if they want water, buy a power generating set if they want electricity, etc. is not good for the national identity. In Abia State, I know of the following abandoned industries: Golden Guinea Breweries Umuahia, Modern Ceramics in Umuahia, and the International Glass Industry at Aba to mention but a few. At their peak, these factories generated about 20,000 quality jobs directly, and thousands more in ancillary services plus openings for Students Industrial Work Experience (SIWES) or NYSC. The federal government should take both assets and liabilities of these industries off the hands of the state governments that own them. The companies should be reactivated and eventually handed over to international investors through majority shares acquisition or any other viable process. This measure will restore the jobs. It will reduce the number of agitators by the economically disadvantaged and reveal the agitation as being mostly powered by those with a congenital and genetic proclivity for disorderliness. The law may then be fully applied to them without any moral or political inhibitions.  That is social responsibility. Zeroing in on the geopolitical zone of the agitators, the general neglect of the citizens by most of the governors is legendry.

    With exception of Anambra State, workers are owed salaries. No other state is found in the top 10 list of states in terms of the percentage of federal allocation generated internally despite the potentials. What have governors of states in the zone done legally to protect their people from the menace of herdsmen? Benue and Ekiti states have outlawed open grazing. Taraba State is preparing to similarly outlaw the practice. What are governors of the zone waiting for?

    The Biafra agitators and their sponsors, on May 29 served notice that they are ready to come out of the closet. Who knows what tragedy lies ahead. Having squeezed participation in their sit-at-home protest from members of a fearful public, will the 2009 elections not be similarly jeopardized? Some say that in their Biafra, anyone who possesses two cars will be dispossessed of one. Definitely anarchy will result in the delusional enclave with an attendant refugee problem that can destabilize the entire region and spill over. Dealing with the problem of Biafra NOW should actually be top of everyone’s to-do list.

    The agitations for Biafra can also be denuded by bringing closure to the civil war. This country fought a civil war and has no known official account of it. A universally agreed official version will be cathartic and serve as a deterrent to adventurists who are now glamorizing war. The facts about the war complete with all of its horrors should be honestly distilled and taught in primary schools all over the country so that we too as a country may join other countries with similar experience in screaming niemals wieder (“Never Again”!).

    Further, distortion of the official version should be criminalized. That is how countries with a painful past ensure it never happens again. Why is Nigeria’s case different? Have we not suffered enough and continue to suffer from the effects of the ’67-70 civil war to make us think it is not worth preventing? Action should be taken before the agitations become ubiquitous, ideological, and religious.

     

    • Dr. Ofor, Associate Professor of Aquaculture, writes from Umudike.

  • Amosun keeps democracy alive

    In its report for the first quarter of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently listed Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as the most investor-friendly destinations in the country in the first quarter of 2017.

    According to the NBS, the five states and the FCT attracted a total of $908.268m capital importation in the first quarter of 2017, adding that Lagos got 95 per cent of the imported capital.

    It noted that Lagos, which is home to the head offices of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, most of the commercial banks and telecoms companies, attracted $865.718m capital importation.

    The report also showed that while Akwa Ibom, which is a major tourism hub of the country, attracted $18.361m capital importation, the FCT attracted $14.867m.

    It listed Ogun as the next investment-friendly state with a capital importation of $5.351m in the first three months of the year, while Oyo and Rivers came next with $3.419m and $550,000 respectively.

    According to the report, the largest chunk of the imported capital, $302.47m, representing 33.5 per cent, came in from the United Kingdom, while the second largest, $215.66m, came in from the United States of America.

    The bureau noted that this year’s record showed a 27.75 per cent improvement over the country’s achievement last year.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun has not underestimated the enormity of the task of turning around the prosperity of Ogun State.  Since he assumed power in 2011, he has prioritised the attraction of private capital to Ogun State to spur the ‘Mission to Rebuild’ agenda.

    Ogun State had languished near the bottom of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index in the 2010 report but was ranked as one of the five most-improved states in the country in 2014 report of the global financial institution.

