Before I delve into the topic of the day, I won't fail
to say I recently visited the moribund Arewa Textile
mills strategically located at the Kaduna Industrial
Area. According to an indigene of the area, it was
hitherto a factory along side 6 others that provided about 30,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs with
capacity to even expand double it's carrying size if
the right combination of efforts are deployed. The
cheering news is that help is coming the way of the
company as the sitting Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-
Rufai has given the green light to match efforts for efforts and funds for funds, to see that the premier
Textile mill is brought back to life. For the benefit of
positive thinking, I savoured on that information
knowing that it will help mop up thousands of
unemployed youths from the streets.
Back home in my dear state, it looks like my Governor has dribbled both himself and the citizens
at the same time. Recall that in 2011, the Governor
of Imo state promised that all moribund industries
in the state will be revived within the 4 years tenure
of his Government. The first assignment of the
Governor on resumption of duties, was to lease out the Adapalm to a company believed to belong to
him and change the name to a certain Imo Palm
Plantation, with the promise of turning it into a
green, beautiful and profitable business. During
that period, AIT cameras were moved to the
location and what is believed to be Nollywood best script of the year directed by the Governor, was on
air every Monday about the Imo Industrialization
drive. Today the condition of the same company
has moved from a state of coma to definitive death,
with over 3,500 jobs losses recorded within a short
time. Other companies like the Nsu Tiles, the Avutu Poultry, the Imo shoe Industry and the Imo
newspapers have since been bequeathed the same
experience with billions of tax payers monies
frittered into the tiny air under the guise of
resuscitating them. In one of the jamborees our
Governor undertook abroad to Bosnia and Herzegovina, he told us that investors from the
country have promised to invest heavily in reviving
the companies. Till today, we are yet to see a single
shovel of granite talk less of the 'Father Christmas'
investors. The question of why the Governor of Imo
state, embarks on foreign trips to get 'Foreign Investors' only when the monthly Federal
allocation arrives leave integrity questions
unanswered. Matters arising from the 100 man
trade mission delegation that recently visited
Turkey and other wasteful worldwide golliver's
travels, is a topic for another day. Any responsible Government that sincerely believes
in building industries doesn't need to step an inch
out of the state or the country before it gets the
factories working. A Governor that is making a
heck out of mere payment of monthly salaries to
civil servants, believe the people will trust him when he says he is building factories in over 600
locations. Even road construction in Imo state has
proven that we now house the worst business
environment in Africa. All the roads constructed
under this Government caves into structural failure
3 months after construction. I wonder why a foreign investor that sees the site of the ongoing
flyover where 6 inches blocks are used to construct
a concentric flyover bridge will take this
Government serious. If a flyover that is expected to
have a carrying capacity of over 80 tonnes of
expected load is carried out by direct labour, then the sky is indeed bleeding at this imminent disaster.
On the other hand, networth individuals of Imo
state origin seem to have identified hotel and
hospitality businesses as the only investment
choice. This is a very dangerous precedence we are
laying for prospective investors. If the only creative thinking we have identified potent enough to drive
the economy, is setting up places for our young
girls to come shake their tail feather, then we are far
behind. If we can not tap into the Singapore
experience that ensured factories and
manufacturing companies, are built around existing small and medium businesses; then the
rest of the world may jeer at us in the next 10
years.
We have promised to give answers to criticisms we
put forward, but where the sitting Governor is
confidently doing the job of consultant Architects and Engineers then we have to wail along. If plans
to build industries are not tailored to suit home
based ideas, it will fail... Ikuola nkwu ooo.

this is so sahara to me

l ponder why hotel and hospitality businesses is what seems to thrive back home!