Ace musician and producer, Michael Ajereh, a.k.a Don Jazzy, has advised the Federal Government on practical steps to take to grow the economy.
Don Jazzy took to his Twitter handle on Wednesday to list areas that must be exploited maximally if the economy will survive including iron, coal and agriculture.
Beginning with provisions for promoting and protecting local products and citing Innoson Automobiles as point of call, he said:
“It would be worthwhile if the Federal govt. can prevail on the National Assembly, State houses of Assembly and all State Governors to only buy Innoson Automobiles.
“We can even enact laws to this effect, to promote and protect our local products.”
Continuing, he said: “We import coal and iron ore, despite the huge deposits we have.
“Iron ore is used to produce Iron, which is then used to produce Steel. Steel is used to produce Automobiles
“So if our steel industry was working fine, Innoson would be buying that locally and cost of producing his cars will reduce so that Nigerians can patronize him.
“Steel is the commonest material in an automobile. The average car contains about 2500 pounds of Steel.”
Using the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facility as case study, he warned of the consequences of mono economy like Nigeria.
He said: “The effect of the Houthi rebels’ attack on Saudi Arabia’s Oil Output should serve as a wake-up call for us.
“Misfortunes are never planned for but what alternatives do we have if there’s gross reduction of Oil output here. How injurious would it be to our economy?”
On agriculture, he recounted the benefits of an agrarian economy, saying:
“How enormously beneficial would it have been if we had an Agrarian and Oil economy, flourishing simultaneously.
“How well have we exploited the resources we have been blessed with as a nation? We have a lot, yet we complain a lot.
See attached below a document showing how the railway route ought to be channeled to benefit economy nationwide:
