Environment
SMEs: What Importance To Nigerian Economy?
The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector, in recent times, has suffered many setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the #EndSARS protests that are currently rocking the country.
This week, The Tide’s Business Unit takes a look at the importance of the SMEs to the Nigerian economy and why the sector should be given proper attention by the government.
Our senior correspondent, Lilian Peters, went to town to have a chat with some entrepreneurs in Port Harcourt and here is what she came back with.
Chief Executive Officer of BenFather Enterprises, Rev. John Benneth, believes that without the SMEs, the demand and supply of the masses in any society cannot be met.
“The SMEs are the economic hub of the country and play a very important role in revenue generation.
“It is unfortunate that the same sector has not been given the required attention to thrive which will in turn benefit the society.
“Government should provide conducive environment for the SMEs and checkmate the excesses of touts and police who take undue advantage of the sector”, he said.
Rev. Bennett noted that many investors had left the country due to insecurity and lack of conducive business environment.
According to him, the harsh economic reality in the country has negatively affected the SMEs. He said the sector required urgent attention of the government to bounce back.
On the ongoing #EndSARS protests in the country, he said, “the youths are fighting a just cause, but unpatriotic Nigerians have hijacked the protests which resulted in the destruction of lives, property and even the business of SMEs”.
Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of GEEPICS International Limited, Mr Gideon Emeh, says SMEs play a major role in the nation’s economy.
“The only way a nation can boast of a sustainable economic growth is by having a stabilised SME which is the backbone of any economy.
“Growth of SMEs is a sign of a good economy because they pay taxes, provide jobs for others and are also responsible for currency flow”, he said.
Emeh who deals on system softwares, security and engineering programming said the Federal Government has not done enough to help the growth of SMEs in the area of stable power supply, good infrastructure and harmonised taxation.
He urged small and medium entrepreneurs to always invest in self development and acquisition of current skills.
“When you do trial and error in business, chances are that you may succeed out of perseverance or fail out of frustration”, he said.
Managing Director of Ogbom Welding & Fabrication Works, Mr Christopher Ogbonna Nduka, says the importance of SMEs cannot be over-emphasised in the society.
SMEs, he noted, play an important role in reducing crime rate, providing services to the masses and also maintaining the systems put in place by the government.
According to him, “just as welding works provide security to properties, so do SMEs secure economic growth for the country”.
Nduka noted in strong terms that any country that wants a sustainable economy does not play with the entrepreneurs who drive its economy.
“Nigeria should make more moves to help the SMEs in the country to develop like other countries.
“Here, government is only interested in collecting one revenue or the other. Nobody cares for our welfare. Whether we make gain or not, we must generate revenue to all the three tiers of government in addition to contending with the touts who are ready to fight and destroy our working tools.
“This is the reason why we have many businesses closed down after the COVID-19 pandemic and now EndSARS”, he said.
Managing Director of DIDI Concepts, Mrs Lilian Ndidi Onuoha, says the SMEs play a very important role in the development of any nation.
Mrs Onuoha who deals on wares said, “the SMEs do not depend on government for employment, but rather create jobs for themselves and even employ people to reduce the level of unemployment that increases the crime rate in the society”.
She however, observed that the SMEs in Nigeria today “are below average compared to those of other countries.
“Government needs to do more in terms of financial support, encouragement and infrastructural development,”
She added that “the #EndSARS protests have also impacted negatively on the SMEs. The initial motive of the protesters was good but hoodlums hijacked it and damaged, looted and burnt businesses that SMEs built, nurtured and grew for many years”.
Some stakeholders in Okoroagu community in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers state have blamed the perennial erosion in the community on the poor conditions of their road.
They are therefore calling for the rehabilitation of their road.
They said this in an interview with The Tide, at okoroagu.Speaking to The Tide,the Ochimba of Okoroagu community, Eze Marcus Amadi said the poor conditions of their road has retarded the growth and development of the community.
According to Eze Amadi,”The government has neglected us, they have forgotten about us, we have been writing letters to the government, both to the NDDC to come and repair our road for us, we are on our knees pleading to them to come help us out, at least they should just dredge the road for us”
Continuing he said”If the government comes today to repair our road, nobody will say they shouldn’t.