    It is no news that the dwindling federal allocations caused by the falling prices of crude oil at the international market have deeply affected finances of every state in the federation, Ogun State inclusive. But for the financial engineering put in place by Governor Amosun, governance at both the state and local government levels would have been grounded.

    In April 2016, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of all the states in Nigeria for 2015 was released by the NBS.  From the statistics, there was a decrease in the total IGR of all the states together, comparing the IGR of 2014 and 2015. The IGR of 2014 was N707.8 billion while that of 2015 was N683.6 billion. For the year 2015, Ogun was one of the states with the highest IGR (49.42%).

    Due to prudent husbandry of the scarce resources of the state and his less reliance on the monthly federal allocation, Amosun has not defaulted in the payment of salaries.

    It is worth noting that the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which the Amosun administration introduced in 2011, has now got nation-wide acceptance and enabled the state to block leakages in the system.

    To increase the revenue of the state, a Revenue Committee chaired by the Governor himself was constituted where issues on businesses and internally generated revenue are sorted out.

    The establishment of One-Stop Shop domiciled in the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as synergy that exists among all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) has removed the usual bottlenecks that impede investors’ access to lands, building approval, environmental impact analysis and these have enhanced the ease of doing business in Ogun State.

    The usual bottlenecks which government removed from its relationship and partnership with private sector, coupled with massive investment in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, pipe-borne water, education, health and electricity is the magic behind the increased internally generated revenue.

    The migration of investors and industries to the state has really helped to develop the economy of the state in terms of wealth creation, employment opportunities, tax remittance, and corporate social responsibilities, among others.

    The government has harmonised its revenue sources and this has helped to block leakages in MDAs and avoid multiple taxation between state and Local Government.

    There is also the introduction of new revenue lines to bolster revenue generation, such as Home Owners’ Charter, Land use Act and Okada Rider’s Permit.

    Ogun State was adjudged one of the five states that made the best stride towards the national frontier of good practices as presented in the World Bank ranking, an initiative of IFC/GIZ, 2015

    The state has continued to provide enabling environment, security, power and road network which made it to take over 70% of investment in Nigeria as confirmed by Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) report, 2015.

    It has equally continued to reap maximum benefits from the enabling environment created for business growth by the Amosun administration.  The state is now unarguably the most industrialised in Nigeria. In addition to these milestones, significant work was also done to support the Micro, Small and Medium size businesses. The government partnered with the Bank of Industry to provide much needed funding for MSME entities, restructured and upgraded several markets across key cities in the state.

    According to the MAN, Ogun State Industrial Zone ranked first in 2014, while new investment into Ogun in 2014 was valued at N514.87 billion, an increase from 2013 investment of N376.57 billion and total Investment stood at N691.77 billion (74%) by the end of 2014.

    More than 106 new factories have been commissioned since 2011. Additional 100 companies have made requests for land, while many others are at various stages of construction.

    The MAN said the production value recorded by the Ogun Industrial Zone accounted for 69 percent of total production for all zones, thus re-confirming Ogun as the industrial hub of Nigeria.

    According to findings, investors get rebates on land, good road network and better security of plants, machinery and assets in industrial zones in Ogun State. Certain types of taxes paid by these investors in some other states are also accepted by Ogun State, thus preventing them from paying multiple levies.

    Ogun also has one-stop-shop platform, where investors are given access to understudy available natural and mineral deposits, as well as agricultural potential of the state. Many manufacturers also say there is less harassment from touts in Ogun State. Also, there is less traffic gridlock in Ogun and cheaper and more available accommodation for staff in the state.

    In the last six years, more investments have moved to Agbara, Igbesa, Abeokuta, Sango-Otta, Ibafo, Mowe, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu industrial clusters.

    Out of the N180.12 billion invested in the whole manufacturing and agro-allied industries in Nigeria, in the first six months of 2015, N128.3 billion went to Ogun, representing 71.23 percent.

    In 2014, investors pumped in N691.77 billion, out of which N514.87 billion went to Ogun. Hence, 74.42 percent of all investments in Nigeria were directed to Ogun State.

