Comparing to what was obtainable
from 15th, 16th
and 18th Centuries, there
is a big difference in change of innovation and development of the nation’s
economy and West African at large. The
16th century emerged with the intimidation and domineering
strength of Europeans migrants who ceased arms and ammunition to compel
obedient from ancient West African and with sanction introduced their economy into
the system. Like then in the 16th Century, West Africa has about 85
million people; this was true of nearly all countries everywhere: the
Population of England or France in the 16th
Century was only a small part of what it is today. There were fewer kinds
of food but today more had dominated African nations especially Nigeria of 19th
Century.
Many valuable plants and fruits
like Maize and Pineapples were brought from Central and South America in the
Ships of Portugal, and cultivated in West Africa for the first time, though it
was eagerly accepted and spreads rapidly. Then the little knowledge about
science in 16th Century was not enough for West Africans to make
great investment compare to what is obtainable today but they managed to use it
and solved many hard problems about living in their vast and difficult region. And
this trial and error system had made them developed some degree of immunities
to combat against dangerous fever with the help of medicinal herbs and how to
use them cure sickness which science had helped improved standard of these
local herbs today to a point of knowing the dosages, to take as well as the
expiring period of the produced drug and check against substandard drugs, foods
and water.
These new changes bring us to the
20th Century where the main economic development has set a high and
demanding standard for Citizens in the society. Using Nigeria as a case study,
the introduction of National statutory Organizations like NAFDAC and Federal
Ministry of Health has helped to improve the health sectors in Nigeria by
phasing out substandard foods and drugs in the nation. These statutory bodies
had helped to keep sanitary inspection to drugs and foods production in the
country to ensure the safety of citizens to consumption of foods and drugs as
well as water. The efforts have also increased the level of manufacturing
products in Nigeria. Now, NAFDAC must inspect your production and manufacturing
of any consumable and gives approval before the commencement of production; if
not approved and one indulges in production, such production company or firm
will be sanctioned and sealed up by NAFDAC from operation. This measure is also
applicable in imported foods and drugs as quarantined machines are set up at
the point of entrance to the country to monitor the importation of substandard
products.
Also the current bill approved by
the President MUHAMMADU BUHARI and
Senate had set ban on importation of food stuff into the nation Nigeria in
order to encourage local farmers and local products to improve the economy. The
measure is to enable local producing and our local NAFDAC approved products to
be recognized and improved on because the imported products are now dominating
the economy of the nation. Thereby, making the citizens to rely more on
importation and imported goods for subsistence which is not the best option to
improve the economy. The federal government had also empowered the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) on this regard as they now
monitor activities of local producers as well as foreign investors to make sure
that they measure up with the required standards and clearance to invest in our
economy and produce goods and services that will benefit the nation.
On the other hand, the system of cattle
rearing as what was obtainable from 16th to 19th
Centuries is about phasing out after the series of last clashes by the Fulani’s
herdsmen who incessantly attacks local communities in states of Nigerian
federation with local arms like Machetes, Bows and daggers killing the
inhabitants citizens for open confrontation against the use of their cattle to
destroy their cultivated crops during cattle grazing in their farms. Though this
particular activity is just repeating itself last year for decades as Fulani
herdsmen were noted for decades as threaten migrants and terrorist from 15th
to 16th Centuries. It was discovered by history that these herdsmen
hailed from Ancient Ghana and the
rise of its successor state, but by the end of that century they have spread
far across grasslands of West African from their original home near the upper Senegal
River and Upper Niger. They formed the habits of sending out Nomad group of
cattle breeders both eastward and westward, though these groups were certainly
small to begin with. But they built up their numbers to the extent that some of
them settled and formed states of their own, so that, in the course of time,
there came to be two kind of Fulani’s: And they are (1) The Cattle Fulani, who lived the old nomad life of their country
side, and (2) The town Fulani’s who preferred
in the town. But because of their wondering habits, they have played a special
and time leading in the history of Western Sudan.
Their recent activities in
2016/2017 in Nigeria were the display of their inherited attributes of
dominating migrants who incessantly and ceaselessly engage in wars and open
combats to opposition to their cattle breeding as well as settling migrants. Though
Federal Government of Nigeria are making progress to accommodate them and their
activities at strategic locations; which is the best option to end their
incessant attacks on the dwelling communities in the country.
Again, the introduction of
Mechanized farming into Nigeria economy had ended subsistence economy practiced
as of ancient 16th Centuries till date where people produces food
for personal consumption due to lack of circulation of money for transaction. People
engaged more on trade by barter to make livings. The introduction of mechanized
farming had ended such process. Now people can farm especially in Northern part
of Nigeria for commercial purposes like money making instead of personal
consumption due to introduction of mechanized equipment like tractors. These developments
had helped to regulate prices of commodities as when there is mass production
of food beyond the demands of the people; the prices of commodities tend to decrease
to the level that people can afford it. And when there is scarcity of the same
food, inflation or increase in prices of commodities will skyrocket.
Finally, coming to the oil and gas
sector, for sometimes most of Depots in Nigeria are not operational. The Enugu
Depot and Department of Petroleum resources (DPR) Enugu are not functioning for
years till date. Though, there are still NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation) workers in offices; but the INDEPENDENT
MARKETERS go as long as Port Harcourt Depot and to other operational Depots
in the country to get their petroleum products like PMS (Premium Motto Spirit)
which is petrol and the major product, DPK which is Kerosene and AGO which is Diesel
for sales. This is the route of scarcity sometimes in the country Nigeria. If the
federal government should make it a mandatory to create more refineries Depots
for each states of federation. I think that will help to curb fuel scarcity 50%
despite the corruption surrounding the diversion of fuel products from the
designated Independent Marketers Filling stations to a private plc company that
may pay challenging bid of price to illegally buy the same product from them
known as “Black Market”.
In conclusion, these trends of
development is what we need to look into, as well as improving on them to boost
a better economic platform for the nation’s investment and foreign investors to
come in and improve as well. Thank you
Written
by
ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD
+2348186388641
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