***Decry FG’s loan attachment to China
By Emma Okereh
Piqued by the level of poverty and unemployment in the county, experts from diverse background, Monday, profferred solutions on how Nigeria’s development could be better achieved beyond building of infrastructure. Speaking at a town Hall Meeting organized by Raypower Radio themed, ‘Chinese Infrastructure Projects In Nigeria and Development of the Country’, in Abuja, participants expressed concern that in spite of what it described as ‘project mentality’ that has held successive governments in Nigeria captive, the issues of poverty and high rate of unemployment still persist. It maintained that physical infrastructural development does not translate to wealth creation and therefore, not the only way to go.
The Town Hall Meeting which was live on radio, was moderated by ace broadcaster, Dr Amaechi Anakwue, opined that the way to go is a reorientation of the mindset and mentality of both government and the governed. In his contribution, a Policy analyst, Mr Chika Nwaozuzu submitted that loans in itself is not bad but how it is deployed and the conditions attached to it are the issues to be well interrogated and dissected before they are signed. He posits that development is not only about infrastructure. He advised government to always factor in issues of local content when negotiating for Loans.
He explained that local content value encourages capacity building and job creation, insisting that we must move away from being a consumer nation. Another participant, a lawyer and member of the 2014 national Conference, Barr Godwill Iyoke insisted that development should have soft aspect not only infrastructure.
He laments Nigeria’s unemployment rate of 35%, making it one of the worst in the world. He decried the development even as project mentality ravages government at all levels.
The experts therefore, recommended a new development strategy that will target and identify with the people. Of note, is a sustainable economic development where the people can be consulted before it takes off.
On the federal government romance and loans from China, A political economist, Adakole Ijogi, who contributed via telephone,, submitted that the citizens need programs and policies that will uplift it and not the type that the federal government is doing with China where every thing including labour comes from China.
In his submission, ‘We borrowed the money to develop China because the financial instrument is a total package. China gave conditions that favours it more. It supplied the equipment, the labour, everything. The 2 billion Dollar Abuja-Kaduna rail line cannot even generate enough to service the rail sector talk less of loan repayment”, he laments.
The participants maintained that government needs to take a second look on the development of infrastructure as the only way of making impacts on governance as in addition to the soft aspect, it can also priortise on completing the abandoned projects. The topic og the town hall meeting, experts say, had become imperative as governments at all levels in Nigeria have adopted a development strategy of massive building of infrastructure projects. Many of these projects are financed by Chinese loans. The concern of many is that despite these huge projects, poverty and unemployment levels in Nigeria have remained on the increase.
