President Goodluck Jonathan’s unveiling of the nation’s industrial revolution plan and the National Enterprise Development Programme, are seen as the elixir needed to launch Nigeria on the path of sustainable development, reports, SIMEON EBULU,
Last week’s launch of Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP), underscored the Federal Government’s determination to actualise and expand, not only the nation’s industrial base, but also to provide employment for the citizenry and increase the consumptive capacity of Nigerians, especially of made-in-Nigeria products.
The event which took place at the Banquet Hall, State House Abuja, was not just a launch, it was also meant to showcase the success story of the collaborative effort between the Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) . It was the unveiling of a marriage sort-of, designed to match enterprise with funding and to churn-out visible products and services that can drive the economy and put the ordinary Nigerian back to work.
NIRP and NEDEP, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said, is the door for the Small and Medium Enterprises sector, which he admitted is credited for providing about 75 per cent of the nation’s workforce.
He said the average Nigerian is creative, intelligent, business savvy and most of all, enterprising, “that is why it is not surprising that the SME has about 17million companies, employing 32million people in this country which represents about 75 per cent of our workforce and contributes about 47 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” stressing that is the reason this sector cannot be ignored.”
He said the SME sector, as important as it is, still faces challenges from a number of factors.
He said NEDEP has been strategically designed to address the observed challenges in the SMEs’ segment by bringing together public sector capacity and private sector expertise to deliver the needed enterprise data bank.
Jonathan who arrived the venue at about 9.45am to flag-off the event, took about 40minutes to move round the mini-fair arena to see first-hand, feel and touch the various products that were on display. They range from fabrics to plastic products, leather materials, machinery, cosmetics, arts and crafts and a wide-range of other items, including vehicles, produced by Innoson Motors, Nnewi in Anambra State.
As the President, accompanied by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Aganga, the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Ms. Evelyn Oputu, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Minister of Finance and Coordinating of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Executive Director, BoI, Waheed Olagunju, was conducted from one stand to the other, he engaged the attendants and the manufacturers, touching and admiring the products and asking questions.
His mien, beamed-live to the waiting audience in the banquet hall, showed that he was satisfied with what he saw, as he relished on entry into the banquet hall to the waiting arms of several dignitaries and senior government officials, amongst whom were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chief Kola Jamodu, President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola, Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Oviah, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mua’zu, the Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, his counterpart from Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo and the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Prince Segun Adesegun, who represented his Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, amongst several others.
Aganga, who took the first shot at the day’s event, left no one in doubt as to the necessity, as well as the urgency for Nigeria to industrialise. He said for years, the nation has frittered away many opportunities aimed at industrialisation, by merely focusing on export of raw materials. A continuation along that path, he warned, will lead to more poverty. He said Nigeria must diversify its economy, produce what it consumes, stressing that no nation survives on the basis of exporting its raw materials.
“History shows that no country has ever become rich by exporting raw materials without also having an industrial sector, and in modern terms an advanced service sector. The more a country specialises in the production of raw materials only, the poorer it becomes,” he said, adding that industry implies National wealth. Aganga explained that the NIRP and NEDEP are both holistic and integrated, meaning that they are joined at the waist with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), adding that the NIRP and NEDEP adopt inclusive structures which bring in other government agencies and the private sector to ensure adequate policy synergy, urging operators of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to form cooperatives for easy access to funding from BoI.
Several messages of solidarity came in support of the initiative. Nigeria’s acknowledged biggest industrialist, Dangote, assured that the private sector will play its part in support of the government’s initiative. Obi, Mimiko, Dankwambo, Jamodu and Prince Adesegun, aligned with the federal government, saying that the NIRP and NEDEP are programmes in the right direction.
A caste of three students from Jikwuoi International school, Abuja and a presentation by Nigeria’s Nollywood best added colour to the event. The youngsters urged people to save, so they could invest. In their words: “In the old days, the man who saves was a miser, but now, he is a wonder.”
Done with the solidarity messages, Jonathan, walked up the podium to formally inaugurate the NIRP and NEDEP, saying the NIRP is the most ambitious and comprehensive road map that would transform the nation’s industrial landscape, boost skills development, enhance job creation and conserve foreign exchange.
His words: “The NIRP is the flagship industrialisation programme ever embarked upon by this country. It will fast-track industrialisation, accelerate inclusive economic growth, job creation, transform Nigeria’s business environment and stop the drain on our foreign reserves caused by importing what we can produce in locally.
“The Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan is the most ambitious and comprehensive industrialisation programme because it is based on the areas where Nigeria has competitive and comparative advantage such as agriculture and agro-products, metals and solid minerals, oil and gas, construction and light manufacturing services. It has identified those sectors where Nigeria can be number one in Africa and top 10 globally.”
He said NEDEP, would help reposition the MSME sector as the major driver of job creation and inclusive economic growth, adding that the Federal Government would continue to promote the patronage of made-in-Nigeria products through the implementation of its local patronage policies and programmes, adding that NEDEP is designed to develop and grow the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises because all over the world, the MSMEs are primary drivers of employment. With the successful implementation of the National Enterprise Development Programme, Nigeria will attain her dream of inclusive economic growth.
