Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,152,471 members, 7,816,117 topics. Date: Friday, 03 May 2024 at 05:25 AM |
Nairaland Forum / Petrich10's Profile / Petrich10's Posts
(1) (of 1 pages)
Travel / Re: Third Mainland Bridge Repair Update: Repair Works Move To Second Lane by petrich10(m): 11:54am On Nov 23, 2020 |
Nice |
Politics / Re: Nigeria Customs Release Statement Over Guns Intercepted In Lagos by petrich10(m): 12:17pm On Jan 31, 2017 |
Celebrities / Re: Check Out These Pictures Of Olamide Taken By TY Bello by petrich10(m): 11:37am On Dec 18, 2016 |
nice |
Politics / Re: Buy Nigeria Brigade And Other Matters by petrich10(m): 9:53am On Feb 17, 2016 |
Lalasticlala... |
Politics / Buy Nigeria Brigade And Other Matters by petrich10(m): 9:46am On Feb 17, 2016 |
Here in Nigeria, we are obsessed with slogans and
cosmetic agendas. Do we really think that
sloganeering has ever changed the fortunes of a
nation or a society? Slogans cannot replace values
and ethics. Slogans don’t change the ease of starting
and doing business in Nigeria, but intentional and
strategic action do.
If you need to become a Senator to start buying
assembled in Nigeria cars, you are not the change
that Nigerians need. And who says buying cars from
a particular car brand is what we need to save the
naira? We need to stop pretending about our reality.
We cannot afford to fall prey – again – to those
simply obsessed with slogans such as Heart of Africa
Project, Rebrand Nigeria and now Buy Nigeria.
How can we repeat the same dry joke and expect
that we will make the audience laugh? There are
simpler ways to turn our economy around, which do
not need public officers swallowing Ofada rice for the
sake of ‘likes’ on Twitter when, in truth and
understandably, they’d rather eat the food they are
comfortable with. There is no patriotism in one’s
taste. You can make one person buy a badly made
shoe in the name of patriotism, but you cannot build
a sustainable economy on prodding people to
abandon their taste for excellence in the name of
‘proudly Nigerian’. So then, what can we do?
If the global economy literally opened up to the point
where citizens of every country can decide where
they intend to start their businesses without
consideration for the country of origin, virtually every
Nigerian would start his or her business anywhere
else but Nigeria. The reason is simple enough: it is
easier to do business in 169 other countries than it is
to do business in this country. In a world where
borders continue to restrict people within the
realities of countries, such as Nigeria, it simply
means that an entrepreneur looking to do business in
Nigeria is disadvantaged against entrepreneurs in
169 other countries, according to the last World Bank
Ease of Doing Business Report. That is the tragedy
we must fix.
It is easier to start a business in Nigeria than to run
it. The odds are stacked against entrepreneurs in the
country. These odds are often bureaucratic hurdles
put in place by government. It is easier to start a
business in 128 other countries in the world than to
start in Nigeria. You get an intuitive understanding of
this when you realize how long it takes to register
your company with the Corporate Affairs
Commission, the difficulty in finding a property to
rent, the disproportionate cost of rent against the
facilities provided by property owners, the need to
acquire electricity generators to set up against the
predictable reality of incessant power outages and
the cost of raising capital. The hurdles are endless.
Despite these hurdles, starting is one thing and
staying in business is even a lot harder.
As an entrepreneur, I don’t need the government to
help me prod Nigerians to buy my products and
services; I just need the government not to make
capital expensive by borrowing away the available
capital. I need the government to make my taxes
count by ensuring that I need not pay for security
because the police work. I need the government to
ensure that power works while I commit to paying
the private enterprises burdened with the
responsibility to transmit power. Essentially I need
the government out of my way so that I can sort
myself out.
The government cannot stand in the way of
innovation and entrepreneurship via these
unwholesome bureaucratic bottlenecks, while it is
bent on begging Nigerians to buy the products that
are produced out of that difficulty. Something has to
give, if the cost of production continues to be focused
on what other businesses elsewhere take for granted:
security, power supply, efficient transportation and
communication network etc.
The alternative often forgone are the quality of goods
and services and where that does not suffer, the
capacity to produce more quality certainly suffers.
Either way, your goods are more expensive than the
imported ones or they are of lower quality.
The choice for the consumer is a no brainer except
where income has limited the his choice to the
cheapest product available. And even when this is
the case, the Nigerian product may not even fall into
that bracket.
Ours is one of the hardest countries in the world to
register a property. Now, while this may not sound
like a big deal to many, property ownership is an
essential part of production. And the harder it is to
legally take ownership of a property, the harder it is
to start or do business here.
Let us fix all the anomalies and unnecessary hurdles
on the path of entrepreneurs and let’s see if our
people won’t compete with global brands. Our
entrepreneurs have, in spite of the difficult business
environment, continued to thrive and survive at
harder times. They can do even better when the
government gets out of the way of innovation,
enterprise and entrepreneurship. We cannot ban our
way into prosperity. Tariffs on imports will not make
our products and services better; they will only make
smugglers thrive. Many years of banning this and
banning that have only enriched the privileged and
the powerful. The genuine businessman and woman
are further disadvantaged by the cronies of
government officials. The rice importation scam
under the Goodluck Jonathan administration is a
good example.
