Category: Editorial

• Governments and their MDAs must be good role models by paying for power consumed

Businesses thrive when customers pay for goods bought or services rendered. Little wonder the notice usually pasted by some business concerns on their doors: ‘no credit today, come tomorrow’. If after seeing the notice you decide to go back and return there tomorrow,  you would still see the notice. Meaning that at no time would there be any transaction on credit by that business concern. That is the principle that should guide businesses that intend to do well, including the power sector.

Many Nigerians want uninterrupted power supply. But not all want to pay for power, even when truly they had consumed it. We say this because we also know there are issues with billing, as millions of electricity consumers are slammed outrageous bills every month, euphemistically called ‘estimated or crazy bills’ which have no bearing with the power they use.

But the power firms, be they generating companies (GenCos), transmission companies or even distribution companies (DisCos), all need money to deliver on their mandate of making steady power supply available to Nigerians. And that can only come when their respective customers settle their bills. Power consumers cannot refuse or fail to settle their bills and at the same time expect to continue to enjoy the service.

It is bad enough when individuals do not settle electricity bills. But it is worse when the chronic power debtors are governments and  their agencies, Including the Nigerian Armed Forces. This is why we find the latest report about these categories of power consumers owing the DisCos a whopping sum of money unsettling.

The Senate Committee on Power said state governments, military formations and educational institutions are among the customers owing the DisCos huge debts. Although the committee chairman, Senator Gabriel Suswan, who disclosed this during an interactive session with the Minister of State for Power, Abubakar Aliyu, did not tell the exact amount the governments and their agencies are owing, we know this is true because it is not a new phenomenon.

As far back as 2016, Mr Sunday Olurotimi Oduntan, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy for the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) said that the federal, states and local governments together with their ministries, departments and agencies owed DisCos about N60billion. “The Nigerian Armed Forces particularly owe us more than any other group, especially the army”, he added, pleading with the president “to call the military to order.”

The debt profile has been growing since 2015 when the governments and their agencies owed DisCos about N26 billion. This jumped to N60 billion in 2016. As of July 2021, federal, state and local governments as well as MDAs were reportedly owing DisCos up to N202 billion.

Last year, ANED disclosed that the Federal Government had verified N48 billion as MDAs’ debts, while N61 billion was yet to be confirmed. Another N93 billion was estimated to be owed by Armed Forces and other security agencies in Nigeria.

While, as we stated earlier, not all these debts are genuine, the fact is that many of these agencies do not pay for power supply at all. What these categories of debtors fail to realise is that the DisCos are now private entities and they are in business to make money. We know that this was the trend in the days of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) when power generation, transmission and distribution were essentially public entities. Many governments and their establishments were simply not paying for power supply then. The assumption probably was that they were all government establishments and so, owing a sister institution was no big deal. Sometimes, the government had to step in and resolve the debt logjam.

Refusal or failure to pay for power consumed impacts negatively the DisCos’ ability to function optimally. Yet, power supply is pivotal to everything we do these days, from providing comfort in the homes after a hard day’s job, to facilitating production processes in the small, medium and large scale business concerns. Alternative power supply through power generators is a hard choice because it raises the cost of production which ultimately affects competitiveness of goods produced in the country.

We therefore, call on the incoming government to be prepared to sort out the issues of governments’ indebtedness to DisCos. These are agencies that should be role models in prompt settlement of electricity bills. There should be mechanisms for reconciliation where there are disputes on the bills given to the government debtors. The moment these have been resolved, then governments must ensure the reconciled amounts are paid. If the debts are to be deducted at source from the budgets of the respective governments and institutions, so be it.

To avoid such disputations in the future, the Federal Government must insist on the DisCos metering all their customers. This would lay to rest, once and for all, the issues associated with crazy bills, which is the reason many power consumers give for not paying their bills.

• The solution to increasing dollarisation of local banks is re-birthing the real sector

What more than 40 per cent of deposits in Nigerian banks are in US dollar, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made news — and so it should.   The very optics of it is galling to national pride.

Otherwise, it should surprise no one, given the direction of the economy since the advent of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986: with its globalisation, regional specialisation and a new oomph for importing from those better tooled to manufacture local needs; while developing expertise to push own exports.

