In His New Book: Reclaiming Of The Jewel Of Africa
Ex-Minister for Commerce, Olusegun Aganga has just written a new book titled Reclaiming The Jewel Of Africa: A Blueprint For Taking Nigeria And Africa From Potential To Posterity. In it, he commended Otunba Bimbo Ashiru on his brilliant stewardship as Commissioner in Ogun State. On pages 120-122 under the sub-title.
Governor And Local Communities Also have a role to play: The example of Offa, he wrote”
“Offa is a town with a population of about 120,000 in Kwara State, Nigeria. In many ways, both the traditional and modern leaders in that town have shown how to transform the town and make it compliant with the 21st century.
Accelerated transformation calls for everyones hand to be on the deck. It cannot be left to the central government alone. Individuals, regional and local governments and communities have a significant role to play, and I think Offa has set an example that other traditional leaders and indigenes of local communities can emulate. Offa has a ten-year economic development plan developed by the Offa Descendants Union through its Economic Development Committee led by Dr. Waheed Olagunju, a development expert. This is based on the vision of Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, the traditional ruler of Offa, for the economic and social transformation of Offa. The union is already building a multipurpose industrial park as part of that plan. The information Metropolican Club, led by Dr. Sarah Alade, a former Deputy Governor and acting Governor of the CBN, comprises some active and retired Offa indigenes in Nigeria and the diaspora who have completed the construction and equipping of an ultra-modern medical health centre within the complex ofOffa General Hospital. The centre will offer some specialised medical services currently not being rendered by existing public and private health delivery institutions in Offa and neigbouring communities.
One can only imagine what would happen to the economy, jobs, poverty level, insecurity and development of the nation if this example set by Offa indigenes led by Oba Gbadamosi were replicated across the country.
The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, is another traditional leader who has taken a very keen interest in attracting investments into Lagos and in ensuring that Lagosians take full advantage of the job opportunities created by government policies. In every call I had with him, he talked about jobs for Lagosians and investments for Lagos and was always available to meet with investors. He was on top of those policies and the job creation opportunities.
I was also particularly impressed with the level of support the Sugar Council and Flour Mills received from the Emir of Bida, Yahaya Abubakar, when Flour Mills decided to embark on the construction of the sugar cane to sugar plant in Sunti, Niger State.
State Governors have become very competitive in attracting businesses to their states. That is a welcome development as they now link this effort to increasing the states’ IGR. For example, the former Governor of Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, and his Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Bimbo Ashiru, over the period became masters in the game. Close to 300 new industries were established in Ogun State with the state working very closely with the federal MITI. The incentives were good, state support was always there and the Governor and Commissioner were both very proactive. There is no doubt that President Jonathan was in Ogun State far more thatn any other state to commission new factories. I was there more than 15 times also to commission new factories. I remember on one occastionb one of the companies had a security problem. As soon as it was brought to my attention, I called the Governor and was pleasantly surprised that he picked up my call immediately even though he was outside the country on official duties. I told him about the issue and he said I should leave the matter with him. Within about ten minutes, I received a call from the investor/industrialist to say that the matter had beend resolved with the governor’s intervention. That is how proactive they were and how State Governors and their Commissioners can make a huge difference by working closely with the MITI and other relevant federal ministries.
Apart from the investor-friendly environment, Ogun State had some unique advantages: proximity to the ports and Lagos, a big market and at the time the Commissioner of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had started a quiet but profound re-engineering of Ogun State finances, working with Bimbo Ashiru under the guidance of the Governor. This led to a significant monthly increase in the IGR from N700 million in 2010 to about N5 billion in 2015. most of that additional revenue went into infrastructural development. On one of my visits to Ogun State (Abeokuta) was like a construction site – roads, flyovers, bridges etc. My security detail who grew up in Abeokuta was in tears beause of the transformation taking place.
Former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State was another development-oriented governor, Innoson Motors, the celebrated automotive manufacturer/assembler in Nnewi, and PAN in Kaduna were some beneficiaries of his foresight and commitment to local industries. Immoson was one of a kind. The local content of his cars was close to 60% and he believed he could rival any OEM in the world given the right support. Well, he got that support from the government and in particular Governor Obi, who ordered all the cars the state needed from Innoson and PAN, paid them in advance and helped construct a road to Innoson’s factory. Trust us Nigerians, with our taste for foreign goods and cars! There were complaints, as most people expected to receive imported cars, but Governor Obi insisted that we must buy what we produce locally. That is how nations grow, that was how the Asian countries developed their economies.
