
Honourable
Minister of Industries Magaji Muhammed has played significant roles in various
ways in the affairs of Nigeria, including his appointments as Nigerian
Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
with Concurrent Accreditation to Sultanate of Oman, and in July 2003, as the
Honourable Minister of Industries, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Honourable
Minister of Industries Magaji Muhammed understands that Governments all over
the world are transforming themselves into an e-Government to meet the
challenges of the 21st century. E-Government is the comprehensive application
of Information and Information Technology (I&IT) to the workings of government
to serve the public more effectively. Effective e-Government means: Better
service, Stronger Accountability, Increased Efficiency and Effectiveness,
Transformed Public-Sector Systems, Increased Economic Growth and More
Government Relevance.
The Honourable
Minister of Industries Magaji Muhammed has always been an advocate for more
Investment in Nigeria especially in the Agricultural sector. Nigeria should
increase public investment in agriculture to promote private sector
participation and improve agricultural growth, according to the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Judging from the successes of some Asian and a
few African
countries, governments in
Nigeria should allocate at least 25 per cent of the national budget to
agricultural and rural development programmes.
Priority Area recommended by iNetworks Canada
Transport-investment, like the transport system as a whole, should plainly be
dominated by modern dual-track railways. There should be modern track and
wagon maintenance equipment and a program to build, modernize and rationalize
existing marshalling yards with a proper management structure. Railway
electrification would reduce diesel oil consumption only marginally, and
should only be undertaking if reduced operating costs are large enough to
justify the substantial installation costs for now. For exports purposes; and
even transport of goods within the country should be encouraged to use rail
container thereby reducing the burden on our roads. Number of rail terminal
should continue to be increased likewise the use of containers and handling
facilities. This is a long term plan but it can be done, then penalty should
be imposed on truck drivers carrying over-loads on the road. Other within-town
or city alternative patterns of public transport must be thoroughly explored.
While between cities, a special consideration on River Transportation should
be explored strongly. To this end we suggest the setting up of a National
Dredging Construction and Maintenance Authority (NDCMA). This should be an
autonomous body charged with the surveying and dredging of the river Niger and
Benue to provide alternative access to the high seas through the nation’s
eastern plank, construction of river paths along the route and maintenance
like in Poland and Holland. This should be a national policy with the
headquarters in Abuja and branches in all the states watered by River Niger
and Benue. The Polish branch of the body (Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Wodnej PBW)
are willing to train and the IHC of Holland which built more than 50% of world
dredges have also signaled their willingness to survey and build corresponding
dredges if asked to do so.