For Nigeria, however, it became a near-one-way import traffic, despite the earliest gains from exporting raw cocoa and sundry cash crops.  Still, whatever farmers gained from that crippled the little local agro-processing, among other factors that dealt local manufacturing a near-death blow.

The story, “40% of savings in Nigerian banks now in US dollar, says IMF”, reported by The Nation, attempted some interpreting: that the dollarisation was worsened by the botched Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Naira redesign policy — a jolt that forced not a few to protect their trove by converting their deposits from Naira to dollar.

That couldn’t have been incorrect.  Still, it is hard to explain that an unforced cash crisis of less than three months would account for such a flare in the dollar share of local bank deposits.  

The more logical explanation is that accrual had been steadily building up — unreported — over a long period of time.  It therefore has become a near-structural challenge, which would need a structural re-direction of the economy to fix.  

Read Also: Farmers lament massive losses as naira scarcity keeps buyers away

Still, on one point the IMF is spot on: “It is usually difficult to reverse,” it averred, since such dollarisation arose from the loss of confidence in the local economy; which itself is a function of a negative, nay, painful psychology of finance and business, driven by the phobia of losing money.

The fund went ahead to x-ray the problem: “The most common type of dollarisation is financial dollarisation (FD), or asset substitution, caused by a poor performance of the local currency.” As a result, “the local currency is used more for payment transactions but is replaced by the dollar as savings asset or store of value, in line with Gresham law.”

It then suggested “policy responses such as a central forex reserve build-up and associated regulations.”

While such monetary policy reforms could help to address the challenge, it’s doubtful if they would be enough.  This following is why.

Before 1986, Nigeria had had its fair share of imports: a traditional exporter of crops, latter-day exporter of crude oil and importer of manufactured goods.  Yet, dollarisation wasn’t an issue because Nigeria had a thriving real sector in agro-processing and sundry manufacturing: textiles, electric cables, brewery, food processing and, even much later, local crude refining and car assembly plants.

All these industries provided immense blue-collar work that engaged millions of youths.  Dollarisation was only an issue when obtaining letters of credit to import machines, machine spare parts, and allied products.

With the advent of SAP, however, most of these industries got wiped out, so much so that many converted to easy show rooms of imported versions of what they hitherto locally manufactured.  Not a few factories, wilting under the “cheap” but ruinous import regime, fled; selling their factory halls to Pentecostal churches and pastors.  

All these had entrenched the centrality of the dollar,  with the ever plunging parity of the Naira to the dollar and other foreign currencies, to fund these imports.

For sustainable relief therefore, and beyond narrow monetary policy tinkering, the return of a vibrant local real sector is crucial.  With manufacturing roaring again, and the local economy humming across many sectors, the dominant currency of local trade would again be the Naira, for it’s Nigeria’s legal tender.

With newfound economic buzz, the Naira’s share of local bank deposits would rise – or even soar.  That would be no magic — only logic.  Banks are only temporary store houses for cash; and would, therefore, store the most vibrant tool of exchange in the local economy.

So, this unhealthy dollarisation should be no call for further paralysis.  Rather, it should trigger a zestful thirst for a vibrant real sector.  The prospect of the new Dangote Refinery doing 650, 000 barrels a day is an exciting jab for local refining, other things being equal.  

But in manufacturing and other sectors, fixing power would be crucial.  That is the prime challenge for the incoming Tinubu administration.

• By Inwalomhe Donald

Dangote Refinery will eliminate subsidy billionaires that Nigeria has created with the importation of petroleum products and help Nigeria save $10 billion as well as earn $10 billion annually. The refinery will produce critical products like naphtha and polypropylene, which will stimulate the development of other industries such as cosmetics, plastics and textiles. The refinery would lead to skills transfer and technology acquisition opportunities.

Dangote Refinery will soon end the era of subsidy billionaires in Nigeria and subsidy payments which are pushing the nation into bankruptcy. Fuel subsidy has created subsidy billionaires in Nigeria. As the federal government confirms the opening of the Dangote Refinery on May 22, the founder of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has stated that Nigeria stands to benefit from over $20bn annually when the facility comes on stream.

