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Tag: way forward

  • Read your way forward (II)

    Last week, we started a conversation on how reading can change our lives. We reviewed the examples of Benjamin Franklin and Michael Faraday and how, despite their limitations, they went on to become great achievers through self-development. We really don’t have any excuse to remain where we are inasmuch as there is information out there on how to change levels. In modern times, our greatest challenge is not the lack of information but the lack of direction. If we know where we want to go, we will ask the right questions on how to get there and seek out relevant information on the steps to take.

    Imagine this: there are several biographies and autobiographies of great people that can inspire us to greatness. In just a few days, we can learn of a person’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges, victories and even personal success traits. While it took the person perhaps 60 or 70 years to live through those experiences, and a few other years to publish them as a book, it willonly take us a few days to read. That individual learnt his lesson at the end of his life, we are learning the same from him at the prime of ours.

    First, we must have a direction or goal, then we should read our way towards the achievements of that goal. Here are a few ways we can do this:

    Classify the goals: I assume you have a list of what you want to achieve this year. In case you haven’t a list yet, please make one right now. Classify your goals according to similarities to ease the process of finding relevant materials.

    Identify the leading authors on the subjects: sinceit is wise to learn from the best, find out the people who have achieved desirable success and get their materials. You will learn from their wealth of experiences and add their strategies to yours.

    Determine to read a book every month: if you become too enthusiastic and want to read the books all at once, not only will you get exhausted quickly, you will also neglect other important things that equally need your attention. The best approach is to adopt a system that is gradual, but effective. When you pick the book for the month, divide the number of pages by the number of days in the month; that way, you will make progress gradually and also be able to measure your performance. You may also create a log for yourself and check it every day after reading; this will give you psychological satisfaction that you are making progress.

    Take notes: get a notebook and write out what you learn every day. Also, write your impression about what you read and indicate how it applies to your own situation. Among other things, taking note will serve as a quick reference any time you need the information.

    Act immediately: don’t wait till you finish reading an entire book before you start using the information therein. The motivation that comes from reading the book is meant to propel you to act- don’t let it ware out.

    Convert every idle time: you can read anywhere, so, convert every opportunity in the traffic, toilet, etc. to reading time.

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This will be your year, if you want it to be!

  • Read your way forward

    Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States and he had several achievements to his credit, such as being an author, printer, political theorist, scientist, statesman and diplomat. Not only was he said to have exemplified the emerging America, he also played a foundational role in the definition of the values upon which the nation was build. It is, therefore, amazing to note that he had less than two years of formal education. His father couldn’t afford to send him to school beyond that level, so, he practically read himself to his achievements. Benjamin Franklin was referred to as a voracious reader and several books and articles have been written about his personal library.

    Another icon that is worthy of attention is Michael Faraday. As in the case of Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday had only the most basic education, after which he educated himself. At the age of fourteen, he became an apprentice to a local bookbinder and bookseller and was reported to have read several books during his seven-year apprenticeship. After his apprenticeship, he attended scientific lectures delivered by Humphry Davy, one of the leading scientists of his days. Michael Faraday took notes from the lectures and later bound his notes into a three-hundred-page book and sent it to Davy who was really impressed. When the need arose, Davy employed Faraday to work for him and the rest is history; of course, we know that Michael Faraday later made major discoveries such as electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis.

    If we examine the lives of several other successful people, we will discover that they all have something in common- reading. Let us adopt a common sense approach here. We expect a studious student to excel but, if a student does not study for his/her examination, we assume failure is imminent. Hence, whether consciously or unconsciously, we equate studying or reading with success.  Again, most people would agree that life is a life-long school. How is it then that we don’t consider it necessary to read in order to deal with our daily challenges? Do you think you are the first person in your position? Do you think no one has ever gotten to where you are? Of course not! There are books on almost every topic or career that there is. When last did you read a book to update your information?

    You don’t know how much you don’t know until you open up yourself to more information. I used to think that being wise means knowing everything, until I came across a passage in my favorite book which says that when you give instruction to a wise person, he becomes even wiser. This means that “knowing” is not what makes us wise, but identifying what we don’t know, being humble enough to admit it and having the good sense to seek it out. How did you perform in 2018? Do you sincerely think you used the highest quality of information to manage your affairs? If you did, do you suppose that information will be sufficient to give you better chances in 2019? If you desire a better result than you had last year, you need to broaden your knowledge base.

    Another value of reading is that it conditions our thoughts. According to Less Brown, psychologists say that 20 – 30 thousand thoughts go through our minds every day. Since our dominant thoughts determine the results we see around us, it is best that we feed our minds with productive materials in 2019.

