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By Brown Chimezie and Obidike Jerry
in continuation of his Nnationwide interaction with traders and the Nigerian business community, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, returned to Trade Fair Complex, Badagry Expressway last week to reason with the traders on how they can take back their country economically.
Tens of thousands of excited and elated traders and other members of the business community within and outside the facility converged on the Association of Progressive Traders (APT) section of the complex to listen to Mr. Obi explain his concept of moving Nigeria from consumption to production economy.
Hear him: ‘’People will always ask me what do you mean by moving Nigeria from consumption to production? It is very simple. Today Nigeria cannot feed itself. India is a country of 1.4 billion people. They live on 3.2 million square kilometres of land. But they can feed themselves and still export goods. Today Nigeria is 200 million people and we are 1/7 of India in terms of population. We live on 973,000 square kilometres of land. In other words, we have more land than India relative to population size but we are not investing as much in agriculture.
‘’Today our three biggest states in Nigeria are in a state of poverty. Let me give example with one of them-Niger State. Our biggest state today is Niger state. Niger state has about 76,000 square kilometers yet about 7 local government areas in the state are occupied by bandits. They cannot feed themselves rather they depend on their share of money from oil and gas and tax from the federation which is a little above N50 billion per annum. Niger state is two and half times the size of Netherland. In 2021, Netherland export of agricultural products was $120 billion. If Niger state could do 5percent of that they would get $6billion and $6bilion multiplied by N650 per dollar is about N3.9trillin more than what they get from sharing oil money. So we will remove sharing formula from the constitution and replace it with production formula. The total export of Nigeria in 2021 was N18.9 trillion and if you divide it by N650 it would give you less than $30billion. Bangladesh did export of clothing alone worth $36billion,’’ Mr. Obi, lamented.
He went on to explain why he had been going to markets to campaign. According to him traders-micro, small, and medium scale enterprises- are very important plank in the actualization of the shift. His words: ‘’I am a trader. I feel at home whenever I am in a business community. As far as I am concerned, markets are centres of production, manufacturing and distribution as well as the hub of micro, small, and medium scale enterprises upon which the Nigerian economy rests.
“As you know the major plank of Obi-Datti campaign rests on production and we have repeatedly said we would move Nigeria’s economy from consumption to production if elected into office. According to Obi, the fastest/quickest way to bring this plan to fruition is to make the markets the epicentre of economic activities, Mr. Obi revealed.
Obi further said that his tour of some European and Asian countries further convinced him about the important roles women and youths play in their economies and promised to make copious accommodation for them in his administration if elected president.
He explains: I have followed the contributions of women in developed countries and I am convinced that Nigeria would reap bountifully if it gives women and youths the opportunity to thrive and excel. Let me give example of Bangladesh, a developing country. Bangladesh’s export trade especially in clothing boasts of women occupying 50 percent of the workforce. I will replicate these models of production and manufacturing in Nigeria as one of the ways of growing the country’s economy.
“Women and youths are important in the development and growth of economies around the world. Therefore, women and youths would occupy 50 percent of appointive positions in my administration if I am elected as president on Saturday. To realise this noble objective, Obi said that his administration would pursue an affirmative action or enact law that would make it mandatory for women to occupy important positions in key sectors of the economy,’’ Mr. Obi Assures.
On policing- we will increase their manpower and ensure multilevel policing-federal, state and local government. Retrain and equip and insist they deliver. Police must be a friend of the people. We will make sure that our leaders will stop still people’s money.
Earlier the president of APT, Association of Progressive Traders, Mr. Eric Ilechukwu, who is also Chairman of Trade Fair Stakeholders Forum, an umbrella body of all the markets in the complex, said Obi’s presence in the market was to help him to further sensitise his members on the importance of this Saturday’s election. He urged the traders to keep their voters card ready and to troop to the various polling units where the registered very early and cast their votes putting Nigeria first. He pleaded with them to vote for the best candidate.
