NIGERIA NEEDS INDUSTTRIALISATION, NOT INFRASTRUCTURE
Industrialisation is the solution to the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria, argues Francis E. Ogbimi
Great minds build great nations. Great minds listen and learn so as to increase their understanding. They are knowledgeable and are wise. They enjoy the grace of discernment. Many people agree that Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore and Mao Zedung of the Peoples’ Republic of China were men with great minds. Lee Kuan Yew industrialised Singapore speedily. Mao Zedung initiated the rapid industrialisation of China in 1949. Today, China is a world power. Yew and Zedung did wise things; they imitated things history and science had demonstrated lead to success. One who imitates success cannot fail woefully.
Nigerians agree that Nigeria is faced with myriad of problems especially mass unemployment, poverty, insecurity, indebtedness. Our decades-long curiosity-driven research results showed that it is industrialization that Nigeria needs, not mere erection of infrastructure. What is industrialisation or industrial revolution (IR)?
IR or industrialization in modern history is the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. The Western industrialisation began in Britain in the18th century. Whereas the term IR was first used by French writers, it was popularized by the English economic historian Arnold Toynbee (1852-83) who used it to describe Britain’s economic development 1760-1840.
The features of the IR were technological, socio-economic and cultural.
The technological changes were: the development and use of new basic materials, chiefly iron and steel; use of new energy sources, including both fuels and motive like coal, the steam engine, electricity, petroleum and internal combustion engine; invention of new machines like the spinning jenny and powered looms which facilitated increased production; the emergence of a new work organizational structure known as the factory system which entailed division of labour and specialization of functions; development of advanced transportation and communication systems like the steam locomotive, steamship, automobile, airplane, telegraph, radio; the increased use of theoretical science in production; application of science and technology to improvement in agricultural productivity. These technological changes led to tremendous increase in production of goods.
The socio-economic, political and cultural changes consequent to the scientific and technological changes were many. Some of them were: high demand for labour, child labour; decline of land as wealth and power; wider distribution of wealth; increase in international trade, shift in political power and state policies due to shift in economic power; growth of cities; growth of modern infrastructure; development of working-class movements (labour unions); workers’ acquisition of new skills – they became machine operators, no more tools craftsmen and subjected to factory discipline; and great increase in government’s revenue.
The region occupied by modern Western Europe was the ancient Gaul. Ancient Gaul was harnessed into the Roman empire in 55 B. C. The western part of the empire broke-up in 406 A. D. From the ruins of the empire, the boundaries of most of the nations in Western Europe today became defined in the period between the 10th and 13th centuries. When Britain achieved the first modern IR, the roads in Britain were still the ones built by the Roman Empire. Following the industrialisation, the nation quickly built canals, railways and other modern transport systems. Agricultural/artisan Britain did not borrow and accumulate debts to erect complex infrastructure before achieving industrialization.
Following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) in which the Americans colonists became independent of Britain, the Americans wrote the popular American constitution in 1787, adopted it in 1789 and transformed the confederation into the American federation. Britain was clearly more technologically advanced at that time. America did not award big contracts to Britain or Britons to erect complex infrastructure for America so that America can achieve effortless development overnight. Morrison (1974), narrated the American experience in developing infrastructure in the 18th century. By 1790, there were many thriving communities in south New England. It soon became clear that roads wide enough for a yoke of oxen and forest trails for men on foot were insufficient means for the kind of transport such an expanding territory required. It was also apparent that the solution to this problem did not lie in building a network of roads to tie the various parts of the region together. This, the Americans believed would cost a great deal to build and present a continuing difficulty of maintenance. So, a search was made for a reasonable alternative. New Englanders turned in time to watercourses that existed and focused on building canals. The Chinese IR which began in 1949 was again internal.
The Western industrialization which began in England was first manifested in the textile industry. Textile manufacture involves three major activities: spinning of fibers into yarns(s), weaving of yarns into cloth(w) and bleaching/dyeing of fabric(b/d). Eight major scientific and technological inventions and innovations related to textile manufacture improved productivity dramatically in Britain. They were: One, Hargreaves spinning jenny, invented 1770 to automate spinning(s); two, Arkwright water frame(1771/s); three, Crompton’s mule (1799/sw); four, Cartwright’s power loom (1785/w); five, Watt’s steam engine (1769/sw); six, Berthollet’s/Tennant’s chlorine bleaching activity (1785/bd); seven, Maudlay’s screw-cutting lathe (1797); and 8) Eli Whitney’s interchangeable manufacturing practice (1798).
Six of the eight major innovations were developed in Britain. Britain was therefore scientifically most prepared for the industrialisation hence it took place first in Britain. Thus, in the period between 10th century to 1750, the economic activities of the English and Britons were mainly subsistence agriculture/artisan-industry devoid of theoretical science and marked by very low productivity. But the situation changed as from 1770 when Britons achieved scientific/technological maturity or technological puberty. The great scientific/technological developments occurred in the short period 1770-1799, about 30 years, after a very long time of preparation.
From the developments described above, industrialisation or IR is primarily a scientific process. This explains why economists and other social scientists, accountants, bankers, lawyers, etc., who have been playing central roles in the management of the Nigerian economy cannot promote sustainable economic growth and industrialization (SEGI). Sadly, industrialisation is the solution to the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria. Whereas Lee Kuan Yew and Mao Zedung were not scientists, they through providence and good advice, did scientific things. They mobilized their people for learning and industrialisation. They did not just erect infrastructure.
Our research results also showed that infrastructure is depreciating asset which when erected today is not there tomorrow. Is that not our experience? Learning is the primary basis for achieving SEGI. The more the people mobilized for learning the sooner a nation achieves industrialisation. Japan mobilised all her citizens 1886-1905 and achieve industrialisation. China mobilised all her citizens for learning in 1949 and achieve industrialisation in the early 1980s. Mobilising all Nigerians for learning (education, training, career employment and research) and industrialisation is the sure route to making Nigeria a great nation.
Prof Ogbimi, fogbimi@yahoo.com