“Nobody will obstruct them. We have been shouting and crying that our road is not good, the road is affecting the community economically and socially in the sense that, there is no way we can carry our crops out because of erosion.
“Erosion have taken over the road, making it difficult for us to access other communities especially during rainfall you see people falling down and getting injured inside the river which we call Mmiri Ehe in our language, which reaches our waist line during raining season. Our people can not go to other market to sell their products due to the bad road”he saidAlso speaking,Chairman Community Development Committee( CDC )Okoroagu , Hon. Elvis Nwaobasi decried the situation of the road, stressing that economic activities are being affected as movement of goods and services have gradually slowed down in the area.
” The road have affected our women so badly, they are no longer going to the other neighboring markets to sell their Agric produce because of the nature of the road.
“This road has also affected us in many ways, it has affected our educational system, security system, it has also affected our health system, because with the nature of that road, people cannot access our health facilities in the community, with the nature of that road, people cannot access our school, with nature of the road, people cannot come in and do business in our community, we cannot access the road because of the neglect of the road.
“People are using our road for excuses to come in and invest and do businesses. People who come to our market to buy our products are no longer coming because of the nature of the road.” I am pleading with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayig Fubara to please come to the aid of Okoroagu and repair our road. I am pleading with the Rivers State House of Assembly, we are suffering too much because of this road. We have been neglected and abandoned for years, the government should please come to our aid” he said.Also the women leader of Okoroagu community, Mrs. Anthonia Nweke blamed some politicians from the area for abandoning the people of Okoroagu
“Our road has been abandoned, overlooked, with no attention, mostly the higher politicians of the place, we have been abandoned for years”
In furtherance to the commitment of the Federal Government through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation (HYPREP) to the full implementation of the recommendations of the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoni Environment, the Project has commenced processes to designating Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site.
Labaran Ahmed, National Focal Point for Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Environment, who is leading the process for collection of field samples, said the move will converse biodiversity, enhance livelihood, attract ecotourism and further earn global recognition for Ogoni Wetlands.The UNEP Report envisages that this would provide the Government with a roadmap for restoration and sustainable management of the Ogoni wetland, bring the site unto international among others.Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, represented by Director Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi said the project further attests to the Federal government’s commitment through HYPREP to implementing the UNEP Report simultaneously.Nigeria is a signatory to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction(BBNJ) Agreement for how research on marine genetic resources must be conducted and documented, ensuring transparency and the equitable distribution of benefits.
Environment
Tribunal Acknowledges losses in Rare species Across the globe …urges for government Action
It was noted that the choice by the Brazilian government to host COP30 serves as a symbol of the importance of the Amazon. They denounced the current and future impacts of the expansion of the extractivist frontier, deforestation, fossil fuels and large-scale mining. It was urged that the Amazon, with its ecosystems, animal, plant species, and rich biodiversity, natural medicines and its vital and reproductive cycles, should be considered as a subject of rights together with the Indigenous Peoples, and other communities that inhabit it.
The co-president and judge of the tribunal, Nnimmo Bassey, while delivering the verdict, noted that the defence of the rights of Nature is the right way to carry out real climate action and that there is no climate justice without the rights of Nature.
The tribunal stressed the need to phase out fossil fuels and quickly move to renewable energy as a way that protects both communities and ecosystems from false solutions that merely benefit financial speculators and compound climate injustices. The Tribunal also urged the United Nations to adopt the pledge as a blueprint for international environmental law.
A copy of the declaration obtained by The Tide revealed that,Judges at the Tribunal included Ana Alfinito of Brazil, Nnimmo Bassey ( Nigeria), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Shannon Biggs (USA), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation, USA), Tom Goldtooth (USA), Princes Esmeralda (Belgium), Cormac Cullinan (South Africa), Patricia Gualings (Ecuador), Francesco Martone (Italy) Tzeporah Berman (USA), Ashish Katharine (India), Osprey Orielle Lake (USA), Pooven Moodley (South Africa) and Felicio Pontes (Brazil)
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