Garba Shehu, the SSA Media & Publicity to Pres. Buhari has release the President Buhari's Jobs Search. The ongoing ministerial briefing of the President at the
State House, Abuja, put a spotlight on an important sector long neglected by
previous administrations, yet one that can create millions of jobs.
The first
briefing of a President by the Ministry of Science and Technology and its
parastatal organization, the National Agency for Science and Engineering
Infrastructure, NASENI, over a period of many years showcased opportunities and
the enormous achievements made in the invention, fabrication and assembly of
capital products for the sustainable industrialization of the country.
A matter for serious concern for President Muhammadu Buhari,
who campaigned on a promise to create jobs is the paucity of investments in
industry, without which there can be no new jobs or incomes.
Experts have warned a long time ago that Nigeria has been
frittering away its demographic dividend.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of the country’s population is made
up of youth, and a majority of whom are said to be jobless. The President has
been quick to see the danger which he describes as the next most potent for the
nation after Boko Haram.
In fairness to them, it is not as if past governments hadn’t
seen this problem coming.
The difference President Buahari wants to make can only
succeed by moving away for past measures with only palliative effect on youth
unemployment.
President Buhari has often spoken about agriculture, public
works, IT, industry and mining as capable of delivering the quick wins.
Past agricultural practices have had the effect of
constricting the definition of farming.
For agriculture to deliver jobs on the scale the President
is looking at, it has to go beyond cropping and cereals production. The whole
concept has to change.
It is for this reason that the new administration is seeking
to boost livestock,fisheries, horticulture; geese, duck and bee farming and all
that. In the neighboring Cameroon, export of fresh flowers is a key flank of
their foreign exchange earnings.
Those who patronize Chinese restaurants know the value of
ducks. It is so high in export value that the few who have tried taking it
abroad say it is a money spinner.
In addition, there is also what they call medical
agriculture. Organic plants are grown and exported such as the moringa that
have herbal and medicinal value with ready markets everywhere. After listening
to the presentation on this sector, the President’s parting shot, having
realized the challenges was “ I’m going to give you a tough Minister.”
The President has also been speaking about public works
projects, subject to improvement in the earnings of the government. But he is
not oblivious of the limitations of this line of job-creation. Its absorptive
capacity is limited largely to labour and low in capacity in dealing with
skilled manpower.
When NASENI and the Ministry of Science and Technology came
calling, they broached an important issue dear to the President.
They made presentations to him on home-initiated and
home-sustained industrialization processes through the development of relevant
processes,appropriate local machine designs and machine-building capacities for
capital goods and equipment manufacture that can lead to job-creation, economic
well-being and national development.
The President was much excited seeing this. He wondered
aloud why industry was not lapping up these local inventions. It was equally
clear that the problems on the part of these important agencies of government
agencies is the lack of capital infusion to move prototypes to capital and
industrial goods. He asked for a one-on-one meeting with the NASENI Executive
Vice Chairman for further briefing.
Successful economies such the United Kingdom, Japan and the
United States got to where they are today because because they did just this.
They encouraged invention and adaptation through business incubation and the
availability of venture capital. The President spoke about his enthusiasm for
energizing local manufacturing of goods using indigenous technology as against the
wholesale importation of goods and services as is the current practice.
In response to this concern came the overwhelming as well as
disturbing impression that Nigeria’s industrialization and growth are being
held back by an industrial sector dominated by foreign interests that are
keener on maintaining home ties than in keying into local patent. For this
reason, private investment using the local patent has remained in the doldrums.
To change the unwanted situation, government, according to
some experts, has to put its own house in order and look at policies that will
drive up the capacity of industry to employ enmasse. Some even argue for trade
barriers and subsidies since everyone is doing the same.
Government at the center may consider a national industrial
plan in accordance with national plan objectives and party principles or
manifesto. Many think this is necessary to define priorities and give budget
benchmarks because state government are not always run in a serious or
objective manner. When he saw what NASENI and the other agencies in the science
and tech sector were doing, the President’s question, obviously out both
interest and concern is: have you ever made this type of presentation to the
states? The answer was that only Bauchi and Nassarawa have so far shown a
measure of seriousness.
For such a central plan to succeed, it must take into
account the peculiarities and endowment of the states. In addition, it should
be a “must-implement” for APC states and optional for those in the hands of the
opposition. By this, APC states can become model states in job creation through
innovation and industrial production. In addition to giving the party
relevance, this plan imposition may have the effect of synergism in national
development efforts.
With his expressed commitment to supporting the science and
technology sector, along with agriculture, mining, IT and industry through
invention and local manufacture, the President has taken a major step towards
fulfilling a key campaign promise, which is to address the failure of the
economy to create jobs.
-Malam Garba Shehu
SSA Media & Publicity to
President Muhammadu Buhari
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