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This will be your year, if you want it to be!

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Way forward for museums, by stakeholders

    In the wake of growing concerns, stakeholders of private and public museums converged on Freedom Park, Lagos to chart proactive ways of promoting museums in Nigeria, Jane Chijioke reports.

    ThE functionality of museums is the goal that private and public museums should achieve.

    This was the summary of the discourse at a symposium, tagged: Public Museums vs Private Collections: Synergy or Competition, organised by Goethe Institut, Lagos in collaboration with SMO Contemporary Art.

    The event, held at the Freedom Park, Lagos, had as speakers the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe; Director, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Arts, South Africa, Azu Nwagbogu; the pioneer Managing Director, Dangote Foundation, Dr Adhiambo Odaga, and Acting Director of Museums, National Commission for Museums and Monuments,  Nigeria (NCMMN), Edith Ekunke.

    Owners and managers of private and public museums were urged to leverage  each other’s experiences in developing museums.

    Museums are difficult entities to run, it was observed. While the private ones rely on individual effort or source for funds, the public ones are funded by the government and are faced with underfunding, unfavourable policy regulation, poor access to exhibitions and others. She, however, called for collaboration between private and public museums, saying it  would provide sufficient skills and expertise in managing exhibitions to attract attention, locally and globally.

    Although both entities have overlapping functions to co-exist, she was of the view that there are enormous opportunities to be derived from each partnering with the other.

    While observing that 95 percent of the African antiquities lie outside the country – majorly in private collections, she raised concerns over the fact that those collections may not be presented to the public for years. She, therefore, stressed that the aforementioned trend can be taken care of if private museums partner with public ones.

    “How come many years ago we were so meticulous, we produced such beautiful pieces of work. These are fundamental questions we need to ask ourselves because no country can go forward without looking back and appreciate where it is coming from. We need to decide that we love our heritage and will preserve it as best as we can,” Odaga asserted.

    Odaga, who is a former member of the Ford Foundation, commended the success of The Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa exhibition in 2010, which saw the collaboration of the British Museum with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museum and Monuments (NCMM).

    Noting that the African artifacts were the biggest assets of that exhibition, she said the partnership would enhance the capacity of workers to conceptualise and curate exhibitions to attract local audience and also sell anywhere.

    Odaga decried the attitude of African governments towards preserving cultures and heritage, urging Museums should borrow a leaf British Museum that has led to its success.

    She said: “To what extent do we take our culture seriously? In Africa, we underfund to our detriment in preserving our heritage. The government has a greater role to play in ensuring there are well-drawn out policies to move the sector foreward. We need to be clear on what kind of museum we want? How much can be spent in building the capacity to put together exhibitions and to preserve the artefacts?”

    On his part, Achebe, who is a private collector in Onitsha, said historically, most public museums started as private museums and 90 percent of the antiquities in public museums were donated by private collectors.

    The monarch wondered if this could be the reason for the increase of private museums as the public ones were mostly established to oversee, manage curators and display what has been donated. He said though public museums were accessible, sometimes private collectors were dismayed about how their collections were stored without being exhibited for years.

    “If you donate to museums,  you have to give them money to manage it. You have to create that space for them to manage it. So many collectors won’t want to subject their collections to such treatment, rather they create their own museum” he noted. Achebe called for a better synergy to occur, public museums must respond to change and adaptation to modern realities to respond to audience demands with support from the private.

    Promoting audience interest, the discussants argued that the museum still holds its place in the technological age.  It preserves history and serves as a link between the past, present and future. It is an epistemology for the next generation and also a place of reorientation.

    The panel’s moderator, Nneoma Ilogu, said the number of museums globally was on the rise. While the United State has 35,000 museums, the United Kingdom boasts of 16,000. Nigeria has less than 20.

    According to the Private Art Museum report,  53 percent of the world private contemporary museums were established between 2001 and 2010, with South Korea having the world’s largest concentration of private museums. Despite this increase, Africa still records a low audience interest.

    The Director of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art, South Africa, Nwagbogu ascribed the low patronage to the inability of people to relate to what they see in museums, noting that there is a disconnect the museum and the people.

    He compared the museum’s worth to a university where opportunities are created to provide knowledge, noting that a museum should be accessible.

    Meanwhile, to make the museum accessible, NCMM Acting Director, Ekunke said a token of N50 was required for entry, which has since been increased to N100. She added that efforts were in place to revive the museums. “These include building museum kitchen where traditional cuisines, spices, traditional drinks and entertainment in traditional music are available.

    “Others are craft villages where craft works would be done for the delights of visitors. These side attractions, she said, were parts of museums in the past. Evaluating the benefits of museums to boost tourism, she called on the private collectors to collaborate.”

    She blamed  lack of awareness of the average Nigerian which makes Nigerians to classify objects in the museums as “juju” that should be discarded, stating that museum pieces were not only displayed for beauty purpose but to tell a story.

    “My appeal is that we are asking the private museum to form a lobby group that will impress on the government the importance of museum.  Most of them do not know how important a museum is and that is why when they are budgeting for a certain aspect of the society, they view culture as last part. Let us partner to form a pressure group on the government to let them know that we can do something from these museums,” she said.

    On the repatriation of stolen objects, Nwagbogu suggested that stolen artifacts  should be returned with interest. He said it was painful to see stolen artcrafts abroad; while NCMM Acting Director, explained that returning them was a diplomatic and political matter.

    However, it was stated that a group has been established with some European countries to reason together as curators in making these objects accessible to the public. Ekunke stated that in the next two years, a museum would be built in Benin in partnershipwith NCMM to house returned objects.

    She said it was voted in the 2018 appropriation bill when repatriation was still ongoing.

     

  • Art is the way forward, experts say

    Experts have converged on The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos to discuss the rising commercial values of art and how to explore its opportunities. The seminar titled: Art as an alternative investment, was organised by Omenka Gallery in collaboration with FROT Foundation, Chinyere Elizabeth Okoroafor reports.  

    EXPERTS have met in Lagos to discuss the rising value of Nigerian art at international auctions.

    A speaker, Oliver Enwonwu, said research had shown that art is an attractive investment for portfolio diversification, adding that it has a low correlation with other financial assets.

    Other discussants included the Director and Head of Modern & Contemporary African Art at Sotheby’s London, Hannah O’ Leary; founder, OmoobaYemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation, Prince Yemisi Shyllon; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Capital Limited, Jubril Enakele; and Director, Foundation for Contemporary & Modern Visual Arts, Mr. Jess Castellote.

    In her keynote address, O’ Leary expressed delight at the growing value of art as well as the increase in the major outlets for sale of art on the continent.

    “We are seeing more art fairs, art museums and galleries on the continent, which is a good thing,” she said.

    She described Sotheby as a commercial auction house that drives  the value of art as well as showcasing international Nigerian bestsellers, such as El Anatsui, whose work Paths to the Okro Farm sold for $1,445,000 at Sotheby’s New York; Njideka Akunyili Crosby, whose painting Bush Babies sold for $3,375,000 at Sotheby’s New York; Yinka Shonibare’s work Crash Willy, which sold for $290,149 at Sotheby’s London and a painting by the iconic artist Ben Enwonwu titled: Africa Dances, which sold at Sotheby’s London for $264,568.

    Comparing the Western art market to that of Africa, Enakele observed that Africa still remains a virgin terrain.

    In his presentation Nigerian art financing: Overview, challenges and opportunities, he noted that the global art market was worth $63 billion with a 12 percent yearly increase.

    “The share of the US in this market, he added, is 42 percent, while those of the UK and Asia are 18 and 23 percent. Meanwhile, Africa’s share in this huge market is below 0.0 percent,” he said.

    According to Enakele, the prevailing conditions in the art industry might not be appealing to lending institutions. But, he saw these apparent gaps in the ‘art ecosystem’ as ‘opportunities for new players: noting that Nigeria’s art market is growing and it’s a matter of time before supporting infrastructure is in place.

    Oliver, who spoke on A brief history of art in Nigeria, educated possible collectors on the history of Nigerian art for a better understanding of the Nigerian art.

    The impact of the late renowned Ben Enwonwu and the spectacular performances of artists at international auctions only indicate a more promising future for the local art scene. He said: “The future is indeed bright for Nigerian artists,’’ adding that this was the right time for investment.

    Reflecting on the historical journey of art from the pre-colonial traditional art till date, he identified the Nok terracotta heads of 500 BC, 12th to 15th century life-size Ife heads and masks, 15th century Benin bronze sculptures and the relatively recent 19th century wood carvings as some of the major treasures of Nigeria.

    Nonetheless, his exposé on the Modern and Contemporary Art were concise enough as a crash course for any aspiring collector of Nigerian art. However, it was a contribution to educate the local art public rather on the potentials of quality art.

