by Dr Ademola OladosuDear Mr President,
We really appreciate the fantastic effort you are making in sustaining
the economy of our country, Nigeria. Looking around the world, and
seeing what is going on even in countries like Saudi Arabia where a lot
of companies cannot pay salaries, we cannot but really appreciate your
efforts.
In my opinion, the problem of Nigeria and most African
countries militating against any meaningful development is agriculture,
yet we go abroad to import cutlasses, tractors and so on.
To
implement our health care programme, we have to go out to import
scissors, artery forceps and stethoscopes and all other basic and big
equipment and implements. As regards education, we produce chemistry
teachers and yet cannot produce test tubes and pipettes; we import
rulers, pencils and other laboratory equipment. This happens in every
sector including transport.
Sir, you have broken the jinx when
you instructed the Nigerian Army to start producing their basic
equipment especially light weapons. Please, do the same in other
ministries. Let us have equipment production in every ministry or a
ministry for equipment and implement production that will coordinate
equipment production generally, so that a substantial part of our budget
every year will not go into importing basic equipment and our youths
will be gainfully employed.
In all, agriculture is the way!
-
Dr Ademola Oladosu