This is obviously what the doctor ordered Nigeria but alas it is not happening because we do not want it to happen

Ayo Akinfe

[1] This is a picture of guns under construction in Five Shop, Elswick Works, Newcastle upon Tyne, in the UK, dated July27, 1942

[2] It includes 5.118-inch guns for Russia and 4-inch guns for the British Admiralty

[3] Workshop of the World is a phrase often used to describe Britain’s manufacturing dominance during the 19th century

[4] It is also a very apt description for the Elswick Works and Scotswood Works of Vickers Armstrong and its predecessor companies

[5] These great factories, situated in Newcastle along the banks of the River Tyne, employed hundreds of thousands of men and women and built a huge variety of products for customers around the globe

[6] The Elswick Works was established by William George Armstrong (later Lord Armstrong) in 1847 to manufacture hydraulic cranes

[7] From these relatively humble beginnings the company diversified into many fields including shipbuilding, armaments and locomotives

[8] By 1953 the Elswick Works covered 70 acres and extended over a mile along the River Tyne

[9] With a population of 200m, Nigeria simply has to become a global manufacturing giant. We are a manufacturer or we are nothing, it is as simple as that

[10] When you are the world’s seventh most populous nation, you simply cannot be a net consumer. You have to become a global producer as your numbers insist that you produce more than you consume