Abdulazeez Barnabas Isa:.... NIGERIA’S AGENDA ON INDUSTRIALIZATION
Industrialization in simple term means the evolutionary changes in forms and methods of production of essential goods and services needed, the evolutionary processes are usually by movements from simple methods, processes and forms of manufacturing to complex, effective, quality and quantitative level. Industrialization has unarguably become the catalyst of development for all. The primary concerned of presentation is to contextualized industrialization based on experiences, as traced by history, through time up to the present. NIGERIA Nigeria is the 32nd largest political entity with over 140 million citizens, which placed her among the first 15 most populous countries and the most populous black nation on earth. Geographically; the climate and vegetation provides healthy area for human inhabitation and availability of resources needed for life to be comfortable, including industries of different types. Located between latitude 40 to 140 north, and longitude 20 to 150 East with land area of 923, 768km2. By political evolution, Nigeria is an artificial creation, crafted by British as a honey enclave in the 19th century to quench the thirst of global capitalism. With agricultural potentials, Nigeria had shifted almost all to oil economy. Nominally, Nigeria is one of the riches by resources and one of the poorest in terms of per capita income. INDUSTRIALIZATION IN PRECOLONIAL NIGERIA Before colonialism, some level of technological and industrial development was achieved by a number of Nigerian communities. several studies have been done on the traditional industry or skills during the pre-colonial Nigeria, with evidence regarding positive contributions of indigenous skills and techniques. For example, iron technology of the Nok culture around Jos, Bauchi, Daima, Kano and Zaria dated back to 500 BC. Archaeologists have excavated iron spears and axes at Nok, iron smelting furnace discovered at Taruga, evidence in Oyo that was recorded in 1904, iron mining capable of containing 100 to 120 iron workers at a time. There was evidence of iron in the building of canoe in Kainji. Markets and settled centres are driven forces of industrialization led to 3societies fulfilling their own needs for wide range of article of domestic use, farming tool and weapons. developed centres of specialization in certain mining and manufacturing, attracted migrants and buyers. Trade routes contributed to inter-group relations and cooperation. The trade routes linked the whole of Nigeria together, through numerous waterways and roads. stateless societies developed; Sokoto, Oyo, Borno, Nupe and Benin kingdom as centralized, while the Igbo provided the most outstanding example of organized stateless society with industrial archaeological evidence like the Igbo Ukwu; Igbo Isaiah, Igbo Jonah and Igbo Richard. Nigerian industrialization was not able to experience rapid industrial growth comparable to Europe, partly due to our belief system. When a man thinks from religious term, he starts from ideal rather than the material world, which is beyond his comprehension. This created a non scientific society and metaphysical way of viewing the world. Africans never ceased to consider religious taboos which limit their potentials in exploring and exploiting their environment, and then slowed down their development, but secularized Europe speeded up through capitalism or socialism. Despite this slow movement Nigerian industries attracted merchants and other people from Asia and Europe, mostly Portuguese. Example of Nigerian made industrial products where the Moroccan leather, produced in the north and soap produced in the Bini kingdom and other southern regions. This era of trade can be term the most partial era of trade in Nigerian industrial and commercial history, because there was no force or political coercion in the trade. This era was followed by slave trade, which depopulate Nigeria of potential scientists and redirect or take away the interest of Nigerians from manufacturing to slave trade, and crises of keeping out from being raided. in slaving time were forced to choose from enslaving or being enslaved by their neighbour. After the devastation of Nigerian societies by slave trade, the concept of legitimate trade emerged. Human resources as commodity needed in Europe was replaced by needs for commercial agricultural products. Merchants and Multinational Corporation took over the administration of Nigerian and forced Nigeria to a mere agricultural field. And prepared Nigeria to the next level, which is colonialism. INDUSTRIALIZATION IN COLONIAL NIGERIA This era was marked by complete annexation of Nigeria and political domination of all aspects social and economic life and institutions. At this period the responsibility of policy of industrialization was a colonial one. The period is from 1860s to 1960. The founders of the colonial order embarked on a cultural reorganization of creating a loyal servant, their allegiance to Africans had to be undermined. Total admiration for Europe had to be instilled into them. Unquestionable obedience to white men was presented as a cardinal virtue. The retooling of their minds and values was entrusted to the school. The colonialists weaken the African identity, destroyed their commitments to African communalist echoes and erased their sense of patriotic responsibilities to Africa… thus the colonial school manufactured meek, grateful and loyally submissive Africans in many of whom had been abolished in every desire for that cultural and political sovereignty. These further weaken the memories of traditional industries as the basic foundations to indigenous industrial growth. Meanwhile the colonialist superficially showed some desire to industrial growth theoretically, the establishment of Department of Commerce and Industry in 1946, was by the colonial government and according to them, it was established to look after small scale industries, basically to make research and promotion of industrial development. In 1952, the colonial government invited the World Bank to conduct research on the state of Nigerian technology. This resulted in the establishment