    From 2011 till date, there have been different investments committed to the state’s economy in many sectors. From manufacturing to agro-allied industries, real estate, banking, oil and gas, telecommunications, services among others, the combined inflows into the state economy in the forms of capacity expansion, or greenfield investments run into about N1.5 trillion.

    After commencing the process of creating a business friendly environment,  Governor Amosun moved on to convene the first ever Investors Forum, where he rolled out his plans  of making the Gateway State the number one destination for investors. Today three of such fora have been held and their impacts on the economy of the state are very manifest. From the first Investors Forum in 2012 till date, over a hundred multinational companies have made the Gateway State their home.

     

    • Durojaiye is Special Adviser, Information & Strategy, to Governor Amosun

  • When commonsense and logic take back seat

    I think it was in the late 1980s, when a solitary voice of a ‘rogue’ clergy decided to speak truth to power during a national day celebration, that God would punish Nigeria or apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.  It was trenchant and scathing message that lampooned and lacerated the soul of the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.  It was a government that was a bazaar of corruption and waste laced with abuse of human rights and due process.  It was a message to Nigerian leaders to demonstrate responsible leadership that caters for the well being of the people.   Never again has Nigeria gotten such voice like Bishop Ukaegbu from the pulpit and exalted altar of God as what we have today are partisan politicians in cassock.

    Nigerians are unanimous in the knowledge and perception that corruption has brought the nation to its knees and nobody appeared to have the leadership courage and conscience to tackle it because it is defended by the institutional apparatchiks of state. Alas, we found one man with gut and mindset fixated in taking on the monster.  However, rather than offer our support, we have chosen the usual sectarian ethno-religious arguments to whittle the drive to our misfortune.

    Just last week, the National Judicial Council directed some judges who were alleged to have committed some infractions in their line of duties to return to work for lack of evidence or the inability of the anti-graft agencies to press charges against them. While this may have been in the spirit and letter of the law and constitution, it certainly will bring credibility question to the judiciary because it is an institution that should be above board and all appearances of impropriety.  To have people in the temple of justice who themselves are perceived to be in a cloak of filth will be a disservice to the people and a moral burden to the judiciary.  I do not know why Nigerians are lacking in honour and integrity to know when to call it a quit when they no longer possess the moral compass to navigate public office. How will those judges face a litigant who himself may be facing similar charge to which he himself was only cleared as a result of clumsy and lackadaisical investigation by the operatives of the anti graft agencies?

    People have tried to kill the fight against corruption on the altar of sentiment and emotion rather than appeal to common sense and logic and where necessary offer honest suggestion in order to strength the agencies behind the wheel.  My worry is that we are about to lose steam because the fight has been centred on one man, an individual, the President himself, Muhammadu Buhari.  This is sad enough because it is not supposed to be so.  Our major problem appears to be that institutions in our country have been built around individuals who appear to be strong men; whereas, we need strong institution rather than strong men.  The agencies, especially the EFCC is still relatively active today because the President is alive and breathing and may God continue to give him breath but should he be out of the scene – God forbid – it will be good bye to the fight against graft and corruption as the hyenas in the National Assembly and their cahoots would taken us back to the years of the locust.

    We are sitting on a time bomb and the only thing that is certain in our today Nigeria is uncertainty.  There is increasing worry about security even when the security forces appear to be reining in the insurgency in the North-east.  Armed robbery and burglary is a daily experience of Nigerians everywhere including the city centre of Abuja, the seat of government.  Kidnapping and abduction have taken a frightening dimension with no respite in sight as security agencies appear hopelessly clueless or complicit in the entire enterprise.  They would tell relatives of victims not to pay ransom but often times; they are the conveyors of the same ransom.  One wonders how these bandits would haul away the loot from their criminal enterprise without trace.

    How come that the government cannot think out of the box and put security surveillance in pursuit of these criminals through aerial survey using drones, chips and trackers?  Look at the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla incident where six pupils were abducted; it is of course a sad reminder of the Chibok Girls abduction. Now the agonizing parents are left to start raising money for the ransom where we have both the state and the federal government in a matter involving lives of our citizens, innocent children.  Worst still, we are not seeing any action and concrete steps by the state or even civil society organizations to put pressure on a sleeping government to wake up to its responsibility.

