By Bassey Ita
An Academic and former Commissioner in Cross River State, Prof. Edde Iji, has described the Economic Prosperity/Reforms Agenda of the Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu led administration in Cross River State as a commendable gesture that will turnaround the economic fortunes of the people.
The Economic Prosperity/Reforms Agenda is supervised by the State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and administered under the aegis of the MSMEs Development Program,by a consulting firm, MSMEs Development Consultancy Limited in Calabar.
Prof. Iji had opined that the reforms agenda will achieve the desired result of raising more industrial clusters, creating jobs and adding substantial value to the economy, “when all hands are on deck.”
He maintained that every Stakeholder in the economic sector must align the Government’s policy direction by participating effectively in driving the growth and expansion process.
Also expressing optimism that with a capital outlay of ₦30 billion injected into the economic sector by the administration couple with other incentives including profiling, business training and coordination, the University Teacher turned Farmer, Iji said the opportunity has been provided for Medium,Small and Micro Enterprises, MSMEs, as well as Manufacturing Giants to spring up from among the Cross River Business Community who will compete favourably in the global scene.
He lauded the supervisory role of the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment as well as the credibility of the MSMEs Development Consultancy Limited,so far,for driving the process with the zeal and spirited committment to achieve success.
Prof.Iji was speaking in an exclusive interview in Calabar shortly after applying for the Federal Government’s Intervention Fund (FGIF) for MSMEs and Manufacturers in the country.
Excerpts of the Interview as anchored by BASSEY ITA,are presented below:
Question: Good Morning Prof. It is a privilege to have you. Also, it is a while since I heard about you; the last time was in 1999 when Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was on a state visit to Cross River. You were then an Academic Doctor and you were in the news as canvassing for what became the Ex-President’s albatross.
Answer: Yes, I became a Professor in 2009, after a long delay which was as a result of the interjections and interdiction in the university system. The delay happened to me for always speaking the truth. They had delayed my promotion because they say; and incidentally too, I like stepping on ”big” toes. I stepped on Aikhomu’s toes; I stepped on Obasanjo’s toes. I call a spade, a spade, and it was for such reasons they delayed my Professorship that should have come in 2005. So when it finally came in 2010 and 2011, it was accelerated 10 years back. So I became Professor when I should have gone on retirement. However, I always believe that God’s time is the best. So I have been full Professor for the past 15 years.
Question: Have you, at any point, played a role in governance or politics?
Answer: Yes, I was Commissioner for Agriculture from 1987 to 1989 during Ibrahim Babangida’s era. I was redeployed from Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning. I was again redeployed to Ministry of Information and Culture. I served in three Ministries, all within the Babangida era before the coming of civil rule. I actually prepared for the civil rule during my term as Information and Culture Commissioner. I was noted for being too radical for the Military regime, so I didn’t serve during the civilian rule.
Question: How would you say that your take on Ex-President Obasanjo’s Government in 1999 has been addressed by today’s Leaders?
Answer: Yes, Obasanjo was on a State visit to Cross River during Donald Duke’s era as Governor. There was a town hall meeting in the Government House, and incidentally as the meeting was ending, somebody spotted me to give a ‘Vote of Thanks’. So I preceded my Vote of thanks by saying that I am an ordinary University Lecturer of the University of Calabar, and then Obasanjo picked it up from there. He had remarked that no University Lecturer is ordinary; and he blasted ASUU from his remarks there, and took away the role of giving a Vote of thanks from me. That’s where the whole issue came up. Incidentally, the situation has not changed. In fact, it has even become worse than before perhaps because of the harsh economic reality in the country. So the University Lecturer is not properly treated. The University system itself is still not given its pride of place as the producer of the overall manpower needed in all sectors of the economy.
Question: Recently, you were sighted somewhere in Calabar, precisely at the 38 MCC Road office of the MSMEs Development Consultancy Limited, a consulting firm that is engaged by the State Government to help enforce the growth and expansion of the economy. I know that most of the Guests (who go) there are to discuss business prospects that would engender economic prosperity. Are you also into business, and what is the motivation?
Answer: I have been in business for quite a long time, and even as an Academic, I have been in business. In fact, I have a 20 hectare integrated farm in my village in Yala. It’s an integrated farm; and I grow Oil Palm, Oranges, and many other assorted cash and food crops. I also have a section for livestock. I’m currently rebuilding the livestock part after some losses occasioned by a crisis. So that’s to say that I’ve been in business; Agriculture and Agro-Processing business for a long time. Now, when I saw that Ntufam Fidel Ugbo, whom I have known for a very long time, was involved: because of his integrity, transparency and credibility, I asked myself, why don’t I put my hands in the plough by getting a loan facility to improve the farm, apparently to mechanize it in terms of mass production; to help in the food security projection in Nigeria. Besides, it was an opportunity to apply for the loan. I mean for the State and Federal Government facility coming up at different points and are available for both the Entrepreneurs and the Manufacturers. That’s why you saw me there. I want to say that I have absolute confidence that with Ntufam Ugbo who is consulting for the Government to profile, coordinate and train the Business Owners and Operators, the facility will be readily available for Entrepreneurs. So for this reason, I have filed all my applications already for the facility.