The Dangote Refinery, established by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, will remove fuel subsidies which are adversely impacting Nigeria’s economy.

Nigeria’s spending on its controversial fuel subsidy regime has gobbled up about N21.7 trillion in the last 18 and a half years, data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and an independent review of figures between 2005 and the first half of 2023 have shown.

While between 2005 and 2021, N13.7 trillion was spent on subsidising petrol for Nigerians, the expenditure on the product in 2022 and the first half of 2023 indicated that N8 trillion would have been paid out for the purpose by June this year.

Efforts by the Federal Government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in local refining of crude oil to save the scarce foreign exchange used in the importation of petroleum products have received a boost as the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, is set for inauguration on May 22nd, 2023, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

 The Dangote Refinery complex is located in the Lekki Free Zone area of Lagos. The refinery is the biggest in Africa and also the biggest single-train refinery in the world.

 A single-train refinery uses an integrated distillation unit or one crude distillation unit to refine crude oil into various petroleum products, as against the use of multiple distillation units by most big refineries. Dangote announced in late 2013 that his conglomerate had signed an initial $3.3bn loan deal with local and foreign banks to fund the construction of a new oil refinery in Nigeria.

 The refinery was initially expected to start production in 2016 but plans to expand its capacity and a change of location to a 2,500-hectare site in Ibeju Lekki, on the outskirts of Lagos, saw the deadline for completion of construction shifted to late 2019, with the commencement of production expected in 2020.

News emerged that completion would be further delayed. Difficulties in importing “steel and other equipment” were largely blamed for the problem.

Dangote, in January 2022, revealed that the refinery would commence processing of crude oil in the third quarter of 2022 but it failed to take off.

 In March, a report by S&P Global said that the delayed commencement of the Dangote refinery meant the continued importation of about 700,000 bpd of diesel in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Some experts believe that the facility will meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products and also have a surplus of each of the products for export.

In a bid to stop fuel subsidy in Nigeria, the federal government has contributed over two billion dollars for the development of Dangote Refinery and NNPC is giving over 300,000 barrels of crude to Dangote Refinery to refine.

President Buhari has said that the construction of Dangote Refinery and modular refineries in Nigeria will make petroleum products available in the country and eliminate importation. He said deployment of modular refineries was one of the four key elements of his administration’s refinery roadmap rolled out in 2018, adding that its implementation will make Nigeria a net exporter of petroleum products. “The realisation of the refinery roadmap will ultimately lead us to becoming a net exporter of petroleum products not only to our neighbouring countries but to the worldwide market,” Buhari said.

State governors in Nigeria should emulate Governor Obaseki of Edo State who has attracted modular refinery projects, namely Duport Refinery Edo and Edo Refinery, Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha.  

President Buhari is rehabilitating Warri and Port Harcourt refineries. The state governors should focus on building new refineries.  Governor Obaseki and President Buhari must be commended for the two modular refineries that will start operation in Edo State soon. The Energy Park, Edo is the second industrial refinery facility in the state, different from the Edo Modular Refinery, which has been completed and set to receive feedstock. The Park, which is the first of its kind in West Africa, is the only park with a refinery operation, gas processing plant and power plant sharing the same resources.

Powered by Platform Capital, the energy park has a 10,000 barrel-per-day refining capacity, a 50 megawatts plant capacity and a 60 million scf gas processing plant.

According to the Managing Director of Duport Midstream, Akintoye Akindele, “We realised that the best way to solve our energy problem is by making it last mile, where people can access it easily, thus making the cost less and the business scalable.”

•Donald,  inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com

• By Mike Kebonkwu

Sudan is in turmoil and on the verge of collapse as anarchy reigns supreme. From the Horn of Africa, to the Congo, to Central Africa down to the West African sub-region, there is one crisis or the other threatening the stability of our countries. We are so rich but Africa has remained the poorest continent as Europeans, Americans and Asians harvest our rich minerals, flora and fauna, with their advanced technologies while we are bogged down by crises of underdevelopment and poverty.

Just about the time combatants in one crisis have worn themselves out and exhausted, another is brewing. It is either terrorism by ideological zealots, insurgency and banditry, war for control of mineral resources or political brigandage. It has gotten to a point where one begins to wonder if Africa is not indeed bound to violence.

 At the root of it all is corruption, disruption or collapse of the rule of law and institutions of State. Why are they fighting in Sudan? It is a struggle amongst the elites for power and control of the wealth and resources of the country; not for the general good to improve the living standard of the people. This is the political malaise plaguing Africa without exception.

Members of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) are running amok in Khartoum. They have turned their guns on the people and national infrastructure. Foreign embassies have since evacuated their staff and nationals except for some African countries still struggling to extricate their stranded nationals; Nigeria is one of them. There is a huge displacement of the population with many running into neighbouring countries as refugees. For those caught in the crossfire who cannot escape, they are in a dire situation lacking basic essentials to survive, food, water and electricity.

The hospitals and medical facilities have been overwhelmed and at breaking point without necessary replenishment. This is a country that relies on food aids from donor agencies and countries in the normal course of events now thrown into crisis of full-scale armed struggle between two generals.

 Africa has proved incapable of governing itself and has continued to live under the epidemics of inept political leadership and corruption. Our political leaders have an insatiable rapacious appetite, stealing our common patrimony and what they do not need. We want the Europeans to pay reparation for what they stole from our continent as a result of slavery and colonialism. Since independence, our political leaders have stolen far more from the people than the period of slavery and colonialism put together. Yet we are not asking our political elites for reparation. We fight their battles for them to continue to oppress the poor and manipulate every electoral cycle to subvert the will of the people.

The footage of the streets of Sudan show the primitive and barbaric savagery of Africans to themselves, butchering his type without empathy, women, children and the elderly. If the crisis ends today, Sudan certainly will not remain the same again, rebuilding the damaged infrastructure and reconciliation of the tribal groups.

The crisis is made worse due to the availability of light weapons which are as easy to get as vegetables in the local markets. We receive weapons from European merchants and turn them on our brothers and sisters and keep the continent permanently on the ground. In spite of all the miracle workers in the churches and mosques, Africa has remained in endless crises as if we are under a spell. For weeks running, the parties in the conflict in Sudan have turned Khartoum, the capital, to Golgotha. Civilians are the vulnerable population, receiving bullets for the greed of the military elite and their political leaders.

Serious countries and embassies have evacuated their nationals hurriedly, but Nigerian nationals, especially students, are still trapped and stranded and held in border countries of Egypt and Chad who make conditions for their passage difficult. They cannot but treat our citizens the way the world sees our government treat us at home. Nigerian citizens and students are economic refugees fleeing from insecurity and harsh economic conditions; education is just a facade.

Nigerian youths are trooping to study in higher institutions abroad while our graduates, doctors and other professionals look for greener pastures abroad. Our leaders have destroyed our public school system; so those parents that can afford it send their children and wards abroad. With our endowment, Nigerians have no business going to Sudan to study. Today, Nigerian youths form a huge percentage of foreign student population in Cotonou, Ghana, Gambia; indeed, every other country within the sub-region and beyond.

It is a shame that our country has never been able to respond timeously to distressed Nigerians outside our shores during emergencies and crises. Our embassies and high commissions exist only as text book theory, and we have envoys that do not even have records of Nigerians in their countries of assignment.

Events in Sudan are a big lesson to us.  Like Sudan, we also have proliferation of firearms in all the geo-political zones of the country in the hands of non-state actors acting with reckless impunity. The government is unable to mop up the arms. To make matters worse, we are arming paramilitary organisations that are supposed to perform simple civil functions amongst the populace without considering the security implications. We have the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in the Northeast. Hisbah Police operate in some states like private armies. The war against insurgency will end someday, and what happens to these elements that have had some form of military training and are battle-tested fighting alongside with soldiers?

The National Assembly is busy making laws arming paramilitary organisations like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps who are not supposed to perform military functions.  The next would be the Road Safety Corps and Boys Scout. We do not want to think about the implications of throwing light weapons and small arms all over the country. These are people without proper training and good mental attitude to bear arms. This is in addition to the fact that they do not have secured armouries like the Armed Forces, and, to some extent, the Nigeria Police Force. It is also easy for criminal elements to capture these weapons from these agencies, or their operatives, using it for illegal purposes as reports are showing. The military high command that is in a position to advise on such things shy away from doing so in order to be politically correct and not be seen to be opposing civil authority.

