After World War Two, there was a post-war consensus on economic policy across Europe. Nigeria needs to learn from this and get all her political parties to sign up to a development plan that look like this

Ayo Akinfe

[1] First of all, we must mass-produce the following consumer items in sufficient quantities to meet local demand and generate at least $1bn in export earnings:

[1] Wrist watches
[2] Mobile phones
[3] Laptop computers
[4] iPads
[5] Plasma Television sets
[6] Fridge-freezers
[7] Handbags
[8] Irons
[9] Generator sets
[10] Bicycles

[2] It is not asking too much for us as a nation to produce 50m units of each of these items annually. This target must be met unfailingly

[3] No doubt there are a lot of prototypes out there but alas, how do we get from prototype to mass production? We will establish a Nigerian Directorate of Mass Production to help inventors get over the line

[4] As things stand , Nigeria’s president cannot invite say a dozen manufacturers to Aso Rock and tell them he wants 2m units of any of these items within three months and be guaranteed delivery. To address this concern, a federal industrial espionage agency will be created

[5] If you look at our constant running to China for the most basic things, it is easy to see why we are this import-dependent. There is a total lack of manufacturing capacity in the Nigerian economy. Annual production targets need to be set for each local government and state

[6] At the moment, the only company in the whole of Nigeria with the capacity to mass-produce say 1m units of any product is Innoson Motors. Why has someone like Dino Melaye not been asked for instance to invest his immense wealth in manufacturing? We need to do a lot of this wooing of investors

[7] Nigeria’s president should make the recruitment, production and support of manufacturers his main priority. I do not see how else we are going to end this import dependency without such an aggressive programme.

[8]We simply need to produce what we consume. If we cannot produce these items, then we simply have to stop using them. A bill making this law needs to be passed by the National Assembly

[9] Certain foreign junkets like holding parties in Dubai and going for medical check-ups that are available in Nigeria, must be banned

[10] Every single one of Nigeria’s 36 states must specialise in the production of one particular good or service that will generate it export revenue

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