    What is becoming apparent is that the men of criminal underworld are carving territory for themselves while the state busy itself in the city centres concerned with raising money through internally generated revenue (IGR) to oil the state bureaucracy to the detriment of the safety of lives and property of citizens.  Have we all lost our common sense and humanity that lives even of children cannot provoke our leaders into action?  Where are the promised democratic deliveries when we do not have food on our tables, no electricity to power our business and above all, there is no security of lives and property?

    This is time for the citizens to hold their heads together when the politicians are losing theirs, scheming for 2019 when we are losing territories criminals, bigots and ethnicists. The dialogue should not be centred on geopolitical, ethno-religious considerations which the ruling class has used to perpetually put unbearable burden on Nigerian masses.  This is time too for our leaders to employ common sense and simple logic.

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq. writes from Abuja.

  • On 65 years retirement age for teachers

    Public policy is generally regarded as the instrumentality by which governments often attempt to ameliorate public problems and address matters of social concern. For any policy to achieve the desired goals or objectives and engender social stability, it must be well thought out and must also be an outcome of rigorous processes of data collection and  data analysis about the issue it intends to address. For most of the developed countries, this of course is, the trajectory of most, if not all, their public policies, while for the developing countries, personal interest, ethnic bias, warped processes of data collection and  analysis if any at all, political consideration, and nepotism have been the banes of their policy processes and the root causes of policy summersault and outright policy failure.

    Recently, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara announced publicly and with all finality that the retirement age of teachers in primary and secondary schools in the country would be raised from 60 years to 65 years. Hear him: “we have done it for the tertiary institutions and the judiciary, so nothing should stop us from taking the bull by the horns. They say that wine gets better with age. It was the same consideration that motivated us to raise that of judges. So, this is something we can pursue.”

    One, in making the pronouncement, the Speaker spoke as if he was the President.  Methinks a government pronouncement on a policy proposal of this magnitude and profundity ought to have come from the President either as his party or government policy, though also with the knowledge of Dogara as a party leader. Is this not therefore, an indication that the All Progressive Congress is in disarray?

    Two, I observed that, though education is on the concurrent legislative list, however, the federal government technically, neither has teachers in primary nor in secondary schools. True, the Federal Government has unity secondary schools, however, the teachers there are designated as Education Officers and they oscillate in their working career between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Unity Schools and they will still retire at 60 even if teachers’ retirement age is raised to 65. In the spirit of federalism therefore, is it proper for the federal government to be the authority to dictate to the states when their teachers would retire if not because our constitution is a pseudo-federal one? Is it not also proper for the states to be given consideration in this matter because of their differences and peculiarities?

    Three, is the fact that it has been done for the judges and tertiary educational institutions enough justification for also wanting to concede it to primary and secondary school teachers? Should such policy move not be precipitated by very concrete reasons rather than by populism and proverbial saying?

    In any event, let it be said that, retirement age in every country is as dynamic as the human society itself. Thus, there is nothing wrong in reviewing retirement age if there are reasonable basis for doing so. For instance, in Canada retirement age has been raised from 65 to 67 years. Justifying the move, the government said, “delaying retirement benefits, worth more than  $6,000 a year, for 2 years, will encourage people to stay in the work force longer and save the government billions of  dollars”. It was reported further that “Canadians are living longer and healthier. There are fewer workers to take their place when they retire. Old age security must change with it. But these changes are to take place not over the next few years, but also over the next  generation. The adjustments may start in 2023 and phased gradually over six years”.

