As the re-birth campaign is being launched we can try to
maintain an unrealistic outlook or lifestyle, but someday, we will have to pay
a realistic price for it. Enlightening people about issues like ours, Peter
Drucker wrote “A time of turbulence is a dangerous time, but its greatest
danger is a temptation to deny reality”. To move forward the government and
people have to embrace the reality on ground and make conscious effort to tackle
these issues urgently or we will continue to face challenges.
1.
Poverty and Unemployment: According
to the United Nations' Global Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index report Published
in June 2015, over 23.8% of Akwa Ibom’s population live below the national
poverty line. This index has three
dimensions and 10 indicators in estimating Overall Poverty. Each dimension is
equally weighted, each indicator within a dimension is also equally weighted,
and added. It uses 10 indicators to measure poverty in three dimensions:
Education, Health and Living standards. An unacceptable situation
considering that the state earned US$11,179 (source: http://www.wikipedia.com)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the same year, placing it as the state with the
eight highest GDP state in the country. On the state owned website (http://www.akwaibomstate.gov.ng/poverty-elimination/)
a grimmer picture is painted about the situation. The webpage states that “Absolute/abject poverty is
known to afflict over 75% 0r 3.75 million Akwa Ibomites. This problem has been
impervious to extant solution. This explains why it has assumed a
self-generating exponential growth”. Beyond
the façade of “Ado Ok” campaign championed by the last PDP administration in
the state, the poverty and unemployment rate in the state has remained one of the
highest in the country even though the state’s monthly allocation from the
federal government remains the largest in the country and at par with the total
amounts received by the 5 south eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu
and Imo. With an economy that is larger than that of
30 African countries including Gambia ($903.5million), Mali ($10.94 billion),
Chad ($13.51billion), Burkina Faso ($11.58billion), Togo ($4.34billion),
Liberia ($1.95billion), Sao Tome and Principe ($310.7million). Yet, this high income has not translated into
an economic leap for the state. Local contractors remain unpaid and are
routinely ignored for multinationals in the execution of infrastructural
projects, and residents complain of huge capital flights from the state. The
largest employer of labour in the state remains the civil service which is
already overstaffed. Most state-owned industries
have closed shop and the state did not attract any substantial investment in
spite of Governor Akpabio’s several overseas trip in search of foreign
investors. To move the state forward, we need a leadership that has true
compassion for the youth of Akwa Abasi Ibom State. A government, who actually
realizes that the global standard, for a thriving economy is not its
infrastructure but the quality of life of its citizenry.
2.
Pervasive
corruption and Government stand towards it: As one of the
slogans of the Dakkada campaign states “No problem can be solved by the same level
of consciousness it was created”. This is true, but unfortunately we are yet to
see it translate in the fight against corruption in the state. It is no secret
that the state accrue over N3 trillion during the tenure of the last government.
It is also baffling to note that by the exit of that government a massive debt
burden of over N70 billion was left behind failed to get the expected return
out of its different initiatives. Today the
landscape of the state is dotted with uncompleted projects like the Ibom
Tropicana Entertainment Centre, 20th Anniversary Hospital, Akwa Ibom
International Airport, Ibaka
deep seaport amongst. All these projects had
billions appreciated to them but yet they stand uncompleted. Despite the pleas
of the masses asking the Udom led administration to investigate the financial spending
of the past government. The administration has chosen to remain complacent to
the people’s pleas. Rather choosing to convert the state’s debts to Federal
Government bonds, mortgaging
the state for 20 years. The present administration should know that it is only a good reputation that will inspire foreign
investors to invest in our state.
Corruption-free society, political
stability and fiscal and tax benefits will make our state the first choice of
foreign investors for investment or undertaking any joint venture. Foreign
investment would lead to creation of jobs, technology transfer, revenue
earnings etc. Above all, our political leaders have to decide on what they want
to do with the state. If they want to do whatever they feel necessary without
any ethical judgment, then no action will yield results. They should play their respective roles in building a corrupt free,
secure and prosperous Akwa Ibom for the next generation.
