In furtherance of his resolve to revolutionise the nation’s industrial sector, President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, inaugurated the President Advisory Committee on the implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan.
Inaugurating the Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President said the NIRP PAC would be expected to, among other things, discuss the quarterly progress of the NIRP and provide feedback and advice on how to maximise the programme’s impact.
He said the committee would also provide input into the NIRP work plan for subsequent quarters,; bring international perspective on industrialisation, based on the experiences of other countries, and serve as ambassadors to the larger private sector and the international community “that Nigeria is on the path of economic reform and industrialisation.”
Jonathan also noted that members were carefully selected from strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy, adding that the NIRP would fast-track the nation’s march towards industrialisation.
The committee, which comprises mainly of representatives from strategic Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government as well as leading private sector industrialists, will be chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, with foremost industrialist,Aliko Dangote, serving as Alternate Chairman.
Other PAC members from the public sector include the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr.Samuel Ortom; Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolemenmen; Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Minister of Transport, Mr. Idris Umar; and the Acting CBN Governor, Dr. Sarah Alade.
The private sector representatives include the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kola Jamodu ; Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko; President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mohammed Abubarkar; and the Nigeria Country Head of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation(UNIDO), Dr. Patrick Kormawa, among others.
The President said, “Members of the Committee are our best minds and the most dauntless investors in Nigeria’s Industrial sector. They represent the best of the Nigerian Industry. They have been carefully selected across strategic industrial sectors of the NIRP – including cement, basic steel, cocoa processing, petrochemicals, textiles, foods and beverages, among others.
“We have also ensured adequate national coverage, North, South, East, West, and International; and we have representation from key stakeholder groups. This advisory board will be chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, with Aliko Dangote, serving as Alternate Chair. Their mandate is to ensure we get the highest level of private sector input, into our Industrialisation agenda.”
He added, “I am emboldened by the achievements we have already recorded while implementing parts of the NIRP over the last three years. Examples are seen in our Sugar Master Plan; the Auto Industry Strategy; and our Strengthening of the Cement Sector, among others.
“The NIRP is a journey Nigeria must undertake. I am confident that this plan will industrialise our great country and that it will create the jobs and wealth. We can, and we must Industrialise Nigeria. No country has become rich by only producing and exporting its raw materials. This is an economic policy that leads nowhere.”
According to President Jonathan, the entrepreneurial spirit in Nigerians is unrivalled.
He said, “We have a half trillion dollar economy, by far the largest in Africa; we have the 9th largest workforce in the world; we have abundant natural resources; we have abundant sources of energy (oil and gas); and we are a political force regionally and internationally. There is no reason we cannot become a top 10 economy within the next two decades.
“This is possible, other countries have done it. We can do it. To achieve this however we must do things differently. We must add value to our resources, and we must industrialise. The Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan is our agenda to achieve this.”
In an interview with State House Correspondents after the inauguration, Aganga said that the NIRP was part of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda, adding that it was the nation’s first comprehensive and integrated industrial road map.
“The launch of NIRP three months ago and the inauguration of the PAC NIRP today by the President is part of the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. The Federal Government will continue to provide the enabling environment to attract and sustain local and foreign investments across all sectors of the Nigerian economy,” he said.
