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…insists production boosts economy
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Few days to election, the Nigerian Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has reminded whoever will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, of the need to reconstruct the ailing economy of Nigeria.
The NSCIA specifically suggested an end to the culture of consumption and a shift to production and processing which is the only way countries get rich.
The NSCIA in a statement titled “the charter of expectations of Nigerian Muslims from next government” admitted that all is not well with Nigerian economy, hence the incoming government is expected to reconstruct the economy, and to do so in ways that will address the grinding poverty, joblessness and severe inequities across the populace.
The statement jointly signed by the Deputy Secretary General and Director of Administration, Prof. Salisu Shehu and Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, respectively, made reference to statistics that suggest that nearly two out of three Nigerians live below poverty line, thus advocating expansion of agricultural sector to absorb the unemployed youths.
“It’s important to emphasize the need to make a paradigm shift from production to processing, because that is how value chains are fixed, jobs provided and prosperity created. The shift to processing will create demands for skills and allow the shift from academic degrees to skills, which China did to emerge as the strongest economy on the global scene today.
“The enduring truth about economies is that no country gets rich from revenues; countries get rich only through production. There are number of other policies that experts have proposed that need to be considered with diligence and discipline.”
The NSCIA also reminded the next administration of the deplorable state of infrastructures in Nigeria particularly power (electricity) which has negatively affected the economy, thus suggesting a new approach to tackle the issue of poor power generation and supply in Nigeria.
“From 1999 to date, we have compromised our power sector reform, not because of dearth of ideas but because of the absence of political will and the inordinate greed of government officials.
“We expect the incoming administration to end this anomaly. There are experts with good knowledge of the sector, and they have what it takes to bring back sufficient electricity to power our industries. We should identify them and work diligently to restore power to this country which has been in the dark for too long.
“We also need to have a sustainable energy plan that will unleash our natural resources while protecting the environment. Other critical areas of infrastructure include improving roads and rail, recharging the Lake Chad waters to boost agriculture, arresting desertification and boosting digital literacy.”
The NSCIA also tasked the incoming administration on human capital development which, it said, is critical to economy recovery and the future of Nigeria.
“This is our area of comparative advantage in global competitiveness. Records indicated that 65 per cent of our population are under 35 years of age. The records also show that we have the largest out-of-school children in the world. Our girl-child enrolment presents another worrying statistics, with implications for our development. If we can educate and give them basic health care, they would be a powerful momentum in our economy.”
