By Nnabugwu Chizoba (Development Practitioner)
Barkin ladi LGA, has a huge population of 175,267
(according to 2006 census), a wide land mass, covering about 1,312.5sq meters,
large percentage of which are yet to be utilized. There is an abundant natural
resource deposit, in the area that includes but, not limited to solid minerals;
such as Columbite, Zircon, Sapphire and Tin others include Monazite, Kaoline,
Feldspars, Cassiterite, Hard Rock and Glass sand.
Still on the solid mineral deposits, it is important, to
point out that Kaoline, which is found in very large quantity in Barkin ladi
LGA, is an industrial raw material, continually in use by manufacturing
companies for the production of household, health and agriculture related products,
such as Soap and detergents, drugs, paints and fertilizers. These products are
in regular demand, world over.
It is common knowledge that Agriculture, when properly
developed and efficiently managed, commands large commercial values.
Agricultural produce, are found in large quantity in Barkin ladi LGA. Among the
produce found in the area are: Irish Potatoes, Acha (Hungary rice), sweet
potatoes, maize/corn, cassava, rice, millet, and guinea corn. Others include
vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onions and tomatoes. Seasonal
fruits in the area include mangoes, oranges, cashew and guava. It is important
to note also that the area is a flourishing ground for Poultry farm, as a
matter of fact.
In addition to the above, is the fact that Barkin ladi
LGA, is home to an Airport, and a tertiary institution, the Plateau state
Polytechnic. Both are located at Heipang area of the LGA.
Before proceeding further into the discourse, I wish
to crave your indulgence, to localize our reasoning, on this matter. The idea
is to facilitate the process that will enable the electorate to effectively
deploy the opportunity provided by the coming LGA election in Plateau state,
and Barkin ladi LGA, in particular, as a strategic instrument for
development. On the strength of this, permit me to say that:
Lack of
entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s politics that has led to the dearth of entrepreneurial
consciousness, low self-esteem and absence of entrepreneurial development
blueprints, among the politicians, are the fundamentals, contributing to deficiency
of ideology, poor leadership, a depressed economy and unstable polity,
generally.
Drawing it home to our focused area, Barkin ladi LGA, will
mean wearing our thinking caps, running with our minds, interrogating the
status quo, and challenging ourselves as the electorate, as to the reasons
behind our woes; and the hues and cries that has resulted glaringly from the very
poor performance and deplorable state of the economy that has affected socio-political
developments in the LGA, also.
To proceed, let me agitate your mind, guide and focus your
thinking on this matter, by pointing issues I consider germane, especially as
they relate to the subject of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, in the
development of any environment by the politicians and elected office holders.
To do this, let me share with you my thought on the subject, as contained in my
write up, sometime in the past. I wrote:
“Entrepreneurship is the training of administrators,
specialists, managers, reformists, parliamentarians, military personnel,
clerics, industrialists, lawyers, teachers, entertainers, sweepers, cooks,
apprentices, and men of all works of life in productive capabilities. It
connotes the conversion of resources into efficient products for the common good of all in a setting”.
In this regard I stated “Entrepreneurs include all
those given the charge of our electoral processes, civil servants, industrialists,
managers of public corporations, legal personalities, government executives,
decision makers, political actors, sports men and women, who are trained and nurtured to discover opportunities for common
good, who actually devote their time, energy and other resources to achieve
this. They create and distribute lasting wealth, sustainable welfare packages
and high standard, in the living conditions of citizens”.
As an electorate, in Barkin ladi LGA, could you pause
for a while, to relate the above against the prevailing situation in Barkin
ladi, and to assess the crop of people craving for your vote? As you are doing
this, it is important to draw your attention to the relationship between who is
voted into office and the possibility of developing the space to attract
investment opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. The issue of
availability of natural and other resources identified above, which no doubt
are raw materials in the hands of any entrepreneur holding political office, is
a subject of serious consideration, in electing whoever that occupies any office
through the coming LGA election in the LGA. For the entrepreneurs the
identified are transformation tools, for accelerated development any time any
day.
But, quite surprisingly, is the fact that in the midst
of the above identified opportunities for growth and sustainable development, the
Barkin ladi LGA, one of the first generation LGAs, having been created in 1976,
in line with the local government reforms then, is environmentally devastated, socially
ravaged, and economically backward, presently. Recall that the said local reform,
culminated into the splitting of Benue/Plateau, as it were then, into Benue and
Plateau states, as independent states respectively. It has remained so till
date.
The above bears testimony to the fact that the
resources of the LGA, have not been effectively and efficiently tapped and managed
by both the past and present governments, in the LGA. At the same time it is a
reminder to the electorate that the burden of rewriting the narrative of the
LGA is right in the hands of the masses, who form the bulk of the electorate,
that will determine who becomes the next elected office holders in the area.
As result of the poor management of abundant
resources, both human and capital in Barkin Ladi, the state of the Hospitals,
Schools, Roads, Pipe borne water and other social amenities is nothing to write
home about.
On the strength of the foregoing, I call on all electorates
and observers alike to turn sophisticated, shine their eyes, monitor every
process, keep tabs on the politicians, watch every of their moves and resist
the urge to be bought over and to be divided along political and sentimental
lines. Rise up to checkmate every of their excesses that have the capacity to
derail any of the processes, especially those that have the capacity to
shortchange or undermine the wishes of the people, for whatever reason.
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