POTENTIALS IN NUPELAND
POTENTIALS IN NUPELAND AND HOW THEY CAN BE HARNESSED
FOR ECONOMIC PROSPERITY[1]
J N Nmadu
Department of
Agricultural Economics and Farm Management
Federal University of
Technology, Minna
Protocol:
The basic necessities
of life are food, shelter and housing. Tied to this are needs for adequate
medical care, effective and efficient infrastructure, adequate power and
potable water, qualitative and affordable education and other necessities that
must be available to sustain life. The lack of, or inadequacy of any of the
above necessities makes an individual or group or nation poor. Therefore,
poverty is not just lack of money, however, where there is enough money to
afford all this necessities then there is prosperity. Poverty on the other hand
is often defined as the[2]:
Condition where people's basic
needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. Poverty is generally
of two types i.e. absolute and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is synonymous
with destitution and occurs when people cannot obtain adequate resources
(measured in terms of calories or nutrition) to support a minimum level of
physical health and means about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated
following the development path of countries that have been able to eradicate
it. Relative poverty on the other hand, occurs when people do not enjoy a
certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a government (and
enjoyed by the bulk of the population) that vary from country to country,
sometimes within the same country. Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said
to be increasing, and may never be eradicated.
From the above
definition, it can be understood that all our efforts should be geared towards
reducing relative poverty. Reducing relative poverty is an effort that both
those who are ‘poor’ and those who are ‘rich’ have something to do about. And
this effort stems from all of us being involved in some ‘productive’ and
‘economic’ activities. As part of these efforts, some individuals have concluded
that anybody that is earning a daily income of less than USD1.25/day or
NGN450/day or NGN13,687.50/month or NGN164,250.00/annum[3] is
relatively poor in comparison with those who earn more. This particular
information helps us to measure our success in reducing relative poverty.
There is no society
in which we cannot find poor people because all of us do not have the same
level of endowment. Some people are endowed with natural resources like land,
water bodies etc., while some people are endowed with intellectual and
entrepreneurial gifts to establish and manage ventures, businesses and
corporations, and, some people are gifted in the area of administering these
different endowment for the benefit of all. What makes the difference is of
course our individual efforts at maximising the gifts we have. This of course
is through value addition or production.
Production is the
process of converting factor(s)/resource(s) into a new set of products or
factors/resources to meet demand by individuals, organisations, government or
international community. Production is undertaken to meet specific demands or
to create utility (value addition). Value can be created in terms of place,
time or form. Therefore, production can easily be viewed as the process of
creating different goods and commodities from a particular raw material.
Although, production
can be viewed as purely a technical process involving machines and other forms
of technology, it is also very much an economic activity. The decision as to
what to create, how to create it, for whom to create it and other vital
production decisions are termed the “economic problem”. In addition, the
decision as to which set of technology to use for the production process and or
which particular location to use as centre operation or “company” is a decision
that involves a lot of economic considerations.
Viewing everything in
the light of the above, it is imperative to ask pertinent questions, especially
with respect to Nupeland:
i.
Are there demands for
various goods and commodities within Nupeland which are currently met by
economic agents from outside Nupeland?
ii.
Are there resources
and or raw materials that can be converted to other goods and commodities which
are currently supplied from outside?
iii.
Are there idle or underutilized
resources which can be converted to used to create utility[4]?
iv.
Are there technology
sets that can be used to convert the idle/underutilized resources to other
commodities which are in high demand?
v.
Are there people that
need to take up the challenge to utilise the idle resources to create other
commodities?
vi.
Is there prosperity
in Nupeland or there is poverty?
vii.
Are there prospects
of demand and are there possibilities that those demands can be fully met?
viii. What are the constraints that hinder the optimal
exploitation of productive resources in Nupeland?
ix.
What steps need to be
taken to ensure the full realization of the productive resources of Nupeland?
If we can answer the
above question individually for ourselves and then take a plan of action on the
need to turn Nupeland to a prosperous land in Nigeria, then the purpose of our
founding fathers, who resisted the crusaders would be fulfilled.