    In his presentation titled: Legal implications of collecting art, Prince Shyllon, one of Africa’s top art collectors,said that there are a lot of statutory provisions, which have not been tested by Nigerian local laws. The first, he said, is the Hague Convention of 1954, which was followed up by the 1970 UNESCO Convention in Paris, which focused on the ‘Protection of Cultural Properties’. According to him, the latter convention sought ‘to fortify the protection and transfer of ownership of cultural properties and illegal exports,’ adding that these conventions fell short of expectations and this necessitated the 1995 UNIDROIT convention, which was convened to fortify and tackle its defects.

    On the protection of the illegal export of art works, Shyllon disclosed that the ‘issue is extensively covered by the provisions of the 1977 National Commission for Museums and Monuments Act of Nigeria as amended by the 2004 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.’

    “Section 21 of the act makes provision for the buying and selling of antiquities. The operative word “antiquities” is interpreted in the Section 32 of the act as works of archaeological interest or relic of human settlement or craft of indigenous origin as well as ‘any of such objects made or fashioned before  1918 or any artistic work of historical or scientific interest or has been used at any time in the performance of any traditional ceremony,” he said.

    He, therefore, decried the abuse of the provisions of the act by the agents of the NCMM, who insist that every exporter of art works from Nigeria must present clearance certificate on any piece whether modern or contemporary.

    Perhaps, more pertinent to the artists in the audience is the Nigerian Copyright Act Cap 28 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, which ostensibly protects all original artistic works. “The law however behooves on artists the responsibility to register a notification of their right with the Nigeria Copyright Commission,” he said.

    But, Spanish-born Castellotedescribed art as more valuable than money, saying great investors make a lot of money. Great collectors create a lot of collections…There are things that are more valuable than money. Art is one of them.”

    Castellote’s presentation, titled: The making of a collector: Guiding Principles and collecting strategies offered consolatory words to those venturing into art collecting.

    According to him, a great collector has to be passionate. An ignorant collector cannot put up a great collection. He added that a collector must be informed enough to understand why it is important to part with so much of his hard-earned money to acquire an artist’s work.  In addition, he must be thorough, prudent, organised as well as adhere to much of the safeguards laid down by Enakele in his presentation. These include education and research, legal services, acquaintance with secondary markets as well as storage and insurance of artworks.

  • The way forward

    The way forward

    •Stakeholders must meet to review the law which seemingly gifts immunity to judges

    Against the interest of Nigerians, the war against corruption has become jaded, partly as a result of institutional hiccups. Last week, to the utter conster nation of citizens distressed by ravages of corruption, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, upturned the judgment of a High Court, and struck out criminal charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against a serving judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction.

    That judgment based on constitutional prerogatives of the National Judicial Council (NJC) places the war against corruption in the judiciary in a quandary, and we urge all stakeholders to address the challenge. Without prejudice to the rights of the parties to appeal to the Supreme Court, citizens are worried that technicality upended facts in the case of Justice Nganjiwa. With the matter stultified by technicality, the guilt or innocence of the learned judge has not been addressed by the judgment.

    Justice Nganjiwa was arraigned in June on a 14-count charge of corrupt enrichment and giving false information to an EFCC officer. In discharging the accused person, the Court of Appeal espoused the doctrine of separation of powers and held that the EFCC, being part of the executive arm of government, should not encroach on the constitutional prerogatives of the judiciary, as envisaged by the 1999 constitution, as amended. The court therefore held that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

    In the appellate court’s opinion, a judicial officer must first be subjected to the disciplinary powers of the NJC, established by section 153(1)(i) of the constitution, once the subject matter arose from the performance of the judicial function; and if such a judicial officer is sacked or retired , then the executive arm would be free to subject the official to a criminal trial, as in the case of Justice Nganjiwa. It argued that by the doctrine of separation of powers, the judiciary must exercise its functions freely without an iota of fear.

     

    Sound reasoning, but …

    As sound as the reasoning appears, at least on technical grounds, what then is responsible for the embarrassing corruption in the judicial arm of government and the tardiness of the NJC in dealing with criminal infractions by judicial officials? Assuming the reasoning in the judgment of the Court of Appeal is affirmed by the apex court, could that be a licence to gift our country a licentious judiciary? If the judiciary is interested in public opinion, there is apprehension that the judgment may have cloaked serving judicial officers with immunity, and that is worrisome.

    As we await the final decision of the Supreme Court on this matter, there is no doubt that the majesty of the judiciary is tainted by incidence of corruption, such as is levied against Justice Nganjiwa, and no nation can survive such trajectory. Perhaps there is the urgent need to review the constitution, to determine more clearly the powers of the NJC and the powers of the national agencies empowered by law to fight corruption. No doubt, the public is rankled that where a judicial officer is accused of corruption, the police and other security agencies concerned will have to wait for NJC to first act.