of the Institute of Applied Technical Research in 1956. it later became Federal Institute of Industrial Research, created to make research into methods of production in Nigeria. In 1956, Federal Loan Board was instituted to provide loans for small scale industries or assist with materials. In 1959, Investment Company of Nigeria was established with the help of Commonwealth Development Finance Company. Theoretically, the cardinal objective of the 1959 institution was provide finance and technical assistance to indigenous companies engaged in manufacturing, agricultural and mineral exploitation. This was the level of pseudo commitment the colonial put into indigenous industrialization process. POST COLONIAL INDUSTRIALIZATION IN NIGERIA Hardly had the nation settled the zeal to industrialize Nigeria manifested in the establishment of an institution to the production of jute bags and mattress filling from coconut fibber continued after independence. It was to complement the existing 389 colonially inherited industrial establishments, mostly producing soap, cements, tobacco, and textile and brewing. Onyemulike (1982:175 177). Research conducted on gari and pulp of paper making both later led to the establishment of paper mill at Jebba in 1963. From then the regional and other political crises, especially, the civil war from 1967 – 1970 affected industrial planning and implementation until 1970s. In 1970, Gowon’s government like Stalin and Mao, unveiled the Second National Plan; established to guide the development of the country for five years. The main objective was to technologically and industrially developed Nigeria, or lay the foundations for the next step into industrialized Nigeria. Third National Development Plan followed with similar aim in 1975 to the second. By 1980, it had achieved little or nothing As at 1978; 1971 Industrial Research Council, 1977 National Science and Technology Development and 1979, the 1977’s institute, that later became a full Ministry of Science and Technology all fail to meet up to industrialization as expected. By 1980s Shagari’s government had many left over blue-prints to reconsider, but chose to established universities of technology, FUT Mina, was one of such school. Buhari’s regimental regime attempted to instil discipline as the basic foundation to proper behavioural bureaucracy and as the catalyst to future growth, being the major reason for the failures of previous policies, but was also regimentally toppled after just 20 months. Babangida regime, established National Policy on Science and Technology in 1986, with the responsibilities of guiding, aiding and developing science and technology. In 1986, through the Breton woods, Structural Adjustment Programme was introduced. It was a well thought planned. It was expected to guide the transformation of the country’s economy and stimulate industrialization. But it achieved little, partly due to government lack of rigidity as it allowed the cries of ignorant Nigerians to affect government decision on it. the National Economic Reconstruction fund (NERFUND) was created in 1989. it was to with loan that demand low interest from small scale industrialists, but in six years only 88 projects had received these assistance. the Peoples Bank of Nigeria (PBN), established in 1989, was to help low earners in establishing small scale industries under the activist Tai Solarin. It experienced the fate with the previous programmes. by 1980s through to the early 1990s all Nigerian industries and industrial policies had performed far below their expected target or worse been used to siphon public funds. POWER SUPPLY POLICY AND NIGERIAN INDUSTRY NEPA, later known as PHCN was created in 1972 as a result of the merger between Niger Dam Authority, which was established in 1950 and Electric Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), Njoku (2001: 227). NEPA, as it was known had the primary duty of providing electric city that will power Nigeria’s industries, forty years on the corporation had failed to provide up to 30% of Nigeria’s power needed. Between 1999 and 2007, the corporation is believed to have consumed billions of dollars equivalents of trillions of naira without positive results, as exposed by the House of Representative’s Power Probe Committee. Presently Nigeria, with more than 140 million population relied on less than 4000 megawatts of power, while South Africa, with less than 45 million populations with no comparable potentials to Nigeria, has 40, 000 megawatts. Little wonder, the inaugural speech by late President Yar’adua had made power the first of the seven point’s agenda. STEEL PRODUCTION AS THE BEDROCK TO INDUSTRIALIZATION The efforts’ to produce steel in other to boast technology and industrial growth in Nigeria began in 1958, the first western Europeans that were contracted to make research into the possibility of establishing steel manufacturing industry in Nigeria. This 1958 outcome was negative. The second attempt was in 1967, through some Russian firms, the result this time was positive. The military government immediately promulgated a decree establishing Niger Steel Development Authority, Njoku (2001: 188). Work began in the Delta Still Complex Aladja (DSCA) in 1979, and Ajaokuta steel company in 1981. With billions spend financially the highest has been the less than 20% output production from DSCA. Ajaokuta steel is presently a centre of financial and administrative controversies, mostly rooted from the onset. INDUSTRIALIZATION UNDER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS 1999-2012 In 1999, the new government promised to end power problem as at the beginning of the 21st century. The results of various reformations, privatization and change of name had little effects on this important sector. Without solving power problem, the government established small and medium industries equity investment scheme (SMEIS) in 2001. It was aimed at promoting industrial growth. In 2004 national economic empowerment and development strategy (NEEDS) was created, like its predecessor, it objective includes; accelerating the pace of industrial development, encouraging forward and backward linkage in few