The President of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCIMMA), Alhaji Umar Yahaya, in this interview with GRACE AZUBUIKE and GABRIEL EWEPU, speaks on the preparations for a hitch-free Kaduna International Trade Fair and other issues.
Can you tell us how Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture has been faring since you became the president of the organisation?
Kaduna Chamber of Commerce has been there for over 32 years; it has been one of the foremost chambers of commerce in the West African sub-region. It has recorded huge successes; even the fair organised last year was a success. It has been eventful for us since I assumed office last year. Kaduna Chamber of Commerce has been on advocacy to change the face of doing business. It has not done badly.
How is your organisation involved in the new mass transit scheme introduced by the federal government?
You know it is a palliative measure that has been put in place by the federal government to address some of the pains and problems that arose because of the increased transport fares. The issue of mass transit was put in place only recently to provide palliatives. For the implementation of the programme, government should also include other public interest groups for the programme to benefit the people from the mass transit bus scheme. As it is now, in the 1,600 buses government has provided, there should be room for improvement in the distribution of more buses. For now we are not part of the programme.
What are your plans for the textile industry that is not functioning well in your state?
You know, as a chamber of commerce, we are catalysts for the development of industries. We have been saying in many press conferences that we have taken up major media advocacy issues like the matter of Kaduna Textile Village. This is a place that has over 10 textile companies of various types, employing thousands of Nigerians but which has been left to decay for the last few years because of a number of wrong policies. So, what we have been doing is that we have been speaking to government, both at state and federal levels, to see that the right kind of policy is in place, for instance, issues relating to importing of finished textile materials.
These textiles are imported from countries who have a number of initiatives aimed at encouraging their companies and by which also the use this to improve their economies. The countries which they export to include Nigeria. If you look around, most? people wear textile materials? imported into the country; this means that the people who are employed are the nationals of those countries. So we deprive ourselves employment opportunities, with the other values added to manufacturing.
Insecurity coupled with sectarian violence hinder employment and development.
Everywhere, we go we always say: let us look into our import policies so that we encourage local production like – those of textiles, because if you are importing textiles from other countries, that encourages their nationals in the industry who produce at a lower cost. What they are doing is that they are killing your local industries, and that if we look into the fiscal policies of the country, it would help our local industries to come back to life. We are telling investors to put in money to resuscitate these industries and we will start producing, and give employment to our people. It would also attract cotton producers.
The problem of agriculture is that the cotton producers find a way to take their produce out of the country. Really, it is an advocacy area for us, and now that the president said he is eating cassava bread, we feel also that if the right incentives were put into the textile industry for semi and finished textiles, we will also say the president is wearing locally produced textile materials.
Is it part of KADCCIMA’s objective for the president to wear locally produced textile materials?
Yes, it is the major objective and also major advocacy we are pursuing.
What efforts have you put in place to meet the President or the Governors about this?
We have met with the Kaduna State governor,? Patrick Yakowa, to articulate this idea; we have held press conferences on the issue; we have also addressed letters to the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry which is the ministry to partner with. When we go aboard we meet with our counterparts of other countries and we discuss with them about most of the opportunities for the importation of finished textiles for anybody bringing capital into Nigeria. We tell them labour is cheap comparatively and we have massive population for the market itself. I think once the physical policies are right, the scale would be limited for the country and you can also see the United Nigerian Textile coming back to life and I think that some of the policies put in place are result-oriented.
They would go a long way to help other textile companies to come up.
How many foreign investors are you expecting for the Kaduna trade fair?
We are expecting quite a few participates from India, Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia.? There are? quite a few countries which have indicated that their own nationals will attend the fair and they have given us assurance of their participation.
With the security issue on ground, coupled with the recent strike and violent protest recorded, do you think the investors would come for the fair?
There is no doubt that there are no security challenges. We have a committee working to ensure enough maximum security for the participants. We have been talking to federal and state security agencies, and we have a committee whose task is to handle security issues: the SSS, Police and various other security companies are going to ensure that lives and property are protected. We are trying our best to ensure that life and properties are fully protected. T?? hese are the things we tell the participants, assuring them that adequate security measures are in place.
In your view, how will you assess the agricultural sector, and what are your expectations?
The agricultural sector is responsible for 40 to 43 per cent of the Nigerian economy.
You cannot really grow the economy of Nigeria without developing the agricultural sector; without increasing the value added to the producers of food.? As a matter of fact, this year, we are going to partner with some banks, the Ministry of Agriculture and some foreign investors who have indicated interest. We would do a specialised agric fair that would be dedicated for agriculture for value addition. These are some of the programmes we have in place. It is going to tackle problems that have bedevilled the agricultural sector. The fair would be organised differently to make it more attractive for employment. The employment we are talking about is mainly for the youths.
Unfortunately, for several decades rural agriculture has remained at a subsistence level. Farmers still use crude implements for the cultivation of crops – which does not really attract the youths who have agriculture at mind. We are trying to have a fair for agriculture; which would reorganise the sector. We will introduce the use of heavy machineries in the farms. Also, we are going to organise conferences to ensure that there is a market for output, and that is very important for the farmers. I think that there should be intermediaries that would take the produce from the farmers – if the market is not very strong – to other markets outside the country. That is the only way to guarantee food security in the country.
With the current situation in the country, is it the right time to organise the trade fair? Don’t you think it should be postponed?
We are not postponing the trade fair. We have in the last few years been having the fair at the end?? of February. This year also, we will have it from he last week of February to the first week of March. That time was chosen because there is no rain, and also people have come off their farms. That time is typically conducive for the participants.
Every Nigerian should engage in activities that will be positive signal to other nationals – that Nigeria is an ongoing concern business-wise. Yes, security issues are there, but not deeply fundamental that lives in Nigeria is not secure. An event like the Kaduna Trade Fair has become an important annual event in the business calendar; changing it will indicate to the international community that all is not well in Nigeria. We do not think that the situation in Nigeria is that bad to scare investors away, because if we postpone the event, foreign media will further exaggerate it more than we thought, and it will not speak well of our country in the international community. In fact, Nigeria is not the only country having security challenges. We will go on with the trade fare, and Nigeria remains one country, and by the grace of God it would be a successful trade fair.
Is there any collaboration with other states’ chambers of commerce concerning this trade fair?
Yes, we already have commitment with various ministries of commerce throughout the country, many of them in the north, and quite a few from the East and South South.
They have indicated interest and are making commitments. One of the reasons I am here today, is a continuation of our media publicity to assure the public that all is well. Sometime in December, we held a press conference to publicise the issue of the fair.
Normally, it is a tradition to do publicity everywhere. We have started in Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos. The fuel subsidy protest also slowed down our publicity. We have come to LEADERSHIP and gone to other media houses, telling them about the fair: that we are going on with the trade fair despite the challenges. From tomorrow, people would see the publicity in papers. We are not relenting we are also going to Lagos to publicise it very soon.
What will be the impact of the trade fair to Kaduna State and on the people?
Well, the trade fair is aimed at attracting investors to the state and the Nigerian economy. It will? also strengthen the industries in our country and facilitate interaction between our businessmen and their foreign counterparts on how to invest in various sectors of the economy. The trade fare is to exhibit what we have here, that is, our human, material and natural resources to those who will come to participate in the fair.
We are really working around the clock to ensure that the best of this business event serve the purpose for which we are organising the fair.