Continued from last week
BUT the reality of the situation is that, whilst industries, if properly planned, could only provide employment for a total of about 220,000 workers within the next twelve years or so, a properly planned agriculture can, by contrast, provide equally remunerative employment for at least 6,000,000 workers within the next five years. It is well to realise, before it is too late, that, for the next thirty years, manufacturing industries cannot cater for as many people as agriculture can, within the same period. It follows then that, if it is the ardent and burning desire of those of us now in the vanguard of public life in Nigeria to serve our age and, at least, the next generation, faithfully and fruitfully, our area of concentration, as between manufacturing and agriculture, must ipso Jacto be agriculture.
The sixth is rapid development of our systems of transportation.
On the basis of the old Regions, there is one mile of road to less than two square miles of territory in the East, one mile to about three square miles in the West and Mid-West, and one mile to about 13 square miles in the North.
Furthermore, the riverine areas of the East, West, Mid-West and Lagos have up till now, received little or no attention at all in the matter of waterway development. The areas of heavy concentration in road and waterway development, from now on, are, therefore, clear beyond dispute. But only a nationally orientated revenue allocation system can correct the existing glaring imbalance in the regional development of our transportation systems,
For the avoidance of misunderstanding, I would like to stress tilal whilst rite Northern and riverine areas of the country, for economic and social reasons which we do not need to go into here, lag very much behind in transportation development, and should therefore be given special attention henceforth, the crucial point must not be overlooked that the areas of convergence for most of our transportation activities in the country are those adjacent to the ports at Port Harcourt, Calabar, Sapele, Warri, Escravos, Lagos, and Apapa, It follows from this fact that the development of those roads, within the areas of the Mid- Western, Eastern, Western, and Lagos regions, which give access to the ports, is of common concern to all the States in the Federation. For, any transportation deficiency in these areas is bound to constitute time-wasting, labour-wasting, and capital-wasting bottlenecks of the worst order.
The seventh is putting the federal government insufficient funds to enable it not only to perform its allotted functions in the national interest, but also to come readily to the aid of any state in need
There is need for all the Governments ofthe Federation to agree to pursue the six preceding objectives, and to make detailed and scientific plan for their implementation. Granting that this is done, it is believed that, unlike no,” each State would be in a position to perform its functions effectively, and justify its existence to the people under its jurisdiction, without undue anxiety.
But if perchance, any State fell on an evil day, it should be the duty of the Federal Government, acting as the accredited agent of all the other States, to come to the aid of such a needy State, without delay. To this end, the Federal Government should be provided with enough funds. It will not be easy in the beginning to estimate how much this will be. But as time goes on, experience will guide us.
To be continued
and then