Those who are in the business of slogans and
cosmetic “patriotic” campaigns can continue. We will
be here in 2020 with different slogans and faces.
Except we remove the barriers set against
businesses and entrepreneurs in Nigeria. It is not
rocket science and this is why those countries better
ranked than us on the Ease of Doing Business Report.
It also explains why countries like Singapore, Norway,
Denmark, etc, have a far higher per capita income
than Nigeria. May we know how to do better than we
are doing at present.
A fortnight ago, this column focused on the shame
that was the 2016 budget. That piece was quite a hit
online and had me discussing its content and other
areas of concern in the budget with representatives
of the government. It is great to see the government
set the ball rolling by finally admitting what a lot of
well-meaning Nigerians have already pointed out.
The Director-General, Budget Office, Mr. Yahaya
Gusau, did not see reason to resign over the shoddy
job. So President Muhammadu Buhari sacked him
instead. This is nothing personal, really. A marker
had to be laid on the cost of such shoddy jobs. It is
obvious the DG alone couldn’t have been responsible
for the fiasco, but someone had to pay and he did.
The new DG, Mr. Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi, will
not need anyone to preach to him about the need for
focused and intentional excellence. He is a result of
that story.
As long as Nigeria lays markers, such as this: sack
those who don’t do their job properly and won’t take
responsibility by honourably resigning, it won’t be so
long for us to fill more holes with the pegs that fit.
We have never been in doubt about what is right or
what is wrong, we know what is good and what can
be made better. Whether we do better is the issue. |
Celebrities / Re: Check Out Oge Okoye's Sporty New Look As She Step Out In Cavalli, Gucci & Prada by petrich10(m): 11:15pm On Dec 10, 2015 |
O |
Politics / Re: Revelation About Billions allegedly Spent by GEJ On Independence Day Celebration by petrich10(m): 9:59am On Nov 27, 2015 |
DickDastardly:. DickDastardly:. |
Business / Re: No legal basis for NAFDAC’s N1bn fine –Guinness by petrich10(m): 8:59pm On Nov 13, 2015 |
Lol...NAFDAC don dey show dem self o |
Phones / Re: Which Network Provider Disturbs With Promotional Messages The Most? by petrich10(m): 4:31pm On Oct 01, 2015 |
Emptyhen 2 Likes |
Politics / Re: Angry Worshippers Attack Saraki, Emir, Ex-minister, Dignitaries by petrich10(m): 2:09pm On Sep 24, 2015 |
This could be the beginning of sumtin gud 11 Likes |
Politics / Re: What’s The Point Of A First Lady? - Tabia Princewill by petrich10(m): 9:00am On Aug 26, 2015 |
The post is needed but not the way it was handled in the past two governments |
Politics / Re: To Your Tents O South East? - Thisday by petrich10(m): 12:25pm On Aug 01, 2015 |
omenka:. I support u bro, Whole heartedly 2 Likes |
Politics / Re: We Won’t Accept Poll Results By Buhari's ‘Daughter’ – PDP by petrich10(m): 10:57pm On Jul 16, 2015 |
This metuh really needs that crash course on criticism rather wailing like a spoilt child 5 Likes |
Culture / Re: Lagos City Chorale Wins Three Gold Medals In Germany by petrich10(m): 7:04pm On Jul 13, 2015 |
Congrats to dem always encourage good news abt dis country |
Politics / Re: Buhari will not force Ministers, aides to take pay cut –Presidency by petrich10(m): 1:48pm On Jul 13, 2015 |
Hmmmmm. Ok |
Politics / Re: EFCC Set To Commence Prosecution Of Subsidy Thieves by petrich10(m): 4:45pm On Jul 12, 2015 |
Hope this new found action within the EFCC will continue. Its needed . But op? Ag Adoke? After a meeting with president jonathan?!! Were hve u been 1 Like |
Car Talk / Re: The Man Who Has The Largest Car Collection In The World! by petrich10(m): 2:26pm On Jul 12, 2015 |
Problems in the mode of riches[color=#990000]. Cheers |
Education / Re: My Brother Won 4th Place: Cbn/ibm Ennovate Nigeria Competition by petrich10(m): 1:14pm On Jul 12, 2015 |
Congrats to ur bro..........he shud manage the gifts wisely |
Politics / Re: This Nigerian Soldier Died Giving His Life For His Comrades .photo by petrich10(m): 12:54pm On Jul 12, 2015 |
RIP |
Politics / Re: Buhari And His Son, Yusuf Attend Juma'at Prayer At Presidential Villa Mosque by petrich10(m): 7:18pm On Jun 26, 2015 |
viczing:keep calm and wait for genuine change TANOID 5 Likes |
Politics / Re: Governor Aregbesola Loved By His People Despite Owing Workers: Photos by petrich10(m): 5:19pm On Jun 26, 2015 |
Hmmmm........if this is true then this osun pple are HIGH 1 Like |
Celebrities / Re: Kunle Afolayan And Omotola Jalade Chilling In LA by petrich10(m): 3:22pm On Jun 26, 2015 |
This guy looks somehw 2 Likes |
Politics / Re: Nigerian Army Gives Families Of Dead Soldiers Money by petrich10(m): 3:06pm On Jun 26, 2015 |
(1) (of 1 pages)
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 36 |