However, we do
recognise the challenges faced today if we are to do something about the issue
of poverty in the land. This is because of the need to have the right set of
knowledge, right mix of resources, the right set of technology, the necessary
capital inputs and the willingness of the Nupe people themselves (including our
esteemed leaders and particularly the youth to take advantage of the the
resources).
As you all know,
knowledge is power, but the system of knowledge acquisition in Nigeria today is
so defective that a graduate from a formal educational system is hardly better
than those who graduate through the traditional knowledge sharing system. For
example, an HND graduate would normally enrol with a mechanic in order to gain
experience[5]
and set up a workshop for repair and maintenance of vehicles. So also, a
computer graduates would normally enrol at a computer shop in order to carry
out the simplest tasks on a computer. So, if we are to turn Nupeland to a
prosperous nation, then we must acquire necessary skills and competencies that
are critical to a successful business ventures. Education should be for
knowledge and skills acquisition, never for the mere sake of acquiring
certificates![6]
The second challenge
we face today is lack of creativity. Most people wait until somebody thinks for
them. Through creativity[7],
goods and commodities are created and rebranded. Through creativity and
imagination, new goods and services are invented. Through creativity and
critical thinking, new and better technology set which are used for production
are invented.
Another challenge is
about inappropriate imagination. Now, imagine somebody who has not been able to
manage any venture or business before, and then there is opportunity, he or she
is marshalling a billion dollar enterprise. In spite of the level of knowledge,
experience still counts. Think of any global conglomerate today, almost all
started as a small family enterprise. No matter how good the prospects are, one
must be realistic. That is why the world has come up with the Specific
Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely rule of the game otherwise known as strategic
planning. Succession planning is also a very good strategy that is to be
considered when you start[8].
Another challenge we
have is over-dependence on a more successful elder or relative. Once a member
of a family has become successful in business or is elevated in his chosen
career to certain heights which confers on him some financial benefits, rather
than other members of the family emulating him or her and even trying to
surpass him or her, everybody simply come to the conclusion that he or she has
got such opportunity in order to solve all family problems. Such an attitude is
hardly existent in other cultures or clime. A lot of businesses or individuals
have gone into bankruptcy or extinction simply for this[9].
There is also
cultural social and traditional believes that constitute challenges to becoming
a prosperous land. Rather than build up social capital[10],
most parent prefer to marry for their children instead of ensuring that they
are economically empowered. The situation could get as serious as grandparents,
parents and children living under the same roof and often catered for by the
grandparents[11].
There is also another
but intriguing challenge we have in Nigeria and most especially in Nupeland.
The belief in the sovereignty of God over everything and His ability to provide
for all our needs. While it is
absolutely, a requirement for any prosperous people to have faith in God and in
His ability, it is also important to note that the same God does not tolerate
laziness, insolence, ineptitude, etc. It has become headlines news that
Nigerians spend more time in ‘prayer’ houses that they could afford to spend in
laboratories, workshops and their
vocations. Also, Nigeria has been described as a nation of “Churches, Mosques and Petrol stations”.
Interestingly, even when Nigeria has been adjudged as the most religious
country in the world, that has not removed corruption, criminality, insecurity
etc. We even kill in the Name of God! The developed countries do not even
‘believe’ in God, or where they do, not with the intensity by which we practice
religion in Nigeria, yet they continue to make progress and we go there to beg
for alms. Let me just mention one or two examples that should get us thinking:
why should an individual married additional wives when he does not have enough
to carter for those already within his household? Also tied to this, why should
an individual continue to give birth to additional children when he cannot
afford the school fees of those already born and roaming the streets, for lack
of adequate care?
In order to make
Nupeland prosperous, the challenges mentioned in this paper and numerous others
not listed[12]
but which are germane for moving the land towards prosperity must be addressed.
Part of the plan of action should be concerted creation of awareness on the
negative effect of the challenges we have mentioned and what can be done to
ameliorate them. There is strong need to make laws, where possible, to enhance
the plan of action and ensure that people are not only persuaded but they are
forced to follow the path towards prosperity.
