In one of the pictures below, is yours truly with Burukutu Brewers. The pictures were taken at a sensitization and awareness exercise organized for them. None Nigerians, and others who do not know what Burukutu is, please note it is a local drink, made from cereal. About 90 percent of raw materials, used in the production of Burukutu are Water and Cereal.
The sensitization exercise was organized for Brewers from different "kantin" (corrupted for Canteen), an umbrella name used locally by the Brewers and their highly esteemed customers to represent clusters of brewers at various sales outlets.
Against what anybody might think or say, I wish to note that I consider the clusters as strength and a clear indication that the brewers believe and trust in the power of organization. This in my thinking is a reflection of their willingness to:
- Pull and push together, share resources and address challenges collectively
- Promote quality control, enhance visibility, access and acceptance
- Check unnecessary competition and promote cooperation and collaborations
- Build collaborative dispute mechanism to ensure cordial relationship between the Brewers and consumers of the product.
The above, is revealing of the fact that the Brewers have value for organization and structure. This action connotes their understanding of the importance and role that leadership plays in any organization, as well as reveal their hunger to be impacted, willingness to adapt to changes and courage to advance their business activities and grow.
During the engagement with them, I saw commitment, discipline, orderliness, adherence to rules and respect for their leaders. The structure as established is a platform to organize themselves, aggregate their interests collectively, strengthen their operations and ensure sustainability in the operations of the business. In addition to what is deposited already, it is important to underscore the fact that the "Kantin" as a structure tells a lot about how the Brewers yearn to be seen, embraced and impacted by different tiers of government. It demonstrates their readiness to do more in developing the industry, the economy, and earn more to face the challenges of life.
As a human capacity builder, with special bias for entrepreneurship and business development, I am well oriented to understand the role, developing local industries will play in national security, economic development, health and social welfare of Nigerians; at both the city centers and rural communities.
The above will only apply if relevant authorities gear efforts at generating ideas and promoting policies that accelerate rapid growth of the already ailing Nigerian economy.
I value so much the unquenchable thirst, commitment and courage of the local Brewers to excel in their business of utilizing local raw materials for a productive lifestyle. The multiplier effects of their economic activities to National growth efforts are not in doubt.
Surprisingly, no tier, arm or organ of the government seems interested in the growth, expansion and effective positioning of the local brewery industry, in Nigeria, for global competitiveness. The worrisome constantly rising unemployment profile, import dependent and poverty driven, mono economy, that is presently infested with youth restiveness, should as matter of urgent national importance disturb the three tiers of government, and stir them to stimulate in the economy a vibrant and equally viable process of tapping from the undisputed huge natural endowment of the local industries, to benefit maximally from what will accrue to Nigeria from investing massively at improving the local brewery industry in the country.
Different News Media Platforms are regularly awash with stories of government desire to create millions of jobs, diversify the economy, pull it out from aid dependency; and as a matter of fact position it on the path of self-sufficiency, self-reliance and sustainability. However, one cannot help but wonders how the government at various levels want to make their dream come through, without encouraging local industries to grow.
I will not be surprised, if some of you the esteemed reader of this piece, most especially, the so called Nigerian elites, and the holier than thou group, detest, reading this piece, immediately Burukutu is sighted in this piece. Elites in this work refers to the educated, the professionals, the exposed and enlightened, etc. In view of this, some things readily comes to my mind, leading me to ask the elite:
What is even your pride? Is Professionalism, education, exposure and enlightenment determined or measured by the degree of distance between you and the vulnerable communities? Is it by how far away you are from your local delicacies, drinks, cultures and traditions, generally by how bad you make the locals and their products look? Is it by misrepresentations of the efforts and contributions of the people that elite philosophy is built and sustained?
Truth be told, the basic challenge, complain or misgiving anybody in the right frame of mind may have about Burukutu, is the calibre of people brewing it (largely the downtrodden), the obviously noticeable unclean and unhealthy nature of the brewing environment, and production processes. The objective minded reader of this piece would agree that these issues are within the door step of the elites, educated, professional and the exposed who are fairly representated at the various policy making and implementation levels to resolve. Failure to do so should be blamed squarely on them.
The commons in Nigeria, that include the local brewers sacrifice a lot to maintain the elites in office. They do so with the hope that the office holders will deliver on the demands of their various offices. Instead of the people complaining about non performance of the educated elites, the opposite seem the case. Embezzlement, mismanagement and misappropriation of common resources entrusted with the elite has continued unabated, and the masses, abandoned.
If the so called elites will not help out, common sense demands that they should not discredit, demean and condemn everything local, to favour their adored imported poor quality, less valued, less nutritious and very expensive products of their slave masters. Genuine efforts of the Nigerian masses to grow the local industry, develop the country, and put it at par with other economies in the globe should be supported with the common resources of the people. The Burukuru brewers, and other locals are helping in multiple ways to build the economy: generate wealth, create jobs and reduce poverty, which the so called elite professionals, etc, plunged into economic woes, the huge financial and material resources expended and still at their disposal not withstanding.
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