niches, providing enabling environment for private sector leadership, to promote the establishment of efficient small and medium size enterprises for sustainable economic development, and to facilitate, the development of industrial sector that is internationally competitive. In 2007 integrated industrial development (NID) was established. It was a blue print that emerged through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration Nigeria federal ministry of industry. Some of the objectives of NIID includes: industrial government and public private sector partnership, strengthening industrial institutions, addressing the challenge of low power generation and rural private sector agro-industrial development. One popular and outstanding policy that became pronounced doing this democratic dispensation is the seven point plus two special interest issue agenda for Nigeria. It came into official knowledge of Nigeria on 29th May 2009. Industrialization and power were some of the Yar’adua’s major campaign pledges. In his inaugural address, the famous “Yaradua’s seven point agenda” was unveiled, like others it remained one of the greatest work by technocratic bureaucrats, as a potential effective industrial and developmental blue print in Nigeria. The plan officially tagged, “Seven Points + two Special Interest Issues Agenda for Nigeria”. Power and energy was targeted at providing up to ten thousand megawatts by 2011 and fifty thousand by 2015. Infrastructure, food security, wealth creation, transport sector, security and education were on theoretical framework, taken care of, in the plan. Presently, the programme seems to have undergone near extinction like others before it. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan like those before him had introduced Gas-based economic programme in relation to this Industrial Development Park. It is on theoretical term aimed at improving the oil and gas sector by diversifying the sector, using the Industrial Development Parks as a strategy to develop the non-oil zones. On 28th May 2012the Nigerian Navy announced the arrival of Nigerian naval made vessel, this is not certainly a cheering news because one cannot really be happy with a mere copied technology that does not have aboriginal connection with ancestral technology. Though there is still time to substantiate this new so-called industrial break through. CONCLUSION Considering the fact that, African societies before the 1500s were in transitional between the practice of agriculture, fishing and herding in family communities and the practice of the same activities within the states and societies comparable to feudalism, one will wonder why Africa did not as the west, built from her local technology and moved into the next level. Hence most African societies fulfilled their own needs for wide range of articles of domestic use as well as for farming tools as weapons effectively, as exemplified in the archaeological finding in almost all part of Nigeria Igbo Ukwu, Ife, Taruga, Nok, Benin, etc. That means our cotton looms were small, the iron smelting was small, the pottery was slow by hard not by wheel, etc, yet some changes were taking place by context of industrialization. If external contact had exploited us, enslave us liquidated and helped extinct our technology, exploited our resources, we must wonder why now that we claim independent what are the chances of repulsing future direct invasion if the West should attempt. Our industrialization processed at present has a doubting future, because we have been made a raw material producing industry rather that a full political entity. Our education cannot break through to the standard of the modern global height because the elites are not thinking towards that direction, but how to keep Europe supplied, in other to receive, gold beds, trains, Cadillac, Rolls-Royces, Swiss Chalets and a number of Bank accounts. Just like the Oligarchies of old, Nigerian elites do not seem to examine the disaster store-up in the future by slave trade. Our new elites seem not to care about the disaster fattening upon the neo-colonial connection. Some solutions to the industrialization question in Nigeria are straight and two dimensions elite’s adjustment and masses (people) enlightenment in terms of industrial philosophy. One cannot mix pleasure and serious work, if real achievements should be expected, and worse of it, when corruption of the highest order is involved. In real sense of it most Nigerians have confused development with industrialization and we are trying to become a developed country without industrializing first. Most Nigerians think is that all government needs as responsibilities are the building of; roads, schools, not being corrupt and creating infrastructure, that when this happened Nigeria would be comparable to USA or any other developed country. But this assumption is too superficial, because without developing or establishing industries with its major foundation on indigenous brains development will remained neo-colonial’s driven. Through SAP, Nigerians exhibited their impatient altitude to temporary endurance related to policy-plan, aimed to better their future. The major bulk is in the hands of the elite, because if one group in Russia can successfully resists colonization by autonomously carrying out their industrial revolutions, and by subsequently defeating invading powers, thereby asserting their equality with the west. Why Nigeria leaders can’t at least follow the footsteps of Dr Robert Mugabe, cannot be easily removed by the West because he, at least raised literacy level from 20% in 1981 to 94% by 2000. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is industrializing, Malaysia is, India is, and Brazil is. But Nigerian’s place is perpetually found in the list of most corrupt indices. Perhaps our leaders feared that the choice given to them by imperialists, to serve as agents or be replaced by other willing tool, can lead to disaster. But history has shown that the most effective solution is to take bold decision to suffer collectively, due for the future or else our future in uncertain or most surely doom.
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