Indus Renewed focus on agriculture to boost industrial development Cleric canvasses fertiliser plants nationwide By Babatola Adeyemi and Charies Ogugbuaja
IGERlA:S super abundant agricultural potentials and the value such would add to her industrial sector has again enjoyed the attention of stakeholders in different fora in recent times. Indeed, as far as the Bishop of the Diocese of Oru, Imo State, Rt. Rev. Geophrey Chukwuneye is concerned, agricultural development is so critical a need in the country today that the Federal Government must prevail on all state governments in the country to establish fertili ser bleni:ling plan ts across the nation. Nigeria's neglect of its agricultural potentials was due to the discovery of crude oil in the 70s, but stakeholders have repeatedly stressed the danger of over-dependence on the product, even as they have emphasised the imperative of diversifying the eco nomy. Agricultural development, tliey insisted, remained the country's competitive edge in view of its endowments. According to them, the raw materials reqUired for industrial processes would .. not "only be provided via agriculture, but many agricultural products on their own are also ready materials for industrial processing. Speaking at a fOnlm by.the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCG) in Lagos rece ntly, the Chambers Economic Group Chairman, Mr. l.I. Ifuek<l, lamented that her vast land nationwide was wasting away rather than being utilised for agricultural purposes. "Nigeria has so much opportun ity and would be earning so mu~h in revenue that would have been comparable to the revenue from oil if not more if we are able to exploit our agricultural potentials. You only need to travel round this country to see the vast arable land lying fallow to appreciate what one is talking aboul," he
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lamented. Indeed, Nigeria is said to have about 79 million hectares of arable land, less than half of which is said to be cultivated. Corroborating lfueko, the President, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), Mr. Ken Ukaoha lamented that both the manufacturing sector and the agricultural sector are abandoned. " Obviously, our priorities are misplaced," he declared. Lamenting the prevailing state of the manufacturing sector, just as he canvassed a focus on agriculture, Ukaoha stated, "there was a time when between 60 and 70 per cent of employment was generated by manufacturers, rather than government. That was the era of the Peugeot Nigeria Limited, Volkswagen, Nkalagu Cement Company, the breweries, Okin Biscuits in kwara State and a host of others. Today, it is government at federal and state levels that are employing." Urging a focus on agriculture, he stated, "government must open up agriculture, invest substantially in it, mechanise it, provide incentives and you will find many youths attracted to it." Chukwuneye, who spoke at the weekend at St. Mary's Church, Awomama, Oru Eas, in his address at the third session of the church's first Synod said he was dissatisfied by the seemingly lip service, which he said governments at all levels were paying to production of fertiliser in the country. He then stated, "the Federal Government should therefore prevail on each state government and encourage the private sector to invest on fertiliser blending plant in the various parts of the economy." The cleric maintained that unless this was achieved, the dream of Vision 20-2020 would not be achieved, and about ISO million Nigerians would become hungrier. He also urged government to proVide infrastructure to
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boost the country's agricultural and industrial development. On the East -West railway issue and construction of second River Niger Bridge and dredging of Oguta laKe,
Chukwuneye sa id government must hasten up to actualise it. High cost of some petroleum products, he said, should be handled, stressing that President Goodluck
Jonathan should work harder to generate power and energy in the country. While stressing that the issue of security, among others, should also be tackled, the clergy urged that water
should be provided for Nigerians without stress, declaring that it was unfair that after 50 years of Independence, Nigerian s were still made to suffer in those basic amenities.
NGO tasks industrial firms, others on orphanages Babalola Adeyem nAlNBOW Foundation, at nth e weekend in Lagos, urged the nation's industrial firm s and other business outfits, including _ concerned Nigerians, to show greater interest In the plightofmotheriess babies' _ homes. SpeCifically, the Non-governmental Organization created by six young vibrant individuals currentIy under the auspices of Poise Nigeria Graduate Finishing School as part of its employability skills certlfication programme, urged the stakeholders to provide the homes with basic needs on a regular
basis, including aSSisting in the welfare of their staff Speaking through its Public Relations officer, "Jennifer Ukoh, the NGO said its visit to the Nigerian Red cross motherless babies' home was a demonstration of love and compassion which others should emulate on a regular basis. Ukoh explained: "Our goal is to orgamze sensitization and enligntenment programmes that will communicate effectively the needs of these children and also embark on special projects that will address specific issues such as healthcare, education and nutrition. The Nigerian Red Cross Society motherless ' babies
home is one of many homes established to create a loving, safe, and enabling environment where these children can be nurtured, protected and trained to be future leaders". She added: "In line with the children's day celebrations in the month of May, we are here to celebrate with the children of this home by our presence, gifts of love and overall moral support. We realize that no gesture is too small in ensuring that these children are well taken care of by the society and ' we enjoin the government and the private sector to work at increasing the level of support to the motherless
babies and orphaned children. We would like to use this opportunity to say a big thimk you to our sponsors, Onwari:l Paper Mill, Ranona Nigeria Limited and Unilever Nigeria Pic and to our other individual sponsors for supporting this project Accepting the gift items, the matron of the home Mrs. Juli ana Obanife expressed her appreciation for the show oflove by the foundation. She listed funding as a major challenge of the home, even as she thanked Nigerians who voluntarily come around to assist.
Nigerite unveils repositioning agenda By Tunde Aiao
IGERITE Limited, manufacturer, marketer and installer of NTfibre cement roofing and ceiling sheets, sandcrete roofing tiles (crete tile and vinyl floor tiles) has unveiled new vision and mission •~~..roadmap for further growth 'and profitability in the market. Unveiling the new road map in Lagos at a gathering of all employees of the company, the Managing " Director, Mr. Jea n-Luc Viatour described the initia tive was a
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strategic alignment aimed at boosting Nigerite's competitive edge as a market leader. According to Viatour, "the new vision and mission statements are necessary so that we can know where we are coming from and be able to chart a strategic path towards what we intend to achieve as a corporate entity and also a market leader." SpeCifically, he said the new vision is to be the number one innovative, customer driven and
socially responSible "one-stop building compo nents soluti ons prOViders in our market." He added that the new mission was to meet expectations of all stakeholders by achieving a real turnovergrowtn oflO percent per year for tFie next five years . Other components of the new strategic alignment plan to achieve profitability by the company, according to tlie Nigerite boss, are leadership philosophy, stakeholders' values and strategic
objectives. On leadership, the company intends to create an inspiring environment where its people can achieve excellence. Speakin~ about strategiCobjective, he saId the new vision was aimed at increased profitability, motivated workforce, good corporate citizens hip, profitable growth and operational environment. He canvassed for teamwork, trust, reward, shared understand-
ing, motivation, safety and open communication amongst the entire workforce. The new idea was sa id to have been kick·started last year but became fully matured this year follOWing a retreat organised for all senior management staff of the company. . At the eni:l of the presentation, all executive directors, departmental heads appended their signatures on the document as a way of endorSing the project.