    If that is the law and spirit of our constitution, then the executive and the National Assembly should examine whether it is necessary to amend the laws to clearly demarcate between a misconduct and a criminal indictment, so that while the NJC deals with the first, the criminal prosecutor agencies deal with the latter. But of course, there is the need to have a virile and independent prosecutor agencies, and so any review should not gift the executive the opportunity to pocket the judiciary.

    Ultimately, the answer to the corruption plaguing our country is an incorruptible, independent, fair and fearless judiciary. A corrupt judiciary is a plague to the society, even as a shackled judiciary is a dangerous weapon in the hands of the executive. So, the three arms of government must seek a solution to gift our country an independent judiciary, regulated by judicious laws, in the overall interest of the entire country. Perhaps, the composition of the NJC could be reviewed to make it nibble and more efficient.

     

    NJC’s lethargy

    This is one option that could be dealt with administratively. As we have advised on this page, severally, the NJC exhibits lethargy in dealing with allegations of corruption against judges. We have advised that a special committee could be established to receive and review allegations of corruption as swiftly as possible. Where a prima facie case of corruption is established, such body will invite the police and other concerned agencies, to conduct a thorough investigation; and where infractions are established, the judicial officer should be retired and handed over for prosecution.

    The prosecution agencies must also conduct themselves in a manner that no reasonable person will doubt their independence and impartiality. In dealing with public officials, the same standards must apply, whether they are dealing with members of the executive, legislature or the judiciary. Where by their conduct there is reasonable apprehension that they are a tool in the hands of the executive, which appointed them, then the fight against corruption becomes a huge joke.

  • Industralisation: Experts chart way forward for states

    Industralisation: Experts chart way forward for states

    Experts at a dialogue on international investment, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), with the theme: “Promoting Industrialisation for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth”, have advised states to exploit their comparative advantage to industrialise their states.

    They noted that every state is blessed with one mineral resource or the other or even agricultural produce that can be exploited with value addition to turn the particular state into a cash cow for its indigenes.

    At the session, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelama said no nation can be industrialised by exporting raw materials. He said the Federal Government has embarked on intensive diversification with specific focus on value addition. He said to achieve the desired result, government has banned many products imported into the country in order to boost local production.

    He observed that most industrialised nations emerged today by taking actions. He said in line with this, government has gone ahead to provide an enabling environment.  This, he said, has been demonstrated by the latest World Bank rating of the country on the ease of doing business in which it moved 24 places.

    The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in his submission, said the positive economic outlook of the nation was a demonstration of the robust policies of the current administration.

    He said investors were showing strong interest in the economy as demonstrated by the growth in the interest in the stock market.

    Prof Osinbajo added that the government has invested over $22 billion in 41 projects across 22 the states, which is an indication that the economy is growing; and that, indeed, the ease of doing business has improved.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole, listed other achievements of the government as the improvement in electronic stamping of registration document by the Corporate affairs Commission (CAC), registration of companies within 48 hours, improved access to credit, property registration and the security of movable assets.

    United Capital Plc Group Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, called on the states to understand that they are independent entities and the need for them to determine, in a structured and deliberate manner and recognise their comparative advantage.

    She regretted that financial institutions are not enthusiastic about lending to the manufacturing sector and asked that they widen their net and learn from the developed economies where small and medium enterprises grow the economy.

    Mrs. Sanni recalled her visit to Abidjan, the Code de Voire capital and noted that $300 million capital was invested into the city alone to build infrastructure to encourage trade.

    She wondered when Nigeria can get to the point of receiving huge capital inflow to encourage small businesses and build competitive infrastructure.

    The United Capital boss said: “Financial institutions must be willing to accept registered titles as collateral while government policies must be well articulated and understood.”

    Earlier, Chairman, LCCI Trade Promotion Board, Mr. Sola Oyetayo, said the Chamber came up with the session to underscore the imperative of industrialisation for sustainable economic recovery.

    According to him, it is not just a coincidence that most advanced economies are industrialised, but there is a relationship between industrialisation and the economic development of nations.

    He stressed that industrailisation supports economic sustainability, progress and inclusiveness and is also critical for economic diversification.

    LCCI President Mrs Nike Akande said the nation’s recovery from recession in the second quarter of 2017 has elicited calls for policies that would support economic growth and development if sustained.

    She also commended the drive for the attraction of more private sector investments, enhancement of non-oil exports and the improvement of the nation’s position on the Ease of Doing Business ranking.