Question: I think that the average Cross Riverian will desire to have an understanding of why a Professor Edde Iji should be so concerned about food sufficiency and food security by going into Agribusiness.
Answer: Well, thank you very much. I have been Commissioner for Agriculture and I know the implications of food production, and food sufficiency for a Community like ours. Cross River is very rich in arable land and in other mineral resources, that if properly harnessed can become a goldmine in the state. From Bakassi to Yala, Cross River State has rich arable land, forest resources, grassland among others. But a lot of them are left uncultivated, couple with the inability of the people to raise agricultural inputs which has been a bane of expansive agricultural production in the state. So the ordinary man, I mean the average Cross Riverian including the Professor, requires inputs or incentives to sustain and even exceed his production capacity. As you can see, as a Professor, I am launching into agricultural production to help address the yawning gap in food production in the country. I have applied for the loan, and if it is approved, you will see that I am not only a Professor but also a great Farmer. I have retired from the University on age grounds, so I have ample opportunity to go into Agribusiness, and that will be my contribution for satisfying the food security quest of the Government, and for this reason, I desire that every Cross Riverian and indeed all Nigerians should take similar steps to add value to the economy.
Question: The State Government has initiated the MSMEs Development Program to enforce the growth and expansion of the economy by profiling, training and coordinating the activities of Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, which translates to incentivizing those SMEs for active participation in the economic growth process. This really looks unprecedented in the annals of the state development. Beyond a mix bag of opinion about the development, how well would you appreciate this development?
Answer: Well, I have listened carefully to the policy initiative or policy direction of our Governor, Sen.Bassey Out, led administration. His intention to turn the state from a civil service economy to a multi-sectoral economic structure is quite commendable. However, it must be understood by all that for that feat to be achieved, all hands must be on deck. All stakeholders in the Economy must synergies to support the initiative. More Cross Riverians should be involved either as MSMEs and or Manufacturers. This will create opportunities for growth and expansion of the economy. So I believe that Governor Otu is in the right direction so far. I also believe that our people will come together and support him to make the initiative work ,so the state can become a multi-sectoral industrial hub. I am happy that a lot of Cross Riverians are already taking advantage of the opportunities the initiative has thrown up as seen in the number of people coming out for profiling of their businesses with the MSMEs Development Consultancy Limited, and of course those coming out to apply for the ₦75 billion loan facility provided by the Federal Government under the Federal Government’s Intervention Fund, FGIF, for the SMEs and Manufacturing categories each. Again, we can count on the integrity and credibility of Ntufam Fidel Ugbo for a perfect job for the Government in the interest of the Cross River Business Community. Let me also say that the people can appreciate this initiative of Government better by having a change of orientation from the beggarly and subsistence understanding of issues to that of an aggressive, ownership and assertive responsibility. The idea of ‘food on the table appointments’ should be jettisoned completely as people must learn to put their hands in the plough. We must move away from the political food on the table which is for idle minds to the practical food on the table that is only served those who genuinely and sincerely earned it. We must put our potentials to work and with such enterprising spirit, the food on the table will be justified and indeed self sustaining.
Question: Business Financiers and Banks continue to drag their feet to provide huge funding measures to support SMEs growth and expansion because they(SMEs) are alleged to be informal in their operations and therefore not well organised to win such confidence of the financiers in terms of repayment. What measures do you think will formalise the SMEs and change this narrative altogether?
Answer: Well, Business Financiers and Banks cannot continue as Father Christmas with their finances especially when people continue to abscond with their funds. I remember during the Babangida era where the People’s Bank gave out Business Support Facility and people absconded with it. Some even diverted theirs into politics at the wake of the political process then, rather than deploy it into business which it was meant for. So the banks are now cautious because of the experience of the past. So the SMEs need some readjustment in their operations. They must take the pain of doing proper profiling and then allow for proper coordination of their activities if that would convince the Financiers to take the risk of giving out loans and other such facilities. There must also be some modifications in the degree of collateral demanded by the Financiers. So it’s a two-way approach between the Business Owners and Operators and the Financiers. Again, I must say that it is heartwarming to hear that the Cross River State Government has taken the responsibility of a Guarantor for all profiled businesses in the state. What is left is the issue of training for the Business Owners and Operators and the ability to monitor the performance index of those Business Industries. All of these put together will facilitate ease of access to funds and engender the fast pace growth of the economy. I must also appreciate the fact that the Governor Otu Administration has earmarked the injection of ₦30billion to scale up the economy and the MSMEs as major drivers of the process will be the better for it especially as over 1000 industrial clusters are being expected to spring up in the state.
Question: Were you satisfied with the services of the Consultancy Outfit during your last visit?
Answer: Managers of the MSMEs Development Consultancy Limited are very purposeful, and I commend them for that. I commend the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment for being pivotal as they continue to supervise the program. I think the officials have discharged themselves creditably well, so far. I also know that with the calibre of persons in the consulting firm, there will always be opportunities for improving the potentials of the Cross River Economy.