    In this proposal by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), supported by Hon. Dogara, one could possibly discern only one justification, and such justification may even perhaps be apt for just a section of the federation. A close analysis of teachers’ distribution in Nigeria has revealed that, there are not enough qualified teachers of northern extraction in most of the states in the northern part of the country. Even the non-northern teachers employed by some northern states are usually engaged on contract basis and often leave with time for the fear of job insecurity. In order to mitigate this challenge, it may be reasonable to raise retirement age for teachers in northern states for now but must be done by their respective state governments based on their needs and not by the federal authority as it has been arrogated to it.The retirement age may not even be uniformly fixed by the states in the region. In the southern part of the country, the narrative is different. There are innumerable unemployed graduate teachers in the region. To create room for this army of unemployed youth therefore, it may be reasonable to leave retirement age at 60 if it can not even be reduced at the legislative discretion of each state in the region.

    Also, we are in a country where most people don’t declare their true age. Thus even at 60 years, people do overstay in service by an average of between 3-5years. If increased, we may soon come to terms with massive inefficiency, ineffectiveness, unproductivity and more deaths in service granted our low life expectancy. Furthermore, when the retirement age of university teachers was reviewed, it rested majorly on shortage of Ph.D holders and dwindling rank of professors to mentor younger academics.

    The question is: whom do primary and secondary school teachers want to mentor for all that long? Even at tertiary institutions level, while the  basis for the raise for non-teaching staff remains unconvincing, it is still debatable whether the review has really helped the university system as there allegedly exists today, unproductive academic and non-academic workers and barely active or healthy professors and more deaths in the 65-70 age bracket. Ditto with the judges. Let it be also said that, all the reviewed figures of retirement age of the developed countries cited above were not arbitrarily arrived at by them. They were arrived at after a meticulous and rigorous analysis of labuor trends in those countries by their governments and not on mere agitation or suspicious lobbying. The question then is: how did we even arrive at 65 years for teachers? Has it not been arbitrarily copied from other climes? Perhaps if the realities of our country are taken into consideration, retirement age could be 62, 63, 70 or even less than 60 for different states and sectors.

    One even doubts whether labour leaders have ever paused and researched hard to find out whether higher retirement age will serve the interest of the workers and the larger society better in the long run. In any event, I think what is obtainable in the Indian federation should be the model or frame-work for Nigeria as a federal state. In India, both the federal and state authorities have the constitutional right to fix retirement age based essentially on needs. At the federal level in India, the retirement age generally is 60 years while it varies from state to state and service to service. The air force staff retire at 57 years. For example, in Haryana, a North India state near New Delhi, the state government is considering  raising the retirement age of medical doctors working in government hospitals in the state from 58 years to 65 years as a result of shortage of medical doctors in that state not on mere agitation or in pursuit of populism. Today, Nigeria has numerous unemployed and under employed doctors. In the light of this and in the spirit of  true federalism and the need to stem the tide of joblessness in our country, and prevent the risks of inefficiency, ineffectiveness and unproductivity among other dangers, the states should be  allowed to determine the retirement age of their teachers, while the federal and state governments might even take a second look at the existing retirement ages  in the tertiary educational institutions and the judiciary to ascertain if the existing retirement ages in the two institutions have really been achieving the desired objectives in the face of the gargantuan unemployment and under employment that pervade the country.

     

    • Dr. Adebisi is of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.

  • PwC on Edo’s path to economic prosperity

    No country can grow and prosper economically without a favourable environment that enables business to thrive. Indeed, no state can flourish economically and progressively improve the socioeconomic condition of its people if it lacks workable economic policies and business-friendly atmosphere.

    To engender economic prosperity, those who drive the machinery of government must manifestly see to it that they constantly initiate and implement policies that make for the thriving of business and competitiveness, and continually address challenges that may hamper the booming of business even as they beat every path of available opportunities therein. To do otherwise is to stagnate, nurture poverty, and worsen the human condition.

    The foregoing position is a fitting summary of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), findings in a recently conducted study in the area of State-Level Business Environment.

    Entitled “Promoting Economic Prosperity: Analysis of the State-Level Business Environment in Nigeria”, the report provides findings from the State-Level Business Environment Analysis carried out in four different states of Anambra (South-east), Edo (South-south), Ogun (South-west), and Niger (North Central).

    For each of the states, the study reveals that certain positive efforts are already in place and others are being taken to nurture such business-friendly environment that encourages effective competitiveness, motivates investment and boost investors’ confidence and, consequently, realise economic prosperity for the people.