    She said:“The latest report indicates a remarkable improvement in ranking from 169 to 145. This reflects the impact of the efforts of government to improve the business environment. I would like to reiterate the need for the government at all levels to sustain current efforts and reforms towards the creation of a more conducive business and investment environment.”

    The LCCI boss reiterated the need for private sector capital to bridge the huge financing gap, which currently exists in many aspects of the national economy.

    According to her, to address this deficit Nigeria needs to attract investments from within the domestic economy besides providing an enabling environment to attract the needed investments from within Nigeria and abroad.

  • Economy: The way forward

    The Nigeria of today is certainly not the Nigeria of 1960. Nigeria in 1960, had 15,703 primary schools with 2,912618 enrolled; 883 secondary schools with 135,364 enrolled; 29 vocational/technical educational institutions with 5037 enrolled; 315 teachers’ training institutes with 27,908 enrolled; and three colleges of technology, 1 (one) university college. Nigeria now has over 150 universities (NUC, 2017) and produces over 300,000 graduates in the year. So, the Nigerian educational system has grown tremendously in quantitative terms and has produced many educated/learned people. Nigerians have also been travelling abroad to virtually all nations to acquire education in various areas of knowledge. Nigerians have learnt a lot in about 57 years. Nigeria is a more knowledgeable nation than she was in 1960.

    Sadly, Nigerian politicians have not changed; indeed they are worse than they were in 1960. This article, in response to the article, ‘Positioning Nigeria for prosperous future,’ written by Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun, and published in various national dailies, explains why the political group called PDP which ruled Nigeria in the period 1999-2015, could not fix the Nigerian economy and promote democratization, and why the APC which has been ruling the nation since 2015 also cannot fix the economy and promote democratization. The article also suggests how Nigeria can promote rapid industrialization and save Nigeria.

    Nigeria needs political parties because the political groups in Nigeria remain political machines and political machines who seize power. President Dwight Eisenhower (1956) of the United States, reflecting on the issue of a political party, said, a political party deserves the approbation American, only as it represents the ideals, the aspirations and the hopes of Americans. If it is anything less, it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. About 20 years later, Daniel Boorstin (1973), American historian, again reflecting on the issue of a political party, said, a political party is organized for a purpose larger than its own survival; a political machine exists for its own sake, its primary purpose is survival. I agree with President Eisenhower and Boorstin.

    Political groups in Nigeria do not represent the ideals, the aspirations and hopes of Nigerians; they exist for their members. Politicians at the local government, state and federal levels get into government and become very rich people in three months. Despite the millions of barrels of crude petroleum sold daily for over six decades so far, over 70 per cent of Nigerians are very poor. Nigerian governments tell long stories and claim that the nation is doing well. They would not accept the well-known bases for assessing the performance of a government – the state of the economy measured by the levels of employment, productivity and inflation, and peace and harmony. Also, Nigerian political machines would not accept globally accepted reports like the UNDP Human Development Report, because they would clearly reveal that they are political machines and conspiracies with no plans to develop Nigeria. They would rather cling to the reports of obscure bodies like Fitch and deceive the ignorant people that Nigeria is rated BB-, BC+; Nigeria has the highest GDP growth in Africa that will trickle down one day; Nigeria built roads and bridges, dams; etc.!

    Political machines connive with foreigners to deceive the ignorant people to adopt programmes which though have beautiful names, lack growth elements and do not promote growth and development. Nigeria adopted the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986 when the military government of Ibrahim Babangida was ruling the nation. All governments, including PDP and APC governments since 1986 have continued to implement SAP. That is, PDP implemented SAP in the period 1999-2015. The APC has been implementing SAP since May 2015. SAP has three principal elements. They are, 1) the mandatory foreign exchange market (FEM), 2) the sale of public enterprise and liquid assets to the rich nationals and foreigners and 3) adoption of deregulation (laissez-faire economics or market economic philosophy or profit consideration, individualism) as the basis for assessing the performance of public projects and activities. African SAPs were introduced to Nigeria and other African nations in the 1980s by the World Bank and IMF.

    The original document (Bellow, 1986) claimed that the Nigerian SAP has four main objectives. They are to: 1) restructure and diversify the productive base of the economy, 2) achieve fiscal stability and positive balance of payment, 3) set the basis for a sustained balanced non-inflationary or minimal inflationary growth, and 4) reduce the dominance of unproductive investments in the public sector. However, the analysis of the Nigerian SAP in the book entitled, “Understanding why Privatisation is promoting unemployment and poverty and delaying industrialization in Africa (Ogbimi, 2007), showed that the Nigerian SAP lacks growth elements and could not achieve any of its claimed objectives. SAP is merely promoting unemployment and poverty and delaying industrialization. Consequently, SAP has completely sapped and destroyed the Nigerian economy and impoverished the people. All that is left of Nigeria is a sapped majority of people and a destroyed Naira. There are also a few economists, accountants, bankers, lawyers, others in government and business who do not understand the science needed for increasing productivity and transforming an agricultural economy into an industrialized one, daily repeating the financial clichés associated with SAP and the stock market.

