Towards inclusive and sustainable change

Gone were the repulsive and concocted lies and diatribes that used to go on almost 24/7, as if someone is desperately trying to keep his job. Even the Raymond Dokpesi-owned AIT is now trying to polish its tainted image. Gone also, from almost all the channels, are the so-called experts and analysts who regaled us […]

Gone were the repulsive and concocted lies and diatribes that used to go on almost 24/7, as if someone is desperately trying to keep his job. Even the Raymond Dokpesi-owned AIT is now trying to polish its tainted image. Gone also, from almost all the channels, are the so-called experts and analysts who regaled us with their fake predictions, wishful thoughts and mostly uninformed “analysis” before and during the polls.
These same media outfits that refused to expose the sham that passed for elections in the South East and South-South are now busy talking of the need for the incoming government to be inclusive and carry everybody along by sharing National Assembly and executive posts equitably. Which is all well and good: even the Constitution provides for a minister from each state! As for the National Assembly, it is very clear that if you decide to go with a party that ends up in the opposition you live by your choice. Even if the elections were rigged, then those who allowed rouges to determine their choices must live with the consequences until such a time that they mature enough politically to force their leaders to allow them to actually vote.
It is up to Buhari and his party to select which executive office to give which part of the country with the clear understanding that those selected individuals are loyal to the Nigerian nation, committed to the new vision and mission of change, and be people that would add value to the administration. The most critical is the post of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which he must select very carefully. The last occupant messed up Jonathan and, probably more than any other, helped sectionalise our already dangerously fragmented country.
Inclusion must however not be limited to political units, regions, tribes, gender or religion. For the promise of CHANGE to go beyond mere sloganeering, it must have an economic content. Despite our nation’s recent impressive GDP growth performance, a number of problems remain, specifically in the areas of job creation and social service delivery; both very important markers of inclusive development. The PDP was rejected at the polls basically because people lost faith in the direction it was taking. Millions of Nigerians, but especially our large and rapidly increasing number of young men and women had no jobs and did not see prospects of any down the road we were going. Economic growth was non-inclusive, and only a select few were benefitting.
 The reason is simple: our growth continues to be driven by exports of primary commodities, which are produced in capital-intensive economic enclaves with limited value-addition or linkages to agriculture and the rest of the economy. The finance, insurance and communication sectors employ only a few, often highly educated, elites. Manufacturing is not developed because of poor regulatory environment, inadequate infrastructure and low demand. Cheap and sub-standard imports and second-hand goods dominate our markets.
This absence of significant value-adding activities means that our nation is invariably reduced to being “a net exporter” of jobs to the rest of the world. The capital-intensive techniques associated with the extraction of minerals and crude oil, and even construction, further undermined our capacity to create jobs. Over the years, the contribution of manufacturing to gross domestic product (GDP) has therefore declined or stagnated with adverse consequences for jobs and incomes. Even if we concentrate on agriculture, the absence of a significant agro-industrial processing sector means we end up producing more with nowhere to sell or with declining prices.
The absence of adequate and regular electricity, poor transport infrastructure (especially railways), high cost of funds, corruption and insecurity all contribute to our inability to take charge of our destiny. Families must have decent incomes if they are to provide food, shelter, education and health care for their members. These incomes must come from jobs and enterprises.
Now that we have chosen APC and Buhari, we expect to see real changes. We need to scrutinise their plans for manufacturing and enterprise development, as well as agriculture, construction and infrastructure provision. These will have concrete impacts on livelihoods and access to social services.
Inclusive growth (and especially inclusive industrialisation) is not something that comes about automatically, just by getting the “enabling environment” right. It is planned diligently, carefully executed and continuously monitored. Central to it is an active industrial policy, and not just passively setting the stage right and waiting for the private sector to perform miracles. Next week we shall focus on the APC Economic Blueprint and ask whether it has an inclusive, coherent and well articulated industrial policy at all.
Part of US$20 billion ‘missing’ from NNPC now refunded?
Netizens were taken aback by the recent reported refund by the management of Zenith Bank Plc, of $16million out the $20billion allegedly “missing”  from the coffers of the Nigeria National Petroleum, NNPC, which was said to be a figment of the imagination of the former governor of the Central Bank, now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Since then I have not heard any denial or explanation from either NNPC or CBN.
If the allegations are true, then Godwin Emefiele, who quickly moved in from Zenith to become the Central Bank Governor, in a very controversial circumstance after Sanusi raised an alarm over the non-remittance to the treasury, has a case to answer. Despite attempts to whitewash it, the issue needs to be resolved by General Buhari once and for all as soon as he takes over. Luckily, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala would have been kicked out by then. I just don’t want to believe anybody could seriously think such large amounts could go undetected.