Let me, at this
juncture, try to enumerate some idle resources which if are put to profitable
ventures to enhance family income could provide the base for the take-off to
prosperity.
The basic factors of
production are land, labour and capital. But these factors, on their own,
cannot produce a new good or commodity. Entrepreneurship or management skills
are required to mix the factors in the right proportion in order to get desired
goods or commodities. The most critical determinant of how successful a
production can be is entrepreneurship. It is often said that the weakest link
in a system or machine determines the speed of the system or machine. This can
also be said of the production process. The weakest link is the manager, hence
he is the determinant of the amount of success[13].
The production system can be view as shown in Fig. 1.
In agriculture,
capital include fertilizers, seeds, chemicals, cash, equipment and other items
which are products from other production systems. The mix
that optimises the
inputs and gives highest profit is termed the best combination. Viewing the
above system, it will be seen that if the wheel of entrepreneurship rotates
once, the other wheels will rotate more than once. Hence the speed is
determined by entrepreneurship. Therefore, listed below are some of the idle or
underutilized resources in Nupeland include:
i.
Abundant water bodies
across and within the land including rivers Niger (Edu or Ndaduma), Kaduna
(Lavun or Gbako), Gurara, Chanchaga etc.
ii.
Vast land resources which
are suitable to produce most of the staple foods consumed by other cultures in
Nigeria.
iii.
Quite a number of trees
(shea, baobab, tamarind, locust bean etc.) which command a lot of economic and
medicinal value but are grossly under exploited and their population is
threatened.
iv.
Various means of
transportation (rail, road, waterways) which makes the land a link to other
parts of Nigeria.[14]
v.
Abundant human resources
which are roaming the streets daily in search of paid employment and who easily
give up when faced with challenges
vi.
Expanding demand for food,
goods and other primary processed goods as well as education demands due to
rising population
vii.
Abundant capital resources,
in terms of available credit, intervention funds, development funds, assistance
funds, cooperative funds, etc
viii.
Abundant avenues for skills
development and training
ix.
Favourable weather
and good soil resources that supports low technology agricultural production.
With all these idle
resources, where do you start from? This question is very important because the
answer will serve as the road map to success in years to come.
i.
Start small and with
factors that are less expensive (typically labour-intensive manufactures). In
this situation, your family land, your family labour, family funds[15]
ii.
Gradually reduce
labour intensity while increasing capital intensity so that quality will
improve and quantity would be enough
iii.
Continue by
increasing processing and packaging and taking advantage of the value chain
iv.
There are businesses
that people have not taught of, use your imagination to create new goods from
abundant raw materials that are available at farm gate.
Let us give example
of low cost businesses that may not have been be fully exploited:
i.
One of the key
information you to need is to determine the items, commodity and services that
are in demand in your community but supply is short. Conduct a market survey if
you have intention to start a business to ensure that if you produce, there
will be market for it.
ii.
Small scale zobo
production, if you can produce and sell 1000 pieces of zobo per day at the cost
of 5.00 naira and plan to work for only weekdays, how much can you make per
year? Try to work out the cost of producing the 1000 pieces and see how much
your profit come to per year.
iii.
Set up cold room with
solar power where you could store fresh maize, tomato, and other fresh produce
from the farm for a fee. Get insurance for the business and see what you can do
with little resources
iv.
Use that your family
land to produce food crops in the beginning and gradually change to cash crops
v.
Establish a fire wood
plantation, you can also include electricity poles
vi.
Start fish production
from one pond, then increase to two, three, four, five,………, and see what you
can become[16].
vii.
Establish a link with
major consumers of produce from here. Arrange a means of transportation, get
insurance and send goods to him weekly at Lagos, Onitsa, Kano etc.
viii.
Set up small scale
agribusiness venture, kuli, rice mill, cassava mill etc.
ix.
Dry season farming of
vegetables and other food crops, construct and impound some rain water on your
farm during the rainy season.
x.
The best way to start
is to enrol with somebody who has already started so you learn the “tricks” of the business and gradually set up your own.