    An important warning to every Nigerian is pertinent here. Margaret Thatcher, a former Prime Minister of Britain, once said that to destroy a nation, you first destroy her national currency. She was speaking in relation to the experience of Germany when the nation implemented the German SAP 1919-1923. Germany lost WW I in 1918 as the leader of the Axis powers. The Allied powers demanded $33b from Germany as war reparations. Germany could not pay. The Germans were forced to implement the German SAP principally characterized by the mandatory forex market (FEM). The German Mark exchanged 4.2 units to the US$1 in 1919. In 1920, 63 Mark exchanged for one dollar. The Mark further depreciated in 1921; it exchanged 200 units to the dollar. The Mark depreciated catastrophically in 1922; it exchanged 2000 units to the dollar. In 1923, the Mark collapsed; it exchanged 4.2 trillion units to the dollar and stopped being a national currency. (Stolper, et al.,1967; and Glahe,1977).

    The Germans and Germany were seriously humiliated. But the strong will of the Germans saved them. They abandoned SAP in 1923 and printed another currency, reverting the exchange rate to 4.2 units to the dollar.

    Nigeria’s planning has always been devoid of growth elements. What Nigeria needs is industrialization, not privatization, not mere erection of infrastructure to attract foreign investments, not entrepreneurs. Industrialization is promoted through learning – education and training. The Nigerian economy has been stagnating hence it is experiencing mass unemployment. Stagnation is the problem (disease), mass unemployment is the symptom of the disease. Only mass training and mass employment can link the educational sector with the rest of the economy, enable our educated youths acquire complementary practical skills, promote rapid competence-building growth and  industrialization to save the Nigeria of today. Industrialization is the only solution to poverty in a nation.

    • Prof Ogbimi writes from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

  • Oil Sector: Whither the way forward?

    With the identified shortfalls in the oil and gas industry over the years, it has become so obvious that the virtual appointment of people that lack necessary technical know-how to oversee the nation’s oil and gas industry is largely responsible for the abysmal performance recorded in the sector.

    Over the years, the oil and gas sector has performed below average, impacting negatively on the economy. According to available statistics, taking a 10-year reading, the sector grew at the rate of 3.3 per cent in 2004; 0.5 per cent in 2005, and then a downturn of -4.5 per cent for 2006 and 2007; -6.2 per cent for 2008 and -1.3 per cent in 2009. The years 2010 through to 2014 did not fair better, either. Over these same years, comparatively, the growth rate in the non-oil sector is generally and consistently more stable than that of  the oil and gas industry.

    Furthermore, due to the lack of proper supervision and coordination, foreign trade has continued to play a significant role in the Nigerian economy. The argument that Nigeria is the 10th largest oil producer in the world with proven oil reserve of about 36 billion barrels; and gas reserve of about 185 Trillion Cubit Feet (TCF) among others, is given prominence more on paper and abject environmental degradation than inidentifiable dividends. This is a far cry from what is obtainable in other nations of the worldwith even lesser oil deposits. The reality on ground does not in any way correspond with the nation’s over 50 years of oil exploration vis-à-vis its attendant turnover.

    This, no doubt, raises a lot of questions about the competence of those who have at one time or the other called the shots over the sector. Nigeria has witnessed managers of the industry become so powerful with so much over-bearing influence within a short period of appointment, whereas the related institutions are pathetically weak, practically rendered inactive and ineffective. The sector’s statutory obligations are conducted in utmost secrecy akin to what obtains in privately-owned entities.

    This development is contrary to the letter and spirit of transparency and accountability as espoused by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Act 2007 also known as The NEITI Act, which (provides for the establishment of NEITI, and is charged (among other things) with the responsibility for the development of a framework for transparency and accountability in the reporting and disclosure by all extractive industry companies of revenue due to or paid to the Federal Government.

    From the forgoing, it is imperative that the need to secure the services of experts and technocrats who know their onions, and the nitty-gritty of a highly competitive oil and gas industry is more than justifiable. This is especially so at this crucial moment when dictates from the international market is affecting (negatively) the Nigerian economy. Similarly, the decision by the United States to cut further purchase of Nigerian crude oil is not in any way a good omen for the country. These historic and emerging trends, coupled with the present fall in the international prices of crude oil (albeit heart-breaking and detrimental to development) constitute a blessing somewhat. Nigeria has an opportunity to take decisive steps by looking inward with a view to being pro-active, re-strategize, and proffer lasting solutions to the myriads of problems that have stunted the growth of the Nigerian oil industry since inception.

