Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of
Rivers State - The planned Ring Road Project
Dear Editor
I wish to express my gratitude to the Rivers State Governor Chibuike
R. Amaechi for being able to announce with clarity the amount
(N52.05billion) his government has received from the Federal
Government Treasury between May/June 2008, and the planned Ring Round
project costing N1.7billion. I have also noted the Governor's comments
in your publication of the 17/06/2008, on the issues surrounding the
many problems in the Rivers State, including the proposed Niger Delta
Summit and the hope that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will
help bring order in the State.
1. Introduction:
It’s unfortunate that those atrocities did happen and are still
happening in the River State. It is true that these atrocities are
committed with politics as a cover up, but we must be truthful to
ourselves. The majority of the troubles in the riverine areas and
Nigeria in general are more of economic failures which lead to social
deterioration. Many social anthropologists will tell you that the
break down in society or family follows a breakdown in the well being
(in this case, the economic circumstance) of the people. A well
managed economy holds the people together, giving them a sense of
sanity, hope and a claim to the stake. But when once that stake is
threatened, hope is lost, the social fabric is disturbed and those who
feel that they are the losers re-group into something else to occupy
their useful time. In which case, the people no long have a stake to
any thing around them. Remember, we were thought that "a man who lives
in a glass house do not throw a stone". If you have a stake in any
thing you will not work to destroy it. This was proven by King
Solomon, long ago, in his renown Biblical judgement. The other woman
wanted the child killed because she had no stake in the surviving
child and never will have, she knew.
2. The Cause of our Economic Woes:
While it is right for the Federal Government to inquire into problems
in areas like the Rivers State, especially, bearing in mind the
economic importance of the Niger delta region to the Nigerian nation,
I wonder if what such enquiry will found will be different from what
has long been known - The Riverine Areas are neglected by the Riverine
Political Elites. Unless, this summit has legal powers to indict such
people who are found guilty in their charge to run the affairs of
their people, we might as well channel the energy and time of the
summit to something more useful. People who deliberately use their
political position to cause economic and social suffering to others in
society should be penalised. If nothing else at least, such people
should be kept away from participating in any future leadership role.
But we see such people re-cycled again and again, allowed to damage
our society with impunity: because they see themselves as little gods.
Now, some intelligent persons will ask me how the political elites are
responsible for the lack of development in the Rivers State or any
other State. The first principle to answer that question is to say or
ask them 'what did the elites do with the money (bursaries)
allocated/received from the Federal Government Treasury over the
years. Whilst I will agree that some mismanagement has been
unavoidable in the financial affairs of many of our states and the
Federal Government not an exception, but there has been more of
`deliberate mismanagement of funds' than can be acceptable in any
civil society. This is easily found in many of the ill - thought-out
projects. In a normal society, a project should be one that maximise
the benefit to the community/society. For instance, in the present
climate of high graduate unemployment, does the construction of a Ring
Road give the maximum benefit to the people of Rivers State? As many
will agree, by it’s nature, road construction is capital and labour
intensive but after it`s construction it will benefit only those
(elites who can afford luxury cars) and private transporters, and
therefore in terms of income it will not generate no income to either
repay the original investment or maintenance of road safety. This
argument will be different if the road was a toll road but then in
Nigeria, we are not effective in collecting and /or managing public
funds.
However, in Rivers State just as in most other States in the
Federation, the high level of graduate unemployment should be given
the highest economic priority. Development policies should be geared
towards reducing this monstrous effect on our society. If the various
levels of government are able to channel their energy and resources to
creating employment, the social ills visible all around our cities,
towns and villages will be curbed. Youths will be less inclined to go
for guns, or join criminal gangs. Otherwise to go asking a summit to
find why Niger delta youths are up in arms with the oil/gas companies,
their country and community is a sheer waste of time. Now one could
ask,’how do we move away from where we are?'
3. Proposed Possible Solutions:
Luckily our country is endowed with vast amount of resources both
human and mineral, that many of our neighbours envy. Yet over the
years we have allowed it wasted, through unrealistic programmes of
"white elephants," in appropriation and embezzlements. The two most
important areas Nigeria could invest its vast oil resources, to combat
this high level of unemployment are in the Nigerian Postal Services
and the Nigerian Railways. The postal service is being neglected for
many years, yet it is one area that does require huge and varied
levels of skilled and unskilled manpower. Today in Nigerian people can
not receive their mails from the postman but through private mail
boxes that are ill managed. Since the service can pay for itself if
properly managed, the collection and distribution of mails and parcels
remain an area for massive job creation. We need people with version
to manage the affairs of Nipost, as with many our corporations. With
an initial Federal Government new investment, the Nigerian Postal
Services can be revamped and run itself to a profitable level. If the
current management team can not deliver, let them go back to business
school. Nigeria can not continue to suffer and be humiliated for the
inadequacies of a hand full of individuals. At some point the Federal
Government of the day has to draw the line and be seen to take a
stand.
Whilst the postal services remain a central government function, the
railways can be developed along both Federal and State Government
levels. The railway is another area of both capital and labour
intensity. It also will more than any other means of transport provide
long term skills development and employment at all levels. Whereas the
Federal Government transport policy should gear towards a national
railway that links all the major cities, the State Governments should
then push for rail links to all their local government Headquarters.
If you measure the benefit of this to that of the proposed Ring Road
in the Rivers State, or any other road project in the federation, you
can see the golf of difference. The benefits from railways project in
the Rivers State or any other State in the Federation will more than
out stripe road projects. For instance, a rail project will provide
massive training and employment opportunities both at construction and
operational stages, whereas a road project will not provide jobs after
its construction stage. The railways will also serve effectively for
the easy movement of people and goods, whereas the volume of the road
vehicles will be limited by so many factors. The railway will also be
self financing, given proper accountability, the road project can not
finance itself. There will be so many indirect benefits to be derived
from railway services. For instance, it will help decongest our major
cities, as many more people will chose to commuting from their local
town than live in townships with high cost of rented accommondations.
Whilst I do not suggest for any moment that this will be an easy
journey, I am convinced that its benefits will worth every penny of
it, instead of continuing along those lines of quick fix projects.
4. Conclusions:
However, these projects when completed, can not be left in the hands
of the public sector bureaucrats; else they will be run down. Public
fund should be invested in the strong believe that some, if not all of
it, should be recouped. To recoup the cost of the investment
therefore, governments must learn to properly float the finished
product into the private sector through the appropriate money markets.
Of course too, it should not be forgotten that these projects,
especially the railways will attract so many foreign partners who
might be willing to share the cost of the project and run it
profitably when completed. Contrary to a Ring Road as proposed by
Governor Amaechi, how the partners will recoup their investment could
be a put - off rather than attract them. At best Governor Amaechi will
settle for new money from the Rivers State treasury allocation. That
will not be a good business approach to the economic climate facing
Rivers State and its people. We do need to change from the old ways
things were done to our detriment.
Dear Editor, it is with gratitude that I pass on to you this personal
views of mine, on economic development strategy on how we can combat
this high levels of graduate unemployment in Nigeria and Niger delta
in particular. Thank you for the opportunity to put across my views
and idea.
Dr Charles T. Jumbo
Economic Analyst
Office for National Statistics
Statistics House
1 Myddleton Street,
LONDON EC1R 1UW
Tel: D/L 0207 014 2026
For the latest data on the economy and society consult National
Statistics at http://www.statistics.gov.uk
