Were we not an intellectually-lazy people dependent on petroleum handouts we would have exploited the Boko Haram crisis and turned Nigeria into the world’s prosthetic limb manufacturing centre

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Do you know that the global prosthetic limb industry will be worth $13.12bn by 2028?

[2] Apart from accidents and wars, the increasing number of populations along with rising incidences of diabetes among children and the geriatric population are some of the growth drivers in this industry

[3] According to the World Health Organisation, between 20m and 50m people worldwide suffer non-fatal road injuries, which causes a disability in their bodies

[4] Every year, vascular diseases, induced by diabetes or peripheral artery diseases, cancer, or traumatic injuries are the cause of approximately 185,000 amputations are performed in the US alone

[5] Do we have any statistics regarding the number of Nigerians who need prosthetic limbs annually?

[6] Even if we have no local figures, there are global statistics available and nothing stops us making Nigeria the prosthetic limb manufacturing capital of the world

[7] Nothing stops one governor from offering 99 year land leases to any company willing to set up shop in his state

[8] He can then offer them a five year tax holiday and even ask the foreign ministry to give their staff diplomatic status

[9] Just imagine the number of bandits and kidnappers we would take off the streets if we opened a factory like this in say Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno or Yobe states. I am sure any state governor would get counterpart development funding for the project based on the social impact of such a factory

[10] Our biggest problem in Nigeria is that we are not productive enough. We are a nation of eternal consumers. Why have we not sought to manufacture limbs for Russia and Ukraine? When Africans fight wars, the Caucasians are never shy to cash in on it immediately but we are not sharp enough to do likewise

ayoakinfe@gmail.com