Kano industries need action not empty promises –Rabiu
Alhaji Ahmad Rabi’u is the Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). In this interview, Rabiu who is the immediate past president of Kano branch of the association reviews the pledge of P
Kano is known as the centre of commerce because of the industries that dotted the state. However, the fortune of these industries kept dwindling recently. What is the situation like now?
As far as industries are concerned, we have continued to suffer setbacks. Even as new ones are being established they are not enough to replace the number of those that have closed due to constant lack of power (electricity) and funds to run them. Banks that are supposed to give financial assistance to the industries are not rendering such assistance. The issue of insecurity in the state also contributed in keeping a lot of entrepreneurs out of the state. The traders from neighbouring countries that used to rely on Kano market are now going to Niger Republic for businesses. It is a good thing that Niger Republic has discovered oil but it is also a threat to us because now, industrialists are focusing their attention there because of the oil found in that country and because of the development there. In addition to all these, there is also the concentration of all organs and institutions of government in Abuja and Lagos. Of course, government agencies are represented here in Kano but are not adequately manned to provide the needed services required of them by the business community. It is the same with banks that are owned by some groups here and there, they also have their headquarters in Lagos and by virtue of that, they don’t have linkages here in Kano that will mediate with industrialists, because they don’t trust businesses here to expose themselves to give helps in terms of loan to our people. They only trust the environment in terms of collecting deposit from those that have money to lodge in the banks. That is why when you go round in Kano, the banks have the most beautiful buildings but when you approach them for financial support, you will realise that they are just there to exploit you, not to support you. And they are not even respecting the corporate social responsibility by virtue of their attitude of not realising that they need to keep the cow alive and fat in order to continue to milk it and get good and enough milk.
Further issues that hinder the industrial and economic prosperity in Kano have been the issue of inconsistency in continuity of government policies. You wake up and find that government establishes institutions that are supposed to support economic activities like the Kano Free Trade Zone which was established alongside Calabar Free Zone, which is functional for about two decades, but that of Kano is yet to be completed.I happen to be a promoter of an Inland Dry Port which is a policy approved by
“If you go to Bompai industrial area you will notice that the industries that are operating are the small ones that employed small fraction of people. All the ones that employed thousands of people have closed
government in 2002. My company, Dala Inland Dry Port was appointed a concessionaire in the year 2003 but even as we speak now, 11 years after, we are still awaiting a very fundamental action by government which is a declaration by minister of transport for the port to be a port of origin and destination. If this comes to fruition, we will be able to move goods from Kano to other countries.
And also goods can be moved from anywhere in the world to Kano. The Inland Dry Port at Zawaciki is on 200 hectares of land, it has got 165 of the hectares available for special economic project which is a free zone also. The Free Trade Zone we have at Fanisau is 262 hectares. All
these lands are given to the Federal Government over a decade ago. In fact that of the Free Zone is there for almost two decades. Because of policy somersault, Federal Government has not been able to provide enough funding for this project to be completed. The projects are not completed also because of frequent changes of transport minister. From the inception to date, we have six ministers in the ministry of transport. But we are hopeful that the current minister is close to making this declaration. In fact, we are expecting the declaration of the Dry Port as a destination to be made soon. So, if the minister made the declaration, business communities in Kano, northern Nigeria and Niger Republic will not go to Cotonou in Benin Republic to ship their goods, because they will move goods directly through Kano.The breach of security is not monopoly of a particular place, there is no area that is a safe heaven. When you are in a place and there is a setback, all you need is to do your best to make the society better, not to run away. When you run away is like you are telling people that, when the place is good we are together, but when it is bad, I will go to another home.
Kano is the friendliest community in the whole of African continent. Because it is only Kano that you will come with your briefcase and find a home and start family and live forever and nobody will look at you twice and says that you came as a poor man and now you have become rich.So, these are some of the problems that hindered the industries and businesses in Kano. But we are lucky, the governor has made a bold commitment to establish an Independent Power Project which part of will be dedicated to the industries. But we are more concerned with
the industries because once our industries are working, employment will be generated and life will be good for all.
Can you give us the number of industries that are still working and those that have closed shops?
At the time that I became the president of KACCIMA we found out that there were about 1,200 industries in Kano out of which only about 300 were operational, although not at full capacity and the situation continued to deteriorate. At that time, you will find out that five have closed down while two were established and, in most cases, those that were opening were not up to the size of those that have closed.
For instance, if you go to Bompai industrial area you will notice that the industries that are operating are the small ones that employed small fraction of people. All the ones that employed thousands of people have closed. Even though they add some value, but not like the one that have closed. As we speak now, out of the 1,400 industries we have in Kano, only about 20 per cent are working. And even those are working are not at installed capacity, they are working mostly at marginal capacities.
In the good days of these industries, how many people employed?
In the good days more than 300, 000 people were working in those industries, but now I don’t think up to thirty thousand people are working there.
During his campaign in 2011 President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made promises that he will revive the ailing industries in Kano. Now, about three years into his administration, has he succeeded in doing that?
You see, there is no exception in this kind of situation. Unless, maybe, if the government says Kano here is your independent power, provide security, repair the roads, the rail lines, ensure banks lend money and put the other factors in place. So, he could say and promise those things but in terms of giving support to industrial development, that is not a political statement. It is something that government must show a real commitment to it by ensuring that the federal agencies that are here are really able to add value to the state.
Unfortunately, presently, instead of improving, things have really continued to deteriorate.