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Ayo Akinfe
(1) I am sure many of you have read Professor Osinbajo’s economic revival plans. As ever, Prof was very meticulous in looking at areas where we can get significant growth including boosting farm output, tapping into the potential of solar energy and he even suggested introducing a public works programme to offer employment to our teaming army of unemployed youths
(2) Called “Bouncing Back: The Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan,” highlights of the programme included the mass cultivation of between 20,000 and 100,000 hectares of new farmlands in each state
(3) It also calls for extensive public works and road construction programme, focusing on both major and rural roads and using locally available materials like limestone, cement and granite
(4) I for one, particularly like the suggestion that we introduce a mass housing programme to deliver up to 300,000 homes annually, engaging young professionals and artisans who form themselves into small and medium scale businesses within the construction industry, using indigenous labour and materials
(5) Now, for me, given that agriculture is one sector where we can get immediate gains as crops can become available within a year, our emphasis has got to be in rural road construction under the public works programme. Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest agricultural producer but up to one third of our farm produce goes to waste because of poor transportation, distribution, storage and refrigeration facilities
(6) In every one of our 774 local government areas we have poor roads. I cannot think of one local government area in Nigeria where rural roads are not waterlogged during the rainy season. Just imagine you are a tomato farmer and picture what happens to your produce when the lorry carrying them from your farm to the local government headquarters hits a pot hole
(7) I know of many farmers who cannot even access their farms during the rainy season. If agriculture is to now take centre stage in our economy, these rural roads are going to be our lifelines and arteries, so need to be given top priority. We are the world’s number one producer of cassava, yam, cashew, kolanuts, egusi, shea nuts, bitter leaf, agbalumo, coco yam, etc and are among the top 10 producers of cocoa, palm oil, pineapples, groundnuts, pappaya, coconuts, gum arabic, neem, etc. Good rural roads are required if we want to get all these goods to international markets
(8) Our state governors are currently obsessed with building flyovers, roundabouts and dual carriageways in their capitals. As nice as it is to have such good-looking urban structures, that is not the main priority for now. In every state, I would like to see about 75% of the road budget dedicated to rural areas
(9) In the 1930s, Germany initiated a public works programme to engage its millions of unemployed youths and man, did it succeed. Many of those rural roads are still in use today and they ensure that every part of the country is inter-connected. We just need to do something similar
(10) What we now need is a policy under which local government chairmen are compelled to build a road linking every village within their domain to the local government headquarters. State governors should then be compelled to build roads linking every local government headquarters with the capital. Only then can we tap into the potential agriculture provides