    The nation, at this crucial stage, needs independent-minded technocrats (either as an individual or as a team) who need not to be spoon-fed on how best to marry the well-laid out reforms, supported with proper enabling laws and legislations, backed with the right attitude and the willingness to serve the nation meritoriously – being a complete departure from the self- aggrandizements, a major hallmark of past administrations in the country. In line with the proposition to reposition the sector for better performance, the following points should be considered.

    Firstly, the pursuit of the local content expansion should be embraced as an important national agenda. Government can achieve over 70 percent total contribution of the oil and gas industry to the GDP in the medium term if square pegs are put in square holes.

    There is the need to implement the report of the Oil and Gas Industry Committee (OGIC) on new institutional structures for the sector. This has culminated in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which was passed by only the House of Representatives of the 7th National Assembly without a concurrent passage by the Senate. Hopefully, the 8th National Assembly would do well to pass the bill with gusto and alacrity. When passed, it will repeal previous oil and gas statutes and related legislations, which certain elements (both locally and internationally) have exploited to deprive the nation huge earnings. The bill appropriately delineates roles among the various institutions in the industry and is comprehensively crafted to engender the much touted overall reforms of the oil and gas sector. It also aims at creating operational autonomy and transparency.

    There is the need to create a vibrant industry where the private sector plays pivotal roles. It is pertinent to note that, without independent-minded technocrat(s) being saddled with the responsibilities of conducting bidding processes for prospective firms, the very idea a performance-driven industry would be lost on the altar of sentimental profligacy. Unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks should be eliminated, and undue government interference minimized to guarantee effectiveness and result-oriented performance. The would-be regulators sector must first try to regulate the sector through standardization of all the players and new entrants. It cannot be business as usual. There must be a period of tutelage and cognate experience acquisition.  Human capacity training and development should be encouraged, with stipulated transition period for expatriates to hand over to locals, especially in the low and middle cadres.

    There is the need to unleash the full potential of the Gas Master Plan on the development of the economy. There is need for appropriate assets, policy framework for optimum utilization and value for the vast gas resources. This needs to be done to cater adequately for domestic and international markets. The development of the gas sub-sector in a comprehensive and integrated manner along with its entire value chain can be used as a launch pad to jump-start the economy.

    As a way of curbing the prevalent corruption in the sector, there remains no alternative to outright deregulation of the downstream sector. This, however, unlike the approach of the immediate past administration, should be done systematically in such a way that the resultant impact would not be transferred to the members of the public unnecessarily. Adequate measures should be put in place (before and not after the full-blown deregulation as was done by the out-gone administration) to cushion whatever effect that may arise thereafter. This is one major error committed by the President Jonathan-led administration.

    Efforts should be aimed at ensuring that the established high standards are maintained and sustained in NEITI’s interface with oil and solid mineral sectors, particularly in the discharge of its mandates under the NEITI Acts. This, once more, needs experts’ input. Other statutory regulatory bodies should be prodded to be much more responsive and accountable.

    There is need for a policy framework to address (aggressively) the infrastructural deficit of the Niger-Delta region; and producing companies should be encouraged to be more socially responsible. More importantly, regulatory bodies and management companies should be domiciled in the area where the golden egg is laid. NNPC, like the regulatory and management companies should not be working out of Abuja. Environmental protection should be highlighted, and defaulters must be punished with recourse to relevant legislation.

    The Nigerian Local Content legislationshould be promoted and implemented to the letter. The estimated cumulative worth of the total businesses in the oil and gas sector is about $18 billion US Dollars (N2.7 Trillion). The government wanted to achieve 45 per cent success in 2009 and 70 per cent in 2010, in respect of its local content drive in the oil and gas sector but recorded a paltry 39 per cent success in 2009 and almost the same in 2010. This lack of success was largely due to absence of technocrats at the helm of affairs in the industry to provide quality direction; the lack of enabling legislation and inadequate monitoring/supervision by the NNPC.

    This new dawn of change should herald change in attitude and the thought-process, by first seeing the oil and gas sector as a business that must be cultivated and nurtured to grow. It is not an assignment that any serious government would commit to the hands of career politicians or political jobbers. The new administration must be painstaking in appointing a capable team to oversee the oil and gas industry.