NIGERIA AND ISSUES IN INDUSTRIALISATION

Rapid industrialisation is promoted through integrated learning, argues FRANCIS E. OGBIMI

 The title in this article is a billboard one. It is one we ought to place on billboards in an outline form so that Nigerians can read it every day, understand the science which underlies the growth and development of a society, hence no one can continue to deceive them that there is an overnight route to developing adequate and reliable infrastructure for a nation.

All nations need adequate and reliable infrastructural network (reliable electric power system, good road and telecommunication networks, clean and safe water supply, good drainage system, complex buildings and other structures). How can they be built? Nigeria has been trying to build critical infrastructure, why has Nigeria’s infrastructure always been in bad state with attendant accumulation of huge debts? Is it that infrastructure cannot be erected and sustained in agricultural/artisan/craftsman production systems like Nigeria’s? Yes, our approach to developing infrastructure is wrong.

 All structures are depreciating assets (DAs); they immediately begin to depreciate in intrinsic value and performance once they are acquired or erected. Erecting complex infrastructure in a knowledge-skills-competences (KSCs)-starved nation may therefore be likened to attempt to fill a profusely leaking water-tank with water – a futile effort. This means that Nigeria – a KSCs-starved society cannot establish a reliable infrastructural network by awarding contracts to foreign and local contractors to erect complex structures that Nigerians lack the competences to build and maintain. Nations just do not fix roads as Nigerian politicians say.

The region occupied by the modern Western Europe was harnessed into the Roman empire in 55 B. C. The western portion of the empire broke-up in 406 A. D. England and other modern nations of Western Europe were clearly defined in the period between the tenth and thirteenth century. England, the most progressive nation in Europe achieved the first modern Industrial Revolution (IR) in the period 1770-1850. When England achieved the first modern IR, the roads in the nation were still those left by the Roman empire, showing that England did not build roads and telecommunications networks and other structures as prerequisites to promoting sustainable economic growth, industrialisation and development. But immediately England achieved the modern IR, good roads, railways and tubes, canals and other infrastructure were developed rapidly as aftermath of industrialization.

 The original thirteen colonies in the New World, the Americas, declared independence in 1776 and fought the War of Independence 1775-1783 with Britain. At the end of the war, the Americans wrote and adopted the popular American constitution in 1789 and declared the new nation the United States of America. The Americans did not award contracts to its colonial master, Britain, to erect complex infrastructure as a prerequisite to achieving rapid growth and industrialization. Americans reasoned that it would require a lot of resources to build roads; also roads would continuously demand resources for their maintenance. They then resorted to building canals to connect the rivers in the United States of America and used water courses as transportation infrastructure for a long time as alternative to roads. Similarly, when Mao Zedung became the leader of Communist China in 1949, the nation did not begin to award contracts to the more technologically advanced nation, Russia, to erect complex infrastructure in China as a prerequisite to promoting sustainable economic growth. Mao Zedung focused on developing the people that would enable China to address its problems, including building the relevant infrastructure. Objective sources suggest that the existence of the Chinese people dates back to 1000 B. C. So, China was already about 3000 years by 1949 when Mao Zedung became the leader. China had depended on Russia for a long time as an ally to build its railways, bridges and other structures. But China and Russia quarrelled and Russia stripped Machuria, the most built-up city of all the structures it had helped China to erect.

Britain, America, China and other technologically advanced nations of today had to develop the people and the KSC-framework for solving the problems of their nations before focusing on building the relevant infrastructure. That is what nature and wisdom demand.

The hibiscus flowering plant like other flowering plants, has the root and shoot systems. Whereas the root system is buried in the soil, the shoot which bears the beautiful flowers is usually above the ground. The root system is always established before the shoot system. The beautiful bright-red five-petal flowers are borne by the shoot system. The shoot system expresses and announces the healthy status of the root system. Once the root system is cut off from the shoot system, the beautiful flowers wither. So, no root system, no shoot system and the beautiful flowers the shoot bears. This explains why a nation should not and cannot erect complex infrastructure before developing the necessary knowledge, skills and competences for building and maintaining the structures.

What is Nigeria’s experience? Nigeria has always had epileptic electric power supply, no reliable potable water supply, perpetually bad road and telecommunication networks, dilapidated buildings, failing dams, etc. This is in view of the fact that Nigeria has been investing a lot of money on erecting all types of complex infrastructure and accumulating huge debts. The Kainji 760-megawatt hydro-power plant was commissioned by Gen. Yakubu Gowon in 1969, then Head of State of Nigeria. Its out-put has since dropped to just a few hundred megawatts. Nigeria had to request Sweden who built it in 1969 to come to give the plant a full overhaul because Nigerians do not have the knowledge, skills and capabilities to overhaul it.  The contract for erecting the Egbin 1300-megawatt power plant was awarded in 1981. The construction was completed by Japanese companies in 1987. The plant broke down a short time after.  Nigeria also had to request the Japanese companies that built it to come to repair it. Our experience demonstrates clearly that Nigerians lack the competence to build and sustain electric power generating and distributing systems. We also lack the competence to build other infrastructural systems.

History, science and our experience therefore show that there is precedence in the growth and development of societies. Just as the individual human being achieves biological puberty before becoming a party to procreation, so a society achieves technological puberty or industrialization before establishing an adequate and reliable infrastructural network. Thus, we can say that the establishment of a reliable infrastructural network in a nation is a fruit or aftermath of industrialization. To disregard this natural sequence is to attempt to build the roof of a house before laying the foundation. There is no short route to development.

Nigerian leaders have been trying to erect complex infrastructure through inflated contracts to no avail. In other words, Nigeria has been trying to build the roof of a house before laying the foundation – a futile effort. The right thing to do is to pursue rapid industrialization in Nigeria.  Industrialization is a learning and capability-building process. Rapid industrialization is promoted through integrated learning (intensive education and training, employment and research). That is how rapid industrialization can be achieved. That is how adequate and reliable infrastructure can be established speedily in Nigeria.

Prof Ogbimi, fogbimi@yahoo.com