    In the case of Edo State, the study explicitly affirms the fact that the state government demonstrates renewed interest in significantly improving the business environment in the state through workable policies and decisive engagement of the challenges in the business sphere.

    It captures the unembellished and unfeigned reality that the state government has a deep business-oriented consciousness, hence its organised move to improve and build public infrastructure, expand revenue base, improve the capacity of the workforce, and provide incentives that attract investors.

    This is not any surprising when viewed against the backdrop of the fact that Governor Godwin Obaseki is a business-oriented mind with a rich trove of experience in the private sector. It is this background that the man brings to the service of the state as its chief executive officer.

    As the study rightly observes, the Obaseki administration wastes no time in walking the path of economic prosperity for the state. Within three months of taking office, the administration was able to perfect a trade mission to China in order to attract relevant investors to the state.

    As every business-inclined entity is wont to do, the outlined goal of making Edo State an emporium of economic prosperity within the South-south region is being undertaken through a carefully mapped-out plan of institutional reforms, economic revolution, culture and tourism, environmental sustainability, socio-welfare enhancement, and infrastructure development.

    This inclusive governance structure, as the PwC report describes it, is the administration’s way of ensuring that it avoids a one-sided, limiting development culture.

    Similarly, it is worthy of note that the commitment of the Obaseki administration, like its immediate predecessor, to the socioeconomic development of Edo State is not a ruse. In other words, the vision is not a feel-good idea for which the government has no means of actualising it.  As the PwC report asserts, “Edo state has abundant resources to support its prosperity agenda”. The government is keenly aware of this and it is methodically and consistently taking the right step to make judicious use of the resources.

    One of those resources being effectively harnessed for the economic development of the state is in the area of agriculture. The Agripreneur Programme initiated by the government is a worthy example of how it is using available resources to transform the state economically and considerably reduce unemployment.

    “With over 2 million hectares of arable land,” the PwC report notes, “the state is well positioned to enjoy strong expansion in crop production including oil palm, rubber and cassava. Deposits of limestone, marble, gypsum, feldspar and granite among others have also been reported to exist in abundance in the state. The state houses major agro-allied companies in Nigeria including Presco, Okomu Oil and PZ-wilmar with large expanse of oil palm and rubber plantations. The government has begun efforts to increase the agricultural output of the state through the provision of incentives for investors and active partnerships for the development of the agricultural value chain.”

    Additionally, the development of a major seaport is another means through which Edo State under Governor Obaseki is creating a business-favouring environment for the prosperity of the Edo people. The Gelegele Seaport has as its major features an agribusiness development park, marine facilities, an inland port, and supporting infrastructure and facilities.

    Already, since large conglomerates such as BUA and Dangote group consider the state an attractive investment destination, according to PwC, it may yet emerge “as a trade hub for the southern region with significant impact on its prosperity”.

    In the area of revenue, the state government is deeply uncomfortable with the envelop economy that ensures that its biggest source of revenue comes from the monthly statutory federal allocation to states. This disinterest in depending solely on Abuja for big income has inspired a coordinated move towards aggressive improvement in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    As the report reveals, the state reduced its major source of revenue from monthly allocation from 80% in 2011 to 55% in 2016, adding that “[during the review period,” the state’s IGR “increased by only 5.4% annually, which was below the zonal average annual growth of 8.2%.”

    What this presupposes is that Edo State must intensify and sustain its efforts to expand its income base. More precisely, the government must not at any point renege on its laudable commitment to such initiatives as taxes, land, infrastructure, public-private partnership scheme, and execution of business-friendly policies as practical means of enhancing business environment in the state.

    In order to put an end to this anomaly, the state government has designed a number of ideas, chief among which is the industrialisation park being developed. There is the Ossiomo Industrial park project which is expected to attract close to USD 1 billion in Foreign Direct Investment.

    As the PwC study equally makes clear, the Obaseki administration’s hands are firmly on the plough of development for all-round economic prosperity in the state. It is unswervingly labouring to become a reference point in building a truly business friendly environment.