The state of the Nigerian economy is worrisome. There is no window of hope yet for many suffering Nigerians in different parts of the country which claims to be the giant of the African continent. We cannot continue to operate the existing structure which has not addressed how Nigeria can move forward to become a start-up country. It is high time the states in the South-West cooperated with one another with a view to making the zone a model for the other zones of Nigeria to emulate as it was the vogue in the First Republic.
It is interesting to note that the governments in the six South-West states still meet regularly in spite of political differences. It is commendable that they have held high, the torch which the great sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, did light in Western Nigeria during the First Republic. While our heritage as found in the Oodua conglomerates should be judiciously managed, the six states can still jointly cooperate to invest in the following areas to attain greater heights economically;
Seaport
The seaport of Lagos is already congested. The South-West needs an additional seaport along the coastal area of the zone, particularly in Ondo State.
Airport
The Murtala Muhammed International airport in Lagos State is also congested. The construction and maintenance of a standard international airport is capital intensive. It is not advisable for each of the six states in the zone to complete in having their respective airports which may not be economically viable in the long-run. However, all the states in the South-West can pool their resources together to have an international airport at a suitable location, off the road between Ore in Ondo State and Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.
Tourism
The South-West has many tourist centres. Such centres should be well developed to attract tourists from within and outside the country.
Mining
The zone has a lot of solid minerals. The state governments in the area should identify a few minerals that exist in large deposits and jointly tap them. For instance, the bitumen deposit in Agbabu area of Ondo State is a viable project. Interestingly, the state government has some technical reports on this mineral. It is on record that the Lurg Ruhrgas (L/R) process developed in Germany was used in 1977 to test the bitumen in the state. The result of the test has always revealed that the bitumen could satisfactorily serve the Nigerian roads better than the imported one.
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Agriculture
In the First Republic, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of Western Region. In the proposed co-operative model for the six states in the zone, the entire zone should continue to embrace agriculture as the mainstay of its economy. In bringing the actualisation of the mainstay into reality, each of the state governments in the zone should: procure agricultural inputs and get them sold to farmers at subsidised rates through their commodity/crop co-operatives or associations; reinstate the role hitherto performed by agricultural extension officers. In the past, those officers were trained to disseminate ideas on modern farming techniques to rural dwellers, most of whom were illiterate people. They should now continue to mobilise our farmers for better productivity. Provide basic infrastructural facilities in the rural area with a view to discouraging rural –urban migration; encourage food crop production in the different ecological areas in the zone by providing improved varieties of crops which farmers can buy at subsiderised rates. Intensify its efforts at the production of tree crops such as cocoa, oil palm, kolanut, cashew, coffee, citrus, coconut, etc in different parts of the zone. Nurseries for improved seedlings of these tree crops should be established in the six states of the zone. And such seedlings should be available in large quantity for sale to framers and interested members of the public who are interested in planting them on their farmlands.
Embark on aggressive tree planting programme by taking congnisance  of the species that can easily be grown in the different ecological areas of the zone. In order to generate more revenue from forestry, each state government in the zone should discourage indiscriminate and illegal felling of trees. Each state government should encourage research into the possible uses of sawmill by-product (i.e. saw dust, wood clipping, etc). Make effective use of the existing dams in each state in the zone for fishing and irrigation purposes. Provide agricultural inputs and give to primary and secondary schools in each state of the zone to boost agriculture in schools. The tertiary institutions in the zone should emulate Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) that has embarked on several agricultural operations for the production and processing of agricultural commodities for sale. If the tertiary institutions in the zone are interested in processing their agricultural products in the long run, they can interact with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) at Oshodi in Lagos State. The Institute has a lot of research works from which many ideas on the setting up of agro-based industries may be borrowed. The tertiary institutions in the zone that have unused hectares of land may also partner with OLAM International, a global agricultural business that has existed in Nigeria since 1989 to establish agro-based industries.
Electricity
The aggressive industrialisation of the South-West is hinged on regular generation, transmission and distribution of electricity among other factors. Regrettably, the three electricity distribution companies in the zone are not getting adequate channels from the national grid. Since the companies cannot give what they do not have, it will be difficult for them to guarantee a 24-hour electricity to their numerous customers across the zone.
Lagos and Ogun; Oyo and Osun; Ekiti and Ondo should pair and partner with reputable private companies to execute their additional generation of electricity from water (HEP), natural gas, solar energy, etc, transmit and distribute the generated megawatts of electricity for industrial and domestic purposes.
According to the 1999 Constitution with the 2011 Amendment numbers 13, 14 and 15, a state House of Assembly may make laws for the state on the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to areas in its jurisdiction.
On October 1, 2020, Nigeria will be 60 years old as an independent country. Regrettably, the country has failed to move forward to become one of the great nations of the world in spite of its abundant natural and human resources. If Nigeria has refused to move forward, the South-West should never feel lethargic about its progress in all ramifications. The time to move forward in the zone is now. With the newly established Operation Amotekun, the South–West will be relatively peaceful. Consequently, the zone will become attractive to foreign investors.
- Deacon Omotoso is a member of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.