Conclusion
At this juncture, let
me emphasize that this lecture only serves as an eye opener and is meant to
stir up our imagination. The few examples given here shows that if our
imaginative capacity is opened up, then we are likely to see the emergence of
entrepreneurs that will turn the land to a prosperous and egalitarian
society. Given the abundant natural,
material and human resources to be found in Nupeland, the observed pervasive
poverty is a strange phenomenon that could be likened to the case of the man
who sits by the River Niger bank, but uses spittle to wash his hands. What an
unforgivable contradiction and irony, your royal highnesses, distinguished
ladies and gentlemen. It is my humble submission that if the agricultural
resources of Nupeland alone are properly harnessed and appropriate agribusiness
knowledge and skills applied, the Nupeland could be a shining example of how a
country could use its agricultural sector as a launch-pad for its overall
economic development.
Just like Jesus told
one of the people he encountered during His teachings while He was here on
earth, I hereby enjoined all us to go and do “likewise” as we can see
in America, Britain, Dubai and even Senegal rather hoping one day to check out
as was the case of ‘brother Andrew’
in the those days of serious economic difficulties in Nigeria when some people
thought that the only solution was to migrate to other countries..
Thanks.
[1] Being a Lecture presented at the 2018 Nupe Day Lectures
Series held on December 13,
2018 University Auditorium, Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai. The views expressed
in this paper are entirely my ideas and does not in any way represent views of
any other persons or groups. Some specific names are mentioned in the paper
only for purpose of illustrations only.
[2]
Assessed and paraphrased from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/poverty.html on June 15,
2018.
[3] Down from NGN91,250 as reported by T. Wossen, T. Abdoulaye,
A. Alene, S. Feleke, J. Ricker-Gilbert, V. Manyong And B. A. Awotide. 2017.
Productivity and Welfare Effects of Nigeria’s e-Voucher-Based Input Subsidy Program.
World Development Vol.
97, pp. 251–265
[4]In classical economics, it is believed that supply
creates demand which can work to some extent. At least when new items are
produced and marketed, people become aware of their existence and if it is
appealing, they will buy it. However, once awareness is created, then, efforts
have to be made to improve and maintain quality, otherwise, the demand will DIE!
[7] I was amazed at
the building of a wooden car by one fellow, I think in Bida, but such
creativity is behind time. Nobody will like to enter a wooden car today, WHY?
HINT: Think of a possibility of an
accident!
[10] Wives,
children and grandchildren become social capital only when they are adequately
educated, and empowered through life sustaining skills otherwise they remain
numbers in your household!
[11] This was aptly
captured as ‘second childhood’ by Dr. Louse
Fox, the Chief Economist of the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).
See Fox, L. (2018). Reflections: Labor market implications for Nigeria with
lessons from Africa and Asia. Paper present at the Second Conference of the
Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project held between August 13 –
16, 2018 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria.
[12] See for
example, Nmadu, J. N., 2016. Potentials of
economic prosperity in Nupeland. Being a lecture presented at the 2016 Nupe Day
Lectures Series held on 16th of December, 2016 at Bagudu Waziri
Auditorium, Federal Polytechnic, Bida
[13] For those
who are interested, you may read up literature on the concept of technical
efficiency and also compare it with resource efficiency in the production
process
[16] There are quite a
number of fish farmers in New Bussa and the cluster in Minna (Lapai Gwari).
Nupe Foundation can establish a skill training for interested persons with the
farmers here. Alternatively, a Workshop can be organized for those interested
in fish farming. The entire length of landzun stream in Bida or other similar
water bodies can be converted into a very large fish farm. Fish farming is one
of the low-cost enterprises and the demand for fish is on the rise! See for
example G. Ebiloma, R. Olatunji, T. Matthias, J. Nmadu, E. Olorunsanya, K.
Baba, A. Jirgi, H. Tsado, S. Liverpool-Tasie, and T. Reardon (2018). The rapid
transformation of the fish value chain in Nigeria: evidence from Niger State.
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy. Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project Research Paper 119 September 2018.
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