Our four governors who accompanied President Buhari to Japan need to negotiate robust infrastructure-for-raw material deals

By Ayo Akinfe 

[1] As we debate this President Buhari's visit to Japan, we are once again focusing on minor issues like the Ipob protests and forgetting the major point that he is in Yokohama for an investment conference. For me, the most important aspect of this trip is the fact that he went with governors Babajide Sanwoolu, Samuel Ortom, Babagana Zulum and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Lagos, Benue, Borno and Kwara states respectively

[2] I think we need to remind ourselves of the fact that the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development is about Japanese investors looking at the investment opportunities in Africa. This conference was started in 1993 with the aim of promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners. For me, that is just fanciful grammar. We need to tell Japan that the conference is there to set annual Japanese investment quotas in Africa 

[3] Can I remind you all that at the last summit held in Kenya in 2016, Japan actually set itself the target of matching Chinese investment in Africa. Japan can easily see that China is cornering lucrative primary commodity supply deals across Africa to furnish its industry and knows that if they do not try and catch up, they will be starved of raw materials

[4] In 2004, Japan was the fourth largest trade partner with sub-Saharan Africa, with two-way trade valued at $11.7bn, according to the IMF. However, now, Japan has fallen to number six, having been overtaken by India and the United Arab Emirates

[5] Japan's total investment in Africa was only $32bn in 2014, compared with China's $66.4bn. With China now having overtaken Japan as the world's second largest economy, Japan needs Africa's iron ore, bauxite, aluminium, gold, crude oil, gas, farmland, tin, copper, etc if she wants to revive her economic fortunes

[6] This for me is where the state governors come in. These four governors President Buhari took to Japan need to negotiate robust infrastructural investment-for-raw material-supply deals with Japanese conglomerates on the sidelines of this conference. Mother nature can be very ruthless but its principles are very straightforward - Grow or die. Nigeria needs to get investment out of this Japanese summit if we want to arrest the growing spate of unemployment, kidnapping, herdsmen murders, terrorism, etc. This may be out last chance before the matter spirals out of control

[7] Starting with Governor Sanwoolu, I hope he has read about the man in this picture named Isambard Brunel, an English mechanical and civil engineer who is considered one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history. This is the man who built most of London's train stations, constructed the sewerage system than ended the dumping of sewage into the River Thames and built steam-powered, iron-hulled ships that plied the UK to US naval channel. Governor Sanwoolu should not only be demanding investment but also request that Japan loan him their most brilliant engineer of the sams stature as Mr Brunel, who can come and build an underground network in Lagos, end the Apapa port congestion wahala by constructing rail links and decongest the Lagos metropolis as happened in London in the 19th century

[8] Governor Ortom for his part needs to tell the Japanese they can get 5m tonnes of Benue yam a year for their animal feed industry in return for building a 1,000MW hydro-electric power plant at Makurdi, Governor Abdulrasaq needs to offer the Japanese 10m tonnes of sugarcane in exchange for them building an ethanol plant at Offa, while Governor Zulum can offer them a 99 year land lease for up to a quarter of Borno State in exchange with Japan opening the world's largest cattle ranch and at least four commercial farms in his terrorist-ridden state

[9] When I look at the number of bridges Mr Brunel built in the UK, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, the Maidenhead Railway Bridge over the Thames in Berkshire, the Hungerford Suspension Bridge across the Thames near Charing Cross Station and the Royal Albert Bridge for the Cornwall Railway in 1855, I ask whether President Buhari has gone to Japan with a such a shopping list. Bear in mind Japan took engineering to its limits in 1994 with they built the Kansai International Airport on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. They blew up three mountains to get the rock for this project for heaven's sake. President Buhari just needs to ask the Japanese to come and built us two deep sea ports at say Ikot-Abasi and Brass and then get them to dredge the Rivers Niger and Benue. We all know that can do this with ease in record time. All we have to offer them in return is raw materials

[10] It frustrates the living hell out of me that most Nigerians do not appreciate the fact that the country's biggest problem is a lack of investment. How can Nigeria only attract $2.2bn in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2018 for heaven's sake. Diaspora remittances alone total $25bn. For me, it is up to these governors to change the narrative. Each of them should get at least $2bn worth of investment into their states for this summit. For the 180m people of Nigeria to live at ease, we need a $1trn economy at the very minimum. We either achieve this and prosper or perish like fools!