The civilisation of Sudan has been laid waste due to bad leadership. There is even speculation that some faction in the conflict is contemplating engaging mercenaries from Russia. For those who care to know, mercenaries do not win wars, they are merchants of death; we can see that in the Russia-Ukraine war.

If we want to live in peace, we must stop the war drums and inflammatory rhetoric setting one ethnic group against the other just because elections have been lost and won. Let us allow the judiciary to prove that justice and the rule of law are still possible in our country, until they prove the contrary. When the scourge of war comes, everyone will taste from the bitterness of its poisonous vial. Sudan is so far but so near!

•Kebonkwu, mikekebonkwu@yahoo.com

• Twelve aboriginal leaders write the king but Nigeria is not counted

Chief Moshood Abiola of blessed memory would be sad that Nigeria did not make the list. Some leaders of countries in the Commonwealth came together to write a letter to King Charles III of Great Britain   and Ireland to pay reparations to countries that they plundered in the age of colonialism and slavery. They also asked the king to return all artefacts and other remains.

The letter, titled “Apology, Reparation, and Repatriation of Artefacts and Remains,” was issued a few days before the monarch’s coronation on May 6 and brought together indigenous leaders of 12 Commonwealth countries.

The countries include Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Immediately commit to starting discussions about reparations for the oppression of our peoples, the plundering of our resources, denigration of our culture and to redistribute the wealth that underpins the Crown back to the peoples from whom it was stolen,” the letter read.

This is curious because Abiola, who was denied to be president after winning the election in 1993, shed the world’s spotlight on this subject. Since his death, no one has championed the cause and this country has acted as though there was no such fervor in this land.

Also intriguing is the inclusion of New Zealand, Australia and Canada, countries where aboriginal agitation is strong and have been oppressed by a Caucasian race that has, at best, reacted with a sense of guilt dispensed through cynical acts of tokenism.

The letter asked for a formal apology. This is what the west has failed to do over the years. They are afraid to admit their guilt. Without admission of guilt, there is no apology. Without apology, reparations are a dream.

The coronation of Charles as king was colourful and solemn, and it sought to modernise its features by including blacks, jews, Arabs and portray a universal embrace. But the carriage that bore king and queen after the event was gold-laden, a testament to its loot in the days of slavery.

Pope Francis forced the Vatican to rebuff the doctrine of discovery, which the papacy set in motion in the 15th century when a pontiff directed the explorers and adventurers to conquer all territories around the world, including in West Africa, inhabited and owned by non-believers. They used the word infidels.

That was the justification for slavery, an era that coincided with the Westphalian principle that forbade any country to invade or conquer another country. African kingdoms were not treated as sovereign. They were disdained as sub-human, and that explained why they raided kingdom after kingdom, and they put our ancestors in manacles. They destroyed our politics, culture and stole artefacts, some of them are still on display in their museums.

As apologies go, there have been some half-hearted efforts from the European Union and even President Macron of France, who apologised for the plunder of Algeria.

The Commonwealth has been a meretricious display of love between former colonial master and subjects. It is indeed a way of salving their conscience for slavery. They are saying, in essence, that their former slaves are at peace with them.

The letter blew up that illusion and should begin a process of holding the west accountable for centuries of iniquities.

Nigeria ought to revive the Abiola project and, as the biggest concentration of blacks on earth, should lead the struggle. In every part of West Africa are relics of that shameful era, and they remain a Scarlet Letter for the west and also our leaders who have failed to wake up to a historic duty.

• How could someone in detention be accused of murder?

It’s laughable that the Imo State Police Command accused a detained man of physical involvement in the killing of four police officers, even though he was in detention when the killers struck. A couple was also killed in the incident.

A human rights group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), publicised the absurd accusation. The group said: “Mr. Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh, a 53-year-old professional tailor and father of five, was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Tiger Base, Owerri, Imo State on April 15, 2023 and has been detained incommunicado since that date.

