It is common for every administration
in Nigeria to initiate programmes designed to distinguish it from the one before it. This is also what the
outgoing administration of Goodluck Jonathan did in some sectors of the
economy. One however wonders if these schemes will survive after May 29 as a
new administration takes over.
The National Clean Cooking Scheme is
part of programmes. A whopping N9.2bn was approved by the Federal Executive
Council in 2014 for the purchase of clean stoves and wonder bags totaling the
amount.
Under the scheme, the council also
awarded a contract of N60.9bn to an indigenous firm, KaKatar CE Limited, for the
provision of engineering infrastructure for Kyami District, Zone C, Abuja.
The Federal Government stated that the
N9.2bn inclusive of Value Added Tax was approved for the procurement of 750,000
units of clean cook stove and 18,000 wonder bags.
The stoves planned to be assembled
locally were believed to be capable of providing jobs to Nigerians.
The Jonathan government described the
National Clean Cooking Scheme as an aggressive drive to engender clean cooking
culture among the poor rural women, to reduce and possibly eliminate cooking
with solid fossil believed to be detrimental to health. The scheme is expected
to provide 20 million clean stoves over a five-year period at the rate of four
million stoves yearly which will be distributed without charge.’’
Not many Nigerians can boast of a job
through this scheme.
There is also the Agric e-wallet Scheme
through which farmers the agric minister said farmer ‘‘received subsidised
seeds and fertiliser vouchers on their mobile phones – or electronic or e-wallets-
which they use just like cash to buy inputs directly from the agro-dealers.’’
With the scheme, the government said it
had ended four decades of corruption in the fertiliser sector within 90 days.
Initiators of the scheme said Nigeria
was the first country in Africa to launch an electronic wallet system for the
delivery of subsidised inputs to farmers. The government noted that within one
year, the e-wallet reached a total of 1.7 million farmers.
The Dry Season Farm Support Programme
was among the programmes launched with fanfare in the Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja in January last year. The President said that his government
was committed to diversifying the economy from sole reliance on hydrocarbon
resource.
Jonathan said, ‘‘Our drive is to unlock
the huge agricultural potential in our country, so as to assure food security
and create wealth for our people. As a nation, we must feed ourselves. As part
of our reforms in this sector, we have also ended the corruption of four
decades in the fertiliser sector.’’
The Federal Government promised to make
available N14bn to support the 2014 dry season farming.
The Employment in Agriculture Programme
called YEAP is designed to create rural employment for young men and women
‘along area-based priority agricultural value chains enabling them to earn
decent livelihoods.’
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr.
Akinwunmi Adesina, said the programme was initiated to ‘‘address the high rates
of unemployment among Nigeria’s youths and secure the success of the current
administration in addressing the issue, it is crucial that we embark on massive
efforts to create jobs for this critical segment of our population.”
The programme, in its take-off stage,
received about N37bn with plans to mobilise a broad partnership with
international development partners, including IFAD, FAO, the World Bank, USAID,
UNIDO and others to realise objectives of the rural youth employment scheme.
The programme is to be implemented over a five-year period with two states from
each of the six geo-political zones joining in each respective year.
Considering the many schemes attached
to the agricultural sector, many are waiting to see if this will also survive.
The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme
is another programme in the agricultural sector; five million farmers are
targeted yearly for four years. Each of them will receive GESS via their mobile
phones totaling 20 million at the end of four years.
Specifically, the scheme aims to
provide support directly to farmers to allow them purchase farming tools at
affordable rates, increase output of farmers by allowing them access to
fertilisers across the country and change the distribution of fertilisers
directly to farmers by regulating and encouraging private sector participation
in the fertiliser value chain.
According to the president, the Youth
Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria, otherwise called YouWiN, inaugurated in
October 2011 was created to provide jobs for 80,000 to 110,000 unemployed
Nigerian youths.
By 2014, at the inauguration of the
fourth edition, the President said over 22,000 jobs had been created alongside
other indirect employments through the first phase of the YouWin intervention,
adding that the fourth phase is expected to create additional 44,000 jobs. This
year, the programme should be going to its fifth edition. But there are mixed
views as to whether or not the incoming administration would allow the
programme to continue.
A Global Youth Ambassador, Joy Tiku,
described the programme as a good initiative. “I wish the incoming
administration will continue with a new sustainable strategic approach to
harness and empower more young people to be self-reliant.”
The Subsidy Reinvestment and
Empowerment Programme popularly known as Sure-P was inaugurated by the outgoing
administration in February 2012. It has two major sub-divisions namely: the
Community Service Scheme and the Graduate Internship Scheme.
The Community Service Scheme, which
engages youths in intensive work such as construction and rehabilitation of
infrastructure, according to Federal Government reports, has employed over
120,000 people around the country. The Graduate Internship Scheme has matched
about 4,000 graduates to competent firms to enhance skills development towards
employability.
A business consultant, Mrs. Nwobi
Obiageli, lauded the GIS aspect of Sure-P, adding that it had given fresh
graduates the opportunity to acquire more experience and skills.
However, she called on the Federal
Government to monitor organisations under the scheme using it as a medium to
exploit.
The Integrated Youth Economic
Empowerment Programme was inaugurated in May 2014.
The programme promised to train about
22, 000 youths across 36 states of the federation, including the Federal
Capital Territory. Numerous other promises were made but some youths think the
programme wasn’t properly implemented. A youth leader, Peace Edem said, “It is
a good one, but I feel it was designed for Lagos and Abuja. If it must continue
during Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, there must be a total overhaul of the
system.”
Cassava Bread is another scheme
initiated to launch the nation’s cassava revolution. President Jonathan
launched cassava bread with 20 per cent high quality cassava flour as a
Nigerian brand in July 2012. He also made a promise that he would continue to
consume the brand until he leaves office. Besides, he pumped N10bn into the
production of cassava bread.
The Group Managing Director, Elephant
Group, Africa, Mr. Tunji Owoeye, said the cassava bread idea had given Nigeria
the opportunity to reduce pressure on foreign exchange for wheat.
He said, “I believe this policy
shouldn’t be dropped the incoming administration. The flour sector should also
be encouraged explore more local mater ials.”
One of the major programmes is the
Amnesty programme initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in July 2009
when hostilities by militants in the Niger-Delta region became uncontrollable.
It was continued by the outgoing regime. Many are of the view that the amnesty
deal has been able to ensure relative peace in the region. Through the
programme, militants surrender their weapons, receive vocational training and a
monthly allowance. They are also rehabilitated before reintegrated into the
society.
Some beneficiaries of the scheme have
been urging the incoming administration not to scrap it.
Commenting on the programmes, an
environmental activist, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi, said ‘‘I see a positive
approach especially with the way the President-elect endorsed the minister of
agriculture for the job of the president of the African Development Bank. By
doing that for an individual, I think he will not hesitate to do more in
retaining viable schemes.’’
He noted that there were some
programmes, especially in the agric sector, which the outgoing administration
got right.
Majekodunmi added, ‘‘Like the
fertiliser distribution and other schemes to support the industry. We have
never witnessed the level of development we saw in the agric sector in the last
years. One area which the outgoing administration failed to make impact is in
the environment. It could not press for the passing of the Climate Change Bill
which will establish the Climate Change Commission.’’
He described the development as a big
indictment on the outgoing government, saying ‘‘it is very disappointing. We
need the environment for water, oxygen and food, yet we care less about it. We
cannot be farming in the middle of the desert.’’
Credit,
The Punch
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