ONE of the popular sayings of late mogul, Chief m.k.o Abiola,was that governance is a serious business. Many other Nigerian leaders have consistently echoed the view over time, but it has not gone beyond rhetoric. Otherwise, the country would not have been found in its present circumstance, searching desperately for self-discovery. From post-independence till date, Nigeria has enunciated policies and programmes specifically meant to bring her to the status of nationhood. Many of the programmes were rolling plans, with specific aims, objectives and time frame.The success or failure of those rolling plans were as a result of many factors, chief of which was attitudinal. Nigerians can recollect a few of such policies on indigenisation in the industrial sector, technical aide corp scheme, other crash programmes most of which aimed at transfering technology from developed nations to Nigeria.It was in the pursuit of that urge to industrialise that the govenment embarked on what some came to describe as gangartuan projects. These include the ambitious the Ajaokuta steel plant, which has become moribund in spite of the enormous public fund spent on it. Steel rolling mills were also established in Osogbo, Osun State and Aladja in Delta State to complement the national desire and determination to industrialise. Another pragmatic step in that direction was the setting up of vehicle assembly plants in Lagos, Ibadan, Bauchi, Kaduna and Enugu. Sadly, virtually all of them have gone under save for the one in Kaduna that has become a shadow of its gigantic mission at inception.One fact about all those years and past economic and industrial programmes was the dominance of Europe and the United States in the economic life of Nigeria. Most of the multinationals operating in the country had their roots in the West and US with most of them in strategic sectors right from the time Nigeria was a British colony.No Nigerian felt the positive impacts of many of the companies through gainful employment and a booming service industry. However, the fixation of the country to the West has significantly changed at the official circle since 1999. The new direction is Asia and particularly China. Thanks to the Obasanjo eight-year rule. It subtly spurned the West by making sure that Chinese firms secured governnent's multibillion dollar contracts in very strategic sectors.The new thinking also paved way for Chinese firms to saturate the Nigerian market with all manner of substandard goods, thus sabotaging the past efforts at protecting local industries in areas where Nigeria has a comparative advantage such as in textile. The most incalculable damage was, perhaps, in the transport sector, particularly railway. Many had thought that the government was sincere and determined when it announced a package to revamp the once pride of the country. But sceptism crept in when the government declared that the Chinese were to breath life into the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).Accordingly, it pumped public funds runnging into billions of dollars during the Obasanjo administration. Today, the corporation can hardly crawl, to the embarrassment of not only those presently in charge of the affairs of the country, but the entire citizens.The point I'm making is that what we had an ample opportunity to gain from the West is the underlining goal and missing link in our current general romance with China. The end of the latest economic and industrial expendition might lead us to a bloody nose if the experience of Nigerian workers engaged by Lebanese, Syrian and Indian firms is any thing to go by. The plan to achieve technology transfer, attract foreign investors, who would to remain in Nigeria through thick and thin has taken flight.Oderemi, 08023501874 (SMS only)
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