FEATURE ARTICLE

Innocent A. OjefiaTuesday, December 22, 2009
[email protected]
Abraka, Nigeria

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MAKING DELTA STATE THE BEST ECONOMY IN NIGERIA:
THE VISION AND MISSION OF DR. UDUAGHAN

here is no doubt that of all economic systems, the commercial-market system has remained the most practical and effective in achieving economic progress for society. The foundation of the commercial-market economy includes the principle of self interest as motivation for innovation, production and accumulation of wealth. This leads to competition and private ownership of capital which naturally stimulates growth and efficiency.


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2. In a competitive environment, things get done faster, cheaper and better; new methods are easily invented. To gain market share or improve living standards, innovation and creativity are required

3. The idea is an economic system in which the pursuit of private interest, freedom of choice and ability to access finance promotes growth and progress. One of the positive aspects of commercial-market driven- economy is that it unbuttons the people's creative potentials, reducing their dependency on government for survival. It is all about the individual as unit of production. It is the individual that creates wealth through having appropriate skills and using same to increase output. Poverty is conquered when each individual work hard enough to increase his income to enable him meet his daily challenges. The aggregate of individual private pursuits generates development and progress for society.

4. The role of government therefore, is to create the enabling environment for business to thrive; thereby allowing the individual to play a leading role in the productive process. Government creates institutions that improves the individual capacity and develop infrastructures to enhance production.

5 The scenario above, supposedly the ideal is not what is obtainable in Nigeria. We operate an economy in which private sector is excessively dependent on government for survival. Across the country, almost everyone in business depends on government, making the economy to be unstable and unsustainable, as there are little or no multiplier effects.

6. Right from assuming office, the vision and mission of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan as Governor of Delta State has been to empower the people, encourage them to be self reliant and independent of government; through the three-point agenda of peace and security, human capital development and infrastructural development.

7. The clear understanding is that in the absence of peace no society can progress. The peace and security agenda pursued by Dr. Uduaghan is all embracing. It includes the pursuit of peaceful co-existence and unity among the diverse ethnic groups in the State, freedom from poverty and diseased. His vision is to make Delta State one, except in language.

8. The human capital development programme is aimed at enhancing the capacity and productivity of the people through skills acquisition using formal and informal approaches. The purpose of pursuing infrastructural development is to create the necessary facilities that could act as foundation for the people in the pursuit their private interest and achieve their individual goals and objectives.

9. Underlining Dr. Uduaghan's mission is a re-direction of our people's attitude from dependency on government to self reliance. This means that our people should yearn for economic activities that are sustainable. Hence the encouragement being given to private business initiatives, through the various incentives lined up for small and medium scale enterprises. These initiatives are towards cottage industries and agro-allied businesses, such as fish farming, animal farming and crop production.

10. This is the whole essence of the seriousness behind the Youth Empowerment through Agriculture and Farmers Support Programme. In the agricultural sector, the idea is not only about helping people to produce, but also helping them to have access to market, where they can maximize their profit. A major focus is on adding value through preservation and packaging, which, currently is the missing link in our agriculture.

11. To make the mission a reality, there is need for credit and capital. A good economic engine runs on credit. This is why the Dr. Uduaghan administration has created avenues for credit. The Delta State Micro-credit Programme has an arrangement with Oceanic Bank, which facilitates access of our people to micro-credit. There is also another arrangement between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Bank of Industry; this makes available macro-credit mainly for medium scale enterprises in the State.

12. Dr. Uduaghan understands that the greatest challenge to the people's ability to realize their individual initiative is energy. The Delta State government has concretized its plan to attract investment to the State by applying for a license to generate 2500 Megawatts (mw) of electricity at a cost of $4billion.The construction of the first plant at Ogboren is already on course, this will generate 150 Megawatts. The project entails generation, transmission and distribution.

13. The power plants which are proposed to serve 1509 communities, is to be financed by a consortium of banks among them two indigenous ones, Oceanic and UBA, along with three international partners, UBS- a Swiss Bank, Barclays Bank and Bank Paribas. The role of government in the energy sector is to facilitate an economy which ultimately will be private sector driven.

14. Dr. Uduaghan's support for the Chevron's, Escravos Gas To Liquid project (EGTL) and the Koko Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) is based on the fact that their successful establishment will create multiplier effects both in terms of employment to the teeming youth population in the State and create business opportunities for the immediate communities.

15. So far, topographical surveys for the KEPZ have been completed while other preliminary works are on-going. The license has been issued by the Federal government. A company from the United States which specializes in the production of pipes for the oil industry and other industrial uses is already showing serious interest. On completion, the Zone will have investments controlled by the private sector; which will ultimately generate lots of ancillary services.

16. The dualisation of major roads and the lighting of the major streets and highways are meant to create the atmosphere that will encourage a 24 hour economy. People can open up various business parks along the highways taking advantage of the street lights at night. There are stadiums and other facilities across the State, people should think of how best to use them to earn a living outside of direct participation of government in such businesses. A lot of opportunities exist in the State that individuals can explore to bring development to our people.

17 With all these, the people should take advantage of various policies and programmes already put in place by government and engage themselves in productive activities. By building roads and bridges government has done its job, the market has been brought closer, hence the people must improve their productive capacity to take advantage of government's good intentions.

18. Dr. Uduaghan is indeed on course to achieve his vision and mission of turning Delta State into the biggest economy in Nigeria. As it is anticipated the State's human index and standard of living has increased tremendously, while employment generation is also expected to increase considerably, especially, with the envisaged increase in private sector activities. The present priority on agriculture and the size of the opportunities it represents is well placed; as it has great potential to create thousands of new jobs and businesses.

19. While the vision and mission is laudable, there is need for the people to understand its tenets. This calls for re-orientation, aimed at changing the value and attitude of the people from being totally dependent on government into being self reliant. Everyone, including, the intelligentsia, the bureaucrats, artisans, street sweepers among others, have roles in the realization of the new vision and mission for the economic re-positioning of the State. The end result is a people's government where you may not necessarily have to be a government functionary to contribute optimally to the economic development of the State.

20. Historical experience show that over attachment to government creates misconception in the evaluation of government performance. In most cases, government performance is judged based on what is directly benefited from the government. Individuals and communities become antagonistic towards infrastructural development projects because it does not have immediate cash benefit to them. Some are naturally antagonistic to any government initiative because they are not part of government. These are very wrong and negative orientation that must be changed.

21. However, it is important to note that everything cannot happen in two years, not even in one term. These are long term perspectives that must start now. Barrack Obama, the United States' President-Elect, has said that his vision to move the United States forward may not be achieved in one term. This should be very instructive to us in Delta State. If United States at its level of development needs time for a change-agent like Obama to move it forward, for us as a State it becomes obvious, we need patience, time; under a visionary leader like Dr. Uduaghan to move us out of this present state to a better tomorrow.

Innocent Ojefia lectures Political Science at the Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

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