– The emir of Kano says Nigeria must understand current economic situation
– He expresses optimism in the future of the country
Emir Muhammadu Sanusi of Kano has said that in order to create jobs and boost local industry, Nigeria must stop the importation of the things it has.
NAN reports that Sanusi said this in Kaduna on Saturday, March 19 during the inauguration of the new council secretariat of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
The emir noted that the fall in the price of oil international that has brought the country to where it is a call to utilize local resources.
“Nigeria is full of experts in importing what we have and exporting what we do not have.”
“We have cotton but we import textile materials from China; we have crude oil but we import fuel refined from our own crude from Russia and other countries.
“We have gas but we let it flare away instead of utilising it to produce power, yet import generators from outside.
“We eat our hides and skin and import shoes from outside, and we eat our tomatoes and import canned tomatoes paste from China.”
Sanusi said the federal government must give priority to education, industries, power and agriculture and noted that the textile industries in the past had employed more than 600, 000 people at a time.
The said the idle youths participating in violence in the country was due to the economic situation and expressed optimism that if things get better, there will be peace.
The former CBN boss said Nigerians must be sensitised to understand that the fall in the price of oil was responsible for the economic situation
“It is not possible to continue doing what you are doing when the price of oil was at $110 and now that it is selling at about $30.
“People ought to realise that the price of oil has bearing on the current hike in goods and services, and until things change, we must have to adjust our needs as a nation.”