Industrialisation is Nigeria’s future, not agriculture

The most popular claim today about the Nigerian economy is that since the price of crude petroleum in the international market crashed, agriculture is Nigeria’s future; economic diversification is achieved by investing in agriculture. Consequently, leaders of federal and state governments are urging all youths to return to agriculture. But industrialisation is the future of Nigeria, not agriculture.

The area occupied by the modern Western Europe was harnessed into the Roman Empire in 55B.C. The western portion of the empire was smashed by the Germanic tribe called the Vandals, in 406 A.D. (Carrington and Jackson, 1954). In the absence of the central authority provided by the empire, the islands of England were invaded by many tribes. The islands later metamorphosed into the United Kingdom of England early in the tenth century and England and Scotland formed the Union of Great Britain in 1625 (Brooke, 1968).

During the period of almost 2000 (two thousand) years, the productivity of the people in Britain was characterised by primitive tools like hoe, axe and draught oxen (Davies, 1969). The productivity was very low and seemed unchanging. Britain achieved the first modern Industrial Revolution (IR) in the period of 1770-1850 (Gregg, 1971). When Britain achieved the first modern IR, the nation had no public educational system; public educational systems in Britain are post-1945 (Dent, 1975).

Following the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, the discovery of gold and silver in the New World, America was considered a land of wealth and great opportunities. The lure of big profits, political loyalty and the search for better life and liberty induced individuals, the king of England and settlers themselves to found colonies in America (Baldwin, 1969). Lasting English colonisation began when a group of English merchants and investors applied for royal charter to authorise enterprise in the New World (Americas).

King James issued a single charter to them as the Virginia Company in 1606. Their settlements were to be governed by a royal-appointed Council of Virginia sitting in London. Over a period of more than 150 years later, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans, Scots, Irishmen, Dutch, Swedes and Africans, willingly and through force, took their habits and traditions to the New World. The result was a new social pattern which although resembled European society in many ways, had a character that was distinctly American (Whitney and Glick, 1965). The original thirteen colonies: Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhodes Island, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, New Hampshire and Delaware, formed a confederation and declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. The Confederation, assisted by France, Spain, Netherlands and other European nations fought and won the War of Independence with Britain 1775-1783.

The belief that the future of America rests on sound public education was common among early American leaders, though they themselves did not have opportunities for good education (Hicks, et al., 1970). They were honest leaders so God gave them wisdom. Consequently, Americans displayed fully the versatility of an educated people. The New England States were the first to establish public schools to educate all young people (Bartlett, et al., 1969).

It was also in these states that sound and systematic education had been practiced longest and where it was most developed that the greatest manufacturing development occurred first. The young boy’s mind was first prepared by school discipline and education. He then began to acquire one type of skill after the other, never satisfied with any single skill type. Also, doing one mechanical operation never satisfied his employer. The young American learnt always at that time (Bartlett et al., 1969). The Americans achieved the modern IR in the period 1850-1900 (Bartlett et al., 1969) and indeed became a world power immediately.

The development experiences of the Asian nations were not different. They show that the industrialized nations of today had agricultural economies for many centuries before the economies became transformed into industrialized ones. This means that the development history of nations shows that it has invariably been toward one direction, from agricultural status to industrial status; from the low productivity, poverty-prevalent features characteristic of artisan-agriculture to the high productivity and great wealth associated with industry and manufacturing.

It is interesting to note that whereas the desirable transformation took European nations about 2000 years, it took the Asian nations about 3000 years. Strikingly, it took the Americans about 300 (three hundred) years only, to achieve the great feat and become a world power. The readiness with which the Europeans, the Asians and Americans achieved the modern IR is a direct reflection of the intensity of learning of the different peoples.

Nigerian leaders import various expensive scientific and technological products – cars, aircrafts, electronics, chemicals, processed foods, petroleum products, machinery and equipment, industrial plants, etc. These products are not produced in farms; they are industrial products. European and Asian nations learnt very slowly over thousands of years, acquired knowledge and skills to advanced levels, achieved the modern Industrial Revolution (IR) and began to manufacture the scientific and technological products which Africans have been importing for decades.

President Muhammadu Bahari visited Zamfara State recently. While he was there, he told the people to go back to farming, assuring them that government will supply fertilizer readily. No President Buhari! The time for everyone to be in the farm in Nigeria is past. Nigeria should now push for rapid industrialisation. Education, training, large employment in scientific activities and full employment policy are the tools for promoting rapid industrialisation. The Nigerian expanded educational system produces hundreds of thousand graduates of different categories every year. These are the most important assets for the Nigerian industrialisation endeavour.

They need training for the acquisition of complementary practical skills to be productive. Graduates of all educational systems, universities in particular, especially scientists and engineers, should be supported by government to learn for years from artisan/craftsmen workshops, factory floor work settings, farms and all other places where opportunities for acquiring scientific skills abound.

Research revealed that productive agriculture is aftermath of industrialisation because inputs like tractors, planters, harvesters, herbicides, fertilizers, etc., which improve the productivity of agriculture are industrial products. Mere importation of tractors and fertilizers cannot improve agricultural productivity and lead to food security.
• Ogbimi is of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Can be reached via GSM: 08037062056; E-mail:fogbimi@yahoo.com