By Great Imo Jonathan
I have read many of them saying Peter Obi is an importer yet talking about MOVING NIGERIA FROM CONSUMPTION TO PRODUCTION. What is even more disheartening is to see highly placed APC Government officials copying and pasting such deliberate mysterious nonsense around platforms on social media. Simply because they don’t even realize they are indicting themselves. And you wonder how a government populated by such characters can move a nation forward.
Yet, they are desperate to remain in power, to do further damage.
But let me make it clear here that the author of that statement is not only IGNORANT but a malicious jester. To start with, Peter Obi brought a company to Nigeria that runs about three major production lines in the country, though under a harsh production environment. Yet they are employing thousands of Nigerians. That is foreign direct investment that brings value to everyone. Again, Peter Obi has other notable companies in Nigeria employing thousands of Nigerians.
The author and those sharing his ignorant statement don’t even know what it means when a nation is unproductive. To be a productive country:
- The first thing you need is energy. UN recommended quota for productivity is a kilowatt of power per person. That means for a country like Nigeria with two hundred million people you require two hundred thousand megawatts of electricity to meet the bill. That is what enables citizens to be productive and it is only the government that has the responsibility to do it.
Hence, Peter Obi is saying that it should be a priority for any government led by people with common sense.
- Capital is a factor of production. But in Nigeria citizens are not able to access capital because the policy focus of this government does not include this and it is not within the purview of individuals so to do. In most productive countries, as much as twenty five percent of annual lending is dedicated to small and medium enterprises and the condition for accessing fund is easy because government acts as guarantee and through agencies of government provides guidance to startups.
Hence, Peter Obi is saying that it should be a priority if you want to make Nigeria a producing nation.
- Furthermore, the major factor of production is manpower. But today ASUU is on strike. In the life of this APC administration, schools have been closed down cumulatively for thirty months. Most of our lecturers have relocated to other countries. There is poor funding for education but these characters in government are busy looting everything in sight. That is why an accountant general can steal over hundred billion Naira while they are claiming there is no money. And they are even talking about plea bargain. They claim to have spent over 1. 7 trillion Naira in servicing abandoned refineries and they are still shamelessly bold to tell Nigerians that over fifty percent of our crude is being stolen even when they control the instrument of power. Who then are the thieves?
With all these shenanigans, the quality of education in Nigeria is now nothing to write home about. Yet education is the responsibility of government and not just individuals.
But Peter Obi’s charity work focuses on education and healthcare. Over the years, Peter Obi has supported more than hundred and fifty education and health projects without making noise. While the rambling political buccaneers were focus on sharing their looted funds with their cronies, which they now see as achievement, Peter Obi has been busy investing in the right set of people and not political stooges who are expected to bring back favours during election.
It is a well EDUCATED citizenry that bring about a productive country and not an individual. The cost expended on importing Chinese rail workers and other skilled workers needed in Nigeria by government would have been eliminated if we had EDUCATED our citizens to have productive skills. No importer can change that.
With eighteen million children currently out of school in Nigeria today, anybody supporting and defending the government in power but is looking for individual Nigerians to blame for our lack of production is not just an empty brain but his or her thoughts are perfect for dustbin.
Hence, Peter Obi is saying we need to give our children quality education. That is part of what will make Nigeria productive and that is the responsibility of government.
- I am not sure that the AGBADO AND CASAVA SLAVE who made that comment is aware that the greatest asset for production is land and in Nigeria it is the object of national crisis. While farmers and herders are killing each other over it, majority of land in Nigeria IS NOT CAPITALIZED.
Yet the author is looking for who to blame. Because he or she is suffering from acute Ignorance.
Without going further, let me explain to ALL THE AGBADO AND CASAVA BRAINS pushing this narrative that the need for importation occurs when these factors of production are not in place and there is need to provide for the people. When factors of production are missing and there is need to plug the gaps to avoid scarcity, importation becomes a necessity to help meet demand and mitigate scarcity. Because when there is scarcity demand is higher. When demand is higher prices go higher because there is much money in circulation chasing fewer goods and that leads to inflation. Agbado and cassava brains don’t understand that.
From the kinds of stupid post coming from the ruling party we can understand why Nigeria has become a disaster. Empty brains and IGNORANT e-rats and psychopaths mismatching things in order to win an election but can’t govern the nation. They don’t even know the role of government in making a nation productive.
What a tragedy.
- Great Imo Jonathan is a public affairs commentator