Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
By Samuel Okon
A recent survey carried out in the developing countries revealed that 88 per cent of the people are extremely poor and do not have enough food, while the remaining 12 per cent fall under the affluent stratum. Poverty has earned recognition in Nigeria to an extent of ravaging the society and the affairs of humanity.
The prevailing cause of this has become a major challenge to all tiers of government. No wonder a political analyst place emphasis on the “activity and success of the wider society rather than at the expense or to the detriment of the individual. On the other hand, it indicates the failures and frustration of extreme individualism that in spite of individual talent and capacities the individual ought to be aware of his or her insufficiency to achieve his welfare through solitary effort.” This indicates the value of collective action, mutual aid, and interdependence as necessary conditions not only for and individual’s welfare, but also for the successful achievement of even at the most difficult undertaking.
However, this implies that, the main focus of the lives of individuals is constituted by its involvement of interests, aspirations which his or her welfare is therefore measured by that individual’s work. Nevertheless, some of the factors that contributed to a poor society is the callous government and neglect of the target group, the people being borne out of idleness, gambling, smoking, reckless spending and heavy drinking. Beside, “no food for a lazy man” slogan whoever, that does not want to work should not also eat, “laziness lets the roof leak”, are the common adages. The holy writ, in Ecclesiastes 11:4 advised, “if you worry about the weather and don’t plant seeds, you won’t harvest crop in the nearest season”.
It is however imperative for government at all level especially in Nigeria to key into modern developmental economies, wealth creation and investment into micro, small and medium enterprises to redeem the present economic holocaust. Happily, the Akwa Ibom State Government in conjunction with the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) conducted a two day seminar/empowerment programme to build up Micro, Small and Medium Scale businesses in the State recently. The two day programme which was held at the Ibom e-library was tagged, ‘Tackling the challenges of small, and medium sized enterprise growth in Akwa Ibom State’.
This was to put a working framework that would aid in stimulating business capacity, expanding credits, ensure new products development, and to provide small scale productions and manufacturing for domestic items such as shoes, bags, caps and household product for the support of micro and medium scale enterprises in the State. In line with the dakkada philosophy of the present administration, Governor Udom Emmanuel has channeled the best alternative uses that will promote growth and development through mobilization of savings from surplus sectors for use in the development of the small scales sector of the state. It is worthy of note that the vision of the present administration to support business start up and enhance business expansion for economic growth, grants have been provided for through bank of industry and other commercial banks hence, the government has created information desk in the Bank of Industry at the Dakkada Office, Udoudoma for interested persons to access the grant.
