By UMAR DANLADI ADO
KANO state acting governor, Engr. Magaji Abdullahi has
described the N10 billion expended by President Olusegun Obasanjo
administration for the defunct Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) as an
economic misadventure.
Engr. Abdullahi stated this when he received the minister
of industries, Alhaji Magaji Muhammad who was on a courtesy call at
Government House, Kano yesterday.
He said the former programme had provided employment to
about 200,000 youths most of whom he described as relatives of top
government officials.
Engr. Abdullahi stressed that the amount was supposed to
have been used to resuscitate collapsed industries which in turn would have
provided employment opportunities to two million people.
The acting governor, observed that after the first one
year in which the federal government spent N10 billion, poverty alleviation
programme was replaced by Poverty Eradication Programme, because it was not
properly executed.
He also faulted the federal government�s policy of giving
room to some individuals to import irrelevant items such as toothpastes and
toys which favour the World Bank and IMF�s policies of liberalization,
resulting in the deterioration of the economy.
The acting governor further expressed dismay over how the
disbursement of funds generated from the companies� profit taxes was
administered, saying that out of the N19 billion gathered less than N1
billion was disbursed to the Northern states.
While expressing the hope that the establishment of a
committee to address the issue of utilization of the said funds would
succeed, Engr. Abdullahi assured of his government�s desire to address the
issue of ailing industries in the state.
�Government is going to encourage indigenous tanners so
that they can have an added value before exporting their lather products�,
he said.
Earlier, the minister who was on a brief visit on the
invitation of the Tanners� council of Nigeria to assess their progress, had
said that the federal government has placed premium importance on the
revival of textile industries as the sector is the biggest employer of
labour in the country.
To this end, he stressed a presidential committee was set
up to look into the problems of textile industries, adding that out of the
17 recommendations made towards restoring the lost glory of the industries,
12 were approved.
He recalled that in the 1960s, Nigeria was a catalyst in
industrialization and commercial efforts which promoted the establishment of
co-industries such as the National Fertilizer Company in Bonny and Super
Phosphate Company in Kaduna among others, aimed at providing essential
services for the country.
The minister added that government is aware of the problems militating
against the progress of industries in Nigeria, in the reas, inadequate
infrastructural power failure, infractural facilities and access to
financing among others.
