Back to this subject of regional development, I look forward to the launch of a Nigerian Middle Economic Enhancement Programme

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Nigeria’s Middle Belt is our breadbasket. It should be like the US Midwest, littered with commercial farms, plantations, agro-processing companies, research facilities and food manufacturers

[2] Just take one commodity grown in the Middle Belt in abundance - Yam. How come there are no yam millionaires in Nigeria? We should vertically-integrated companies that churn out finished products

[3] I look forward to this regional socio-economic plan that extends to areas such as housing, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, etc

[4] Nigeria’s Middle Belt has the most fertile soil in the country, with Benue State in particular taking yam production to unprecedented heights. Nigeria accounts for 70% of global yam production. Why is Benue a poor state?

[5] Our Middle Belt extends from the southern parts of Kebbi State right across to Adamawa State. Thanks to the fertile soil in the area, it is the main producing region for shea nuts, sugar, cassava, maize, pepper, tomatoes, yam, soyabeans, onions, etc. I want to see the creation of a Middle Belt Agricultural Agency with a mandate to grant land to farmers for the creation of mega plantations, offer loans to agribusinesses to process these farm goods and offer export credits to exporters wanting to export this produce

[6] Created and funded by the North Central Governors Forums, this Middle Belt Agricultural Agency should also appoint a renown economist as its chairman with a mandate to woo food companies and investors into the area. I want to see food giants like Unilever, Cadbury, Tate & Lyle, Nestle, etc all running processing companies and packaging plants in Nigeria's Middle Belt

[7] One other thing going in favour of our Middle Belt is that it is predominantly Christian and so there are no Sharia laws to scare investors away. Of all the North Central states, only Niger practices Sharia. If the state is serious about wooing investors, such laws have to be repealed. Niger State is the main producer of shea nuts in Nigeria but they are not going to attract international crushing plants if the staff of such companies are not allowed to mingle freely irrespective of gender

[8] We should also have a regional assistance programme. If for instance, Niger State has a budget surplus of $20bn and Kogi State has a deficit of $10bn, there is no reason why one state should not assist the other. Ohaneze Ndigbo once went a step further than this by suggesting a revenue allocation formula under which 50% will be retained by states, 20% goes to the federation account, 20% goes to a geo-political fund and 10% goes into a sovereign wealth fund

[9] Nigeria's Middle Belt needs this regional cooperation more than anywhere else in the country because it is the part of Nigeria criss-crossed by the Rivers Niger and Benue. Our Middle Belt is the only part of the country that can come up with a regional hydro-electric power programme linking plants at say Jebba, Idah, Yola and Lokoja

[10] I would like to see Middle Belt economic integration serving as a pilot programme for the rest of the country. If it is successful, it can be replicated in other geo-political zones across the country.

ayoakinfe@gmail.com