| ...Nigerian government
is anti-industry, say manufacturers
By IKENNA EMEWU
Saturday, December 4, 2004
 |
•Engr.
Dr. Chukwiyekwu
displays two products from Nnewi industry and imported
one.
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
| |
Nnewi, an emerging urban area in the South eastern part of
Nigeria is fast turning into a mega-industrial belt that would
soon merge with the already sprawling Onitsha commercial region
to form a business triangle with Aba, all in the eastern region.
Saturday Sun conducted a week-long coverage of the activities
of the area to come to the incontrovertible conclusion that
the sloganeering of the federal government in the area of
industrial growth is a mere joke that has no substance.
Although the manufacturers receive no encouragement from Nigerian
governments at any level, the international community through
the UNIDO are appreciative of the efforts of the Nnewi industralists
to turn around the nation’s economy through job provision
and product output, and has its presence in the town.
UNIDO facts
There are about 25 operating manufacturing industries of the
medium to large scale rating in Nnewi. In addition to this
are about 100 small ones whose wheels turn out products that
enrich the nation’s economy. Their products constitute
a reasonable and substantial bulk of the goods volume that
adorn the shops in Nigerian markets. These products and the
financial value they add to the nation’s market create
a great impetus for the economy of Nigeria. The various industries
employ at least 8,000-9,000 Nigerians. This is the position
of not just any person or group but the United Nations Industrial
Organisation (UNIDO) an agent of the World body confirmed
this to Saturday Sun which Nnewi during a chat at “the
fact-finding visit to the city. There are in addition 20 aluminum
smelting/foundry companies, 15 machine shops and 6-10 others
in manufacture of springs”, said UNIDO.
UNIDO findings on problems
An encounter with the UNIDO officer in Nnewi, Engr. Dr. Sam
Chukwujekwu, National Expert-Cluster Broker, in his office
at the premises of the Nnewi Chamber of Commerce, Industries
and Agriculture was an eye-opener on what is biting the Nnewi
industrial sector.
Chukwujekwu noted that UNIDO has carved out three industrial
clusters in the nation, all in the east. Apart from the Nnewi
Light Engineering Industrial Cluster, there are two others
– Textile and Leather Clusters in Aba, Abia State. But
he disclosed that “there are so many problems that stand
in the way of the Nnewi industrialists barring them from attaining
optimum capacity which includes the non restriction of importation
of goods similar to those produced by Nnewi industries from
the South East Asia and China. This big snag compounds the
already depressing and threatening crisis of infrastructural
unavailability. In pursuit of a solution to these problems,
UNIDO has already commenced negotiations with NEPA, involving
also the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the
Nnewi Chambers of Commerce and Industries to ensure NEPA builds
a power station in Nnewi. Dr. Chukwujekwu disclosed that the
execution of the project would entail the extension of a 132KV
high tension power line that would generate 60MVA of power,
a project that would gulp N1.2bn. Money or investable capital
is one of the problems the industries face because the banks
refuse to give them loans. The fear of the banks is that industrial
business would hold their money for a long time before maturation
and with a slim profit margin.”
How UNIDO assists industries
“The industries need to talk to each other as they talk
to their customers. We found out that they see each other
as competitors instead of partners in progress. So the centre
of UNIDO activity here is to make them develop a relationship
that would enable a closer interaction among them whereby
one would rely on the other for one service or the other”,
said Chukwujekwu.
UNIDO has also been busy organising industrial training for
staffers, including one that held on Wednesday, November 24
at Otolo Nnewi. According to the UNIDO Nnewi chief, the efforts
of the body are geared towards improving the quality of the
products of the industries so that they could beat those imported
from Asia. “To achieve this intention, we have always
encouraged the improvement of quality of products to conform
with Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) and the Standards Organisation
of Nigeria (SON) as well as the International Standards Organisation
(ISO) standards. We have also gone into agreement with the
Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to conduct a course
on Engineering Drawing for staffers to ensure proper training.”
Since UNIDO opened shop in Nnewi last April and has some more
time to spend in its three-year assistance in Nnewi, Dr. Chukwujekwu
has high hopes there would be great improvement in in Nnewi
soon.
|
