Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group,
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has lamented that despite the abundant human and natural
resources, Nigeria is bedevilled by many developmental challenges.
Speaking as a guest at the fourth edition of the Kaduna Economic
and Investment Submit (KADINVEST) which kicked off on Wednesday in Kaduna, he also
said the northern part of the country would continue to lag behind if
respective state governments do not take steps to close the development gap
between other regions of the country.
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According to him, the overall social economic considerations
in the country are causes for concern.
He said in the Northwestern and North-eastern part of
Nigeria, more than 60 per cent of the population live in extreme poverty.
According to him, “Our country’s human developmental
indicators rank poorly when compared with global averages. Nigeria is ranked 157 out of 189 countries in
the areas of human development index.
”While the overall social economic consideration in
the country is a cause for concern, the regional imperatives are in fact very
alarming.
“In the North western and North-eastern part of
Nigeria, more than 60 per cent of the population lives in extreme poverty.
“It is instructive to know that the 19 northern
states which account for over 54 per cent of the country's population and 70
per cent of its landmass collectively generated only 21 per cent of the total
sub national internally generated revenue in 2017.
“Northern Nigeria will continue to fall behind if
respective state governments do not move to close the development gap, and that
is why we are always saying that the biggest challenge we have and what we are
always praying for is to have ten governors like Mallam Nasir El Rufai.”
Dangote said closing the gap requires multi-layer
investment, and that government would not be able to muster the needed funds.
He said only the private sector can raise the amount of capital required to
find the kind of investment required.
He stated further that “government must create a
conducive environment that will trigger a huge inflow of private capital into
the private sector of the economy.”
According to him, private investment will create jobs and go
a long way to erase the challenge of unemployment and poverty.
Dangote said: “As more people get employed, you will notice a
sharp decline in some of the social vices now prevalent in our society,” adding
that Kaduna State is a shining example of this.
He said while several states are taking steps in this
direction, only a few like Kaduna that are making visible progress.
”As the capital of the former northern region, Kaduna
continues to lead on several matrixes. Kaduna State currently has the highest
WAEC pass rate in the North and second highest IGR generation in the northern
part of the region after Kano...
“As private sector investment propels an upsurge in
economic activities, the financial viability of state governments will also
improve.
“State governments will have more money to invest in
human capital development and the rampant cases of insecurity as we have it now
would subside.
“The north must focus on harnessing its massive agricultural
potential in terms of production and processing. No region with such potential should
be this poor. “We have what it takes to turn around our fortunes, and I pray
all the 19 governors of the northern states will wake up and follow the footsteps
of Kaduna State government,” Dangote said.
Earlier in a presentation, the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, while reviewing the
achievements of the submit in the past three years, said the investment forum
is geared towards creating a conducive environment for private sector
investment, the economy and job creation.
El-Rufai said the investment forum was introduced to
achieve the revival of the state economy.
“Our agenda is anchored around providing a
conducive environment for private sector investment, the economy as well as
create jobs.
”Kaduna is the third largest state in the country
in terms of population. We have a population of about 10 million people. Over
80 percent of the population is below the age of 34. So the biggest challenge
as a government is job creation.
”We therefore embarked on several policies and
reforms that will make the state the first choice for investment,” he stated.
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