“On April 30, Imo State Police Command issued a statement that Ojokoh was among the men that murdered the policemen on national duty.

“He was eventually paraded by the Imo State Police Command along with others who were later arrested following the killing of the police officers on April 21 and said to be among the assailants who attacked and killed the police officers in Ngor-Okpala, Imo State on April 21, 2023.”

The question is: If Ojokoh was in detention at the time the incident happened, could he have participated in it?

The police initially arrested him, alleging that he is a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed separatist group linked with terroristic activities.  This was six days before the police officers were killed, and he was still in police custody when it happened.  

The police have a lot of explaining to do concerning his inclusion, following the arrest of nine alleged killers in connection with the incident, who were said to be IPOB members.

It is unclear how the police arrived at the conclusion that he took part in the killing. The absurdity of the accusation against him calls into question the integrity of the investigation as well as the investigators.  

The killing of the law enforcement agents, and the couple, is condemnable, and the actual killers deserve the maximum punishment.  But the police should investigate the case thoroughly, and ensure that an innocent person is not punished.

The allegation that Ojokoh physically participated in the killing when he was in detention, and nowhere near the crime scene, just does not make sense. This is why the investigation of the case must be reviewed by the police authorities.

It is disturbing that the human rights group that drew attention to the case also said: “His family members have not had access to him since the day he was arrested. They seriously fear for his life because most people arrested by the police in Imo State and labeled IPOB members have usually been executed extrajudicially or disappeared. There have been instances of people arrested on the claim that they were IPOB members and killed or disappeared and evidence later emerged to disprove the claim.”

Are these claims true? Police authorities should ensure that police personnel carry out their duties with a high sense of professionalism. It is a violation of rights when accused persons are not only considered guilty without trial but denied due process.

Ojokoh’s detention, first for his alleged membership of IPOB, and then for his alleged participation in the said killing, is questionable. “He should be released or charged to court if he has any case to answer. His family and legal representatives should also be allowed access to him,” RULAAC said in a petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba.

That is the lawful thing to do. Justice should be just. It is sad that police officers, and a couple, were killed in the incident. But it would be a travesty of justice to punish an innocent man for the crime.

 The police should make no mistake about the identities of the criminals, and arrest and prosecute them. That is what justice demands.

• Let’s teach practical agriculture in schools

Sir: According to the timetable for the ongoing 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), school candidates will be writing their Essay and Objective examinations in Agricultural Science on Thursday, May 18, 2023, between the hours of 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Then, on Friday, May 26, 2023, between the hours of 9:30 am and 1:00 pm, these school candidates are expected to be examined in Practical Agriculture in the ongoing WASSCE. 

With regard to these examinations, especially in the area of practical agriculture, one begins to wonder how adequately prepared these school candidates are, or will be, for the ongoing WASSCE in the area of Practical Agriculture, especially with the absence of school farms in majority of our private and public schools in Nigeria.

It is pertinent to note that despite the important role that agriculture plays in our economy, many present-day students lack the knowledge of basic agriculture, agriculture business, and indeed the entire agriculture value chain – the process through which food gets from the farms to dining tables. It is indeed a sorry situation when school children in Nigeria – a country widely acclaimed for its rich agricultural heritage – do not have the privilege of experiencing practical agriculture during their schooling. To curb this problem, the practical aspect of agriculture in the curriculum should be given equal attention as the theory. This is where School Farms play a big role!

School farms are not just spaces for growing food items. They are complete learning zones, which largely succeed in taking learning to new heights. School farms come in handy when it comes to teaching a variety of topics in agriculture, be it Crop Rotation, Mixed Cropping, Inter-Cropping, etc. For a successful school farm, implements and practical equipment should be purchased and distributed. And, whenever the school records bumper harvest, the students can be fed from the produce, while proceeds from the ones sold can be used to develop the school.

The knowledge obtained from practical sessions on the school farm helps not only to reinforce what is taught in the classrooms. It also teaches students about eating healthy, about how food arrives in our homes from the farms, etc. It also equips the students with first-hand knowledge of how to run agribusinesses. This is especially important in cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit in the students. 

In the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, school farming was a major component of the curriculum, and there were no exemptions as to who participated in practical agriculture and who did not. All students trooped to the farms at the designated time. The idea behind this was to make agriculture an integral part of the school culture, so the students are well positioned to appreciate farming, and make it a lifestyle, even when they do not intend to specialise in it.

It is important that schools be provided with necessary logistics for the successful implementation of the whole agricultural science curriculum, while the school farms serve as fields or laboratories for the training of the students, with the basic focus being on skills development and self-reliance. 

Today, agriculture in schools should be handled in such a way that from a very young age, pupils begin to take interest in farming. Efforts should be made to popularise farming as an honourable occupation. This will help to reduce apathy toward the practice of farming. Agric-school clubs such as the ‘Young Farmers Club’ can also be encouraged, where pupils and students will be taught about farming practice and encouraged to own farms. These steps could help ‘catch them young’ and inculcate the love of farming in young ones. Participation in agriculture competitions could also challenge the pupils/students to perform better.

Also, qualified and competent Agricultural Science teachers should be employed, to help make their students appreciate the benefits of the study of Agriculture in practicality. Apart from being qualified, these teachers should be aware of interesting areas of agriculture that will attract and sustain young minds. These teachers should also undergo further training, as this will enhance their teaching skills. The knowledge thus acquired by the pupils/students can stick with them for many years to come. 

In view of the foregoing, it is important that both private and public schools at all levels establish viable school farms. Indeed, school farms are critical to meaningful engagement of students in practical agriculture!

•Daniel Ighakpe,

danny.ighakpe@gmail.com

Sir: The most important function of the intelligentsia/intellectuals of a nation is to provide the knowledge for guiding the growth and development of their nation. When the intelligentsia/intellectuals of a nation are unable to provide the needed knowledge for guiding the development of the nation, it drifts and stagnates.

Nigeria has been drifting and stagnating since independence. Our nation started with 5-year national plans, 1962-1986. Then the World Bank and IMF introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) to Nigeria and over 30 other African nations in the early 1980s.

 Nigeria implemented SAP 1986-2021. Nigeria returned to the 5-year national planning in 2021. Nigeria is facing serious problems, unemployment and poverty, indebtedness and insecurity.

 Our historical research revealed that all the technologically-advanced nations of today were poor artisan/agricultural nations for many centuries. They became rich after they achieved industrialisation.

 From historical and scientific evidence, it is industrialisation that Nigeria needs to solve its main problem. History demonstrates that rapid economic growth and industrialisation are the solutions to mass unemployment, poverty and insecurity.

The United States, for example, was a special case which demonstrated that learning (education, training, employment and research, integrated) is the primary basis for achieving sustainable economic growth, industrialisation and development (SEGID). The belief that the future of America rests on sound public education was common among early American leaders, though they themselves did not have opportunities for good education

Industrialisation is a scientific process. That is the reason economists and other social scientists and their friends, accountants, bankers, lawyers, administrators, etc., do not understand it and cannot manage it.

How is industrialisation achieved? Our curiosity-driven research revealed that industrialisation is achieved through learning (education, training, employment and research). The industrialised society is one that has developed many millions of knowledgeable, skilled and competent people. In the learning process, the higher the learning rate, the higher is the rate of progress.

European and Asian kingdoms and monarchies did not encourage learning. They learnt very slowly and achieved modern industrialisation in 2000-3000 years.

The learning people appreciate in intrinsic values with time and intensity of learning, So, the learning process can be modelled by a growing function.

 Doing that and scaling, we developed a mobilisation equation (MOBE). MOBE suggested that a nation may mobilise all her citizens for intensive learning and achieve a very rapid industrialisation. True! After existing in the period 300 BC-1885, Japan mobilised all her citizens 1886-1905 for learning and achieved modern industrialisation. Similarly, after existing in poverty in the period 1000 BC-1948, China mobilised all her citizens for learning in 1949. China achieved modern industrialisation in the early 1980s. Nigeria will achieve modern industrialisation speedily if the nation mobilises all their citizens for learning.

•F.E Ogbimi,

fogbimi@yahoo.com