3. Undifferentiated
brand promise (or complete lack of one)
& Lack of Local content: Successful local economic development
(LED) begins with a shared vision for the future of your community and a sound
strategic plan to realize that vision. Defining the identity of your community
and its unique brand, and promoting that brand identity to investors and
others, is an essential component of an LED strategy. Community branding and
marketing is more than a compelling logo, good promotional sales pitch, new
website and communication materials. It is a synergistic process of engagement
and partnership building. The ultimate outcome is to develop broad ownership of
the brand identity within your community. Key stakeholders need to be committed
to supporting it and to implement the various elements of your LED plan. A
well-executed community branding and marketing exercise can be a vital and
empowering process of local democratization, active citizenship and
participation. From the content so far seen from the Dakkada campaign the local
content is almost negligible. The whole manpower and concept are all from
Lagos. This translates to capital flight and the impoverishment of the local
manpower. A clear roadmap to the early abandonment of the campaign. Supporting
coherent local development efforts overall as physical, social, economic and
cultural sectors come together to deliver your community’s brand promise.
4. Economic
Development: From Leke Elder’s
Perspective economic development is defined as the persistent, resolute
measures undertaken by state policymakers that foster a higher living standard
and economic wellbeing of a particular area. Rapid development involves
the working of a complex series of interlocking systems, of which economic component
is an essential part. He also postulates that “without a culture of
entrepreneurship jobs from entrepreneurial initiatives will not fructify. By
entrepreneurial initiatives it does not mean sustenance initiatives. That a
young man can sell recharge cards to feed himself is not the kind of
entrepreneurial culture I’m talking about. The focus should be on creating
businesses that can employ people and create more entrepreneurs. Giving
recharge cards to a few thousand youths to sell will not create entrepreneurial
multipliers. His model calls for creation of job creators. And from these pools
of employees must come the next batch of entrepreneurs, who then create more
jobs and more entrepreneurs. This is the model needed to build the economy of
Akwa Ibom State, and one has to take a long-range view - 15-20 years; which of
course can prove very difficult considering our election cycle. A social engineering project takes time to
fructify but like Apostle Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered.” The
cumulative effort of the present government will create an enabling ground for successive
governments that will produce long term benefit for Akwa Ibom not policy
summersaults by every incoming regime. The entrepreneurial culture must be
generational and become part of the ethos of the state. This incubationary
approach does not take away from the state government attracting industries to
and businesses the state. They are needed to create an economic ecosystem. But
they cannot deliver on the future growth of Akwa Ibom. They will employ
thousands but they will not create an entrepreneurial economy. We’re looking
for those who can build something from nothing. But the idea of creating a
multiplier effect in enterprise creation in Akwa Ibom state is very feasible
and is indeed an attractive proposition. What is needed is a scaled incubation
system. The initial target is the creation of 10,000 entrepreneurs who can in
7-10 years create employment for at least 20 people each. With a little bit of
support any serious entrepreneur can achieve that target in the time
prescribed. The state ought to support businesses with a high potential for job
creation. At 20 employees per entrepreneur the initial target of 10,000
entrepreneurs will create 200,000 jobs. The goal is to turn 10-20% of that
figure into entrepreneurs. Given the same target of 20 employees per
entrepreneur over a fifteen year period a million jobs would have be created
and the multiplier effect goes quantum. Job creation moves into geometric
proportion. All we need is another 10% of that one million becoming
entrepreneurs who create jobs. Some of the businesses will of course become
very big, employing thousands and tens of thousands, some hundreds of
thousands. It all depends on the right mix of policy and commitment. There are
of course other macroeconomic issues to consider in making this realizable but
it can be done. This is a theoretical broad stroke. The details need to be
worked out. Can the present government take a long range view is the big masquerade
on the table? To make this
happen the state must not only work to create a culture of entrepreneurship, it
must set up an incubation system. That incubation system will bridge the
infrastructure challenge experienced by entrepreneurs. It will give the
entrepreneurs access to power, telecoms and the internet, and it will afford
them a confidence boosting business address. The people cannot stay in the
incubator for more than three years. Access to capital must be used as
incentive for them to grow and employ. ”
This
objective requires immense commitment. Perhaps the next Bill Gates or Richard
Branson is from Akwa Ibom State. But we will never know until we make a
commitment to begin the journey into the next 30 years of Akwa Ibom State.
To hold fast the confession of our hope
without wavering, we need to look into these salient but ever increasing
burdens encumbering our state and solve them before we can rise to the faith
that Akwa Ibom was created to be great and destined for greatness.
God bless Akwa Abasi Ibom State. Happy 28th
Anniversary to us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment