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Innoson Motors and Evolution of Global Post-War Vehicle Manufacturers

By
John Mc Keown
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0

The frivolous and unsubstantiated critique by Nigerians of its emerging corporate stars needs to stop – Case in Point – Innoson Motors.

Innoson motors is a ground breaking company that brings indigenous vehicle manufacture to the foremost commercial and industrial country in the whole of Africa – Nigeria.

A significant minority have gone to social media and various business news and discussion boards online making unhelpful remarks.

Some are of the opinion that there is an element of tribal discordance. Certainly, very few of the agitators are Igbo (the tribal region from which Innoson Motors hails) and if we look at criticisms of Dangote, we will see very few (if any) of critics hail from ‘North’.

The cornerstone of these remarks finds its roots in a clone like similarity between three vehicles –  Mercedes G Wagen (original), (Chinese) BAIC BJ80C and the Innoson IVM G80. The remarks generally suggest Innoson is just ‘pirated’ versions of another product. Is that reasonable? I say NO. And here is why:

COUNTERFEIT GOODS IN A NIGERIAN CONTEXT:

The concept of  ‘pirated’ (a Nigerian colloquialism pronounced ‘pie-ray-ted’) came from a time when globally, long before internet, music and video content was distributed on physical media, starting with music and video cassettes, then on to CD’s and DvD’s. Pirate copies (also called ‘bootlegs’ globally) became available in the grey market.

There are two strong focal points of ‘pirated’ goods in Nigeria today. The most famous is probably Aba Market in Abia State, East Nigeria. The most prevalent targeted products tend to be designer wear, shoes, bags, leather goods, and cosmetics. You pay for what you get. Bargain priced goods only make a token effort to imitate. Effects by blending materials, cosmetic weaving or stitching for example become replaced by printing instead, often smudged. The better copies are of extremely high quality,  can pass a summary inspection and only fall foul of detailed scrutiny by trained eyes.

The second most prominent area of piracy is imported phones from China – colloquial ‘shinaphone’ ‘shinski’ or ‘chinko’. The brands most often parodied are Samsung and Nokia. I say ‘parody’ because the fakes often tend to make no effort to resemble the appearance of any known model of the respective brands.

These can be frequently found for instance around ‘Computer Village’ in Ikeja, Lagos, and a small annex to the Balogun Market.

‘In Nigeria, “Aba made” or “Made in Aba” has almost become synonyms for fake or substandard products. On the surface, this might not seem like something to be super proud of, but what if there is another way to look at this? Think about it, Japan used to be the “fake” capital of the world, then it moved to China, and these two nations have moved on to become global industrial giants. Hence, is it not safe to say that if Aba is currently standing where the likes of Japan and China used to stand, then Aba can also become the next China or Japan?’ – Oludare Fasure

EVOLUTION OF POST WAR VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS.

At the end of WWII, US invested heavily in two countries in particular – Japan and Germany, and with a tertiary investment in UK. The Germans just used the financing to kickstart what was already a technology heavy heritage. The Japanese however, relied heavily on franchise/contract free design intelligence from major US industries of the time. In automotive, this meant companies like Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler-Dodge. All the big names in Japanese Automotive today derive their development from US.

As Japanese industry became a victim of its own success with rising standards of living and labour costs, companies began to look at neighbouring countries in the Asia Pacific to site manufacturing.

Many companies in those countries rose from inspiration, know-how and business intelligence in automotive, either derived from the presence of such Japanese companies in their country, or also by migrant industry professionals moving to Japan from such countries attracted by career opportunities.  This gave rise to the acceleration in automotive achievement in other countries, most notably South Korea (Hyundai, Kia, Ssangyong and Daewoo ), Malaysia (Proton, Perodua and Tan Chong)  and Taiwan (Luxgen). Eventually a Chinese Mainland industry took off, which has now surpassed all the ‘Japan Inspired’ nations of the region except South Korea.

In the early days of all of these companies, they either partially or wholly copied models of established European or North American brands. The Mk 1 Hyundai Stellar was built around a Ford Mk IV Cortina. Daewoo were either copies of English Vauxhall /German Opel or entry level US Chevrolet models (at this stage all owned by GM). Indeed when the company experienced financial problems it was eventually purchased by Chevrolet US.

The flip side of this is that well established companies copy just as much as up-and-coming ones do. They just use the ‘acquisition’ route to absorb rights to technologies and designs not native to their own evolution path. A sort of ‘Corporate Colonization’. Though this is not confined to automotive.

By the end of the first half of the 20th Century, Rootes Brothers England swallowed seven indigenous companies, only to go on to sell out to Chrysler US, who later went on to sell to Peugeot and Renault of France.  Huge technology transfer happened along the way.

British Leyland formed in 1968 was an amalgamation of 11 companies, later reformed as Austin-Rover, went through being clones of both Honda and BMW, with its MG, Mini, Landrover, and Jaguar being later owned by the likes of Ford and BMW with their engineering reflected. Other models later went on to be cloned in China.

GM (US) bought Vauxhall in England, Opel in Germany and Holden/Statesman in Australia. The Opels and Vauxhalls in Europe for over a decade were rebadges of each other. All three converged on a model called the Commodore/Senator.

When Volkswagen acquired Skoda, the Baleno and Octavia were almost identical. After acquiring Audi and Porche, all three had SUVs on the same wheelbase with only variances in coachworks  and engine/drive systems. The project was called the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform, and held Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porche Cayenne.

For expedience, I will stop here, though I think it is clear, Innoson is doing nothing outside of a predictable motor vehicle manufacturers evolution path from inception.

THE ‘LOW TECH’ CRITICISM

We need to look at the prevailing environment and what is needed. What is the friction here that really needs to be fixed?

Taking Nigeria’s main air deterrent, for example, comprises 12  Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets  and 8 Chengdu F-7’s. The Alpha Jet was a joint German/French exercise to develop trainer jets for their respective air forces, while the Chengdu is a Chinese version of a long obsolete former Soviet MiG 21. Making the analogy with small Indian and Chinese motorcycles in Nigeria such as Bajaj, Qlink and Frajend copies of 1970’s Japanese Honda CG125’s, the Chengdu could be considered an ‘okada’ with wings. (no pun to a town in Edo State or a defunct Nigerian Airline intended!). A squadron of either aircraft would have little chance of penetrating the anti-air defences of modern naval destroyers or surface anti-air fixed installations, far less from any hope of challenging any of the top 20 fighters of today. However, when looking at the incidents most likely to call the NAF into conflict, it will probably be to give air support to Federal ground units against dissident opponents or insurgencies by cross-border non-state actors to provide a more instant and higher altitude option to helicopters.

In this respect, both the Alpha and the Chengdu are perfectly adequate. More capable fighter aircraft would bring overkill coupled with unnecessary expense.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Eurofighter Typhoon  owes its unequalled agility to the fact that it isn’t actually aerodynamically sound. It needs extraordinary AI technology without which it would just fall out of the sky.

Nigeria does not have a good record of maintenance of infrastructure and other federal assets. Unfortunately government spending often carries a political narrative. It is unfortunate but true that political leaders only get their name in bright lights by bringing headline grabbing new developments rather than maintaining the infrastructure inherited from a collective of predecessors.

The Eurofighter maintenance program makes major bridge and road programs look nominal.  Eurofighters whose budget for maintenance is delayed or queried, cannot outclass Alphas and Chengdus that can take to the air.

Despite the negative rhetoric about the IVM G80 ‘looking ugly’ and being ‘low tech’ one twitter response had this to say: ‘There’s an unholy agenda to bring the pedigree of Innoson Motors to disrepute. Try to read up the specifications of Innoson cars instead of jumping on bandwagon. I’d advise y’all promote what you love instead of killing what you hate.’

Just as NAF needs to look at the air application for its fighters, Innoson needed to look at the road application for the vehicles it delivers to its customers.

Looking at the Volkswagen Touareg of a few years back, [I can’t speak German, I think it means poor mans Cayenne], several Lagosians had bought them tukunbo, after a few months, the AI controllers which failed, cost more to bring in from abroad than what they paid for the vehicle.

In Nigeria, vehicles occupy a very high esteem in the view of their owners, somewhere between  land and spouse (though in the interests of self-preservation I’m not going to suggest which is placed at #1 and which is #3).

They are expected to last a very long time, despite unforgiving roads neglected from decades of political indifference, and also despite untimely or inadequate vehicle maintenance by their owners.

Nigerian Air Officers might be content to watch a Eurofighter sit in a hangar and collect salary (should the air force buy them). The tukunbo Touareg owner has no choice but to view it dismally as it sits in the compound as an oversized ornament. Tukunbo,  once it’s sold is sold.

The Volkswagen Beetle, probably one of the longest produced vehicles in automotive history, survived all the way from 1938 to 2003 due to affordable durability.

The Innoson IVM G80 isn’t looking for the simplicity of the Volkswagen Beetle, but it isn’t looking to have all the bells and whistles of a Lamborghini Urus or a Cadillac Escalade either.

Innocent Chukwuma is simply looking at a harmony on cost, features and comfort, that will survive the most inhospitable roads in the world. A portfolio of vehicles that will go, and go, and then some.

CONCLUSION

Several sources have cited the balance between imported/home manufacture parts as being 70/30%. But if this was even 95/5% is it significant? Not really, and here is why:

From the moment Innoson bound parts land at a Nigerian dock to the moment the vehicle they become leaves a showroom to a new owner, huge numbers of Nigerian jobs are being provided for.

Automotive is an industry that takes a long time to mature and the Nigerian one is in its infancy.

It is now the task of other entrepreneurs to recognise frictions in Innoson business they can fix – by offering home-grown alternatives to imported components; cheaper, faster, to required specification and affording Innoson JIT (Just In Time) procurement options, something difficult to achieve with imports. Innoson can also look to build out on the value chain itself.

None of this can happen quickly.

Nigeria is a very cost sensitive market. Yes you have to ‘cut suit to size your cloth’, but’ fi cloth no dey reach dat side, manage am.’ When Hyundai used the Cortina Mark IV platform for ‘Stellar’, it was aimed at beating the Dagenham plant on price in its own back yard. When Daewoo pushed some legacy Vauxhall/Opel clones into mature markets, it was aimed at targeting those who like to buy a new car every 3-5 years;  but in a recession, didn’t have purchasing confidence. It found a launch springboard by offering such people a third way.

By building vehicles based on proven design, Innoson forgoes the need to do crash tests with dummy passengers at crash test sites. Destroying hundreds of perfectly good vehicles every year in the pursuit of safety R&D is something that only global manufacturers producing at scale such as Toyota or BMW can afford to do.

This is one way in which Innoson is currently saving on cost and passing that on to customers.

Nigeria market has thrived on a perception that for many,  something effectively ‘is’ whatever it looks like. When ‘one very local guy like dat dey fuh beer parlour’,  watches his favourite English team, let’s say Man. U., he doesn’t really care that his shirt is a 1500 Naira fake. His friends know as well. All he cares is he is in the moment with a red shirt with ‘Manchester United’ written on it, and the ‘Man U’ crest and has enough pocket money for his beers.

Some such guys might never afford a vehicle.. though whether it was due to hard times, or being a broke student, or one of the many of life’s hiccups that Nigeria can throw, many successful Nigerians can find deep down inside themselves, a very small piece of that ‘one very local guy like dat dey fuh beer parlour’, or attending ‘all night vigil’ dressed in ‘okreka’.

This is a part of the Nigerian psyche that will always seek out best value.

So there is a challenge for Innoson to be able to deliver vehicles ‘inspired’ by pre-existing designs, cheaper than the total cost of  sourcing and importing new from external markets. Should there be a vulnerability there,  then one strategy could be to highlight positive departures from ‘similar’ models manufactured elsewhere. For instance, sticking with the IVM G80 case in point, the choice of Mitsubishi 4G69S4N  is a very reliable and proven powerplant. It is more powerful than either of the Nissan and SAAB options in similarly ‘inspired’ models. It’s build quality is perceived better than the Nissan but not as good as the SAAB, though replacement of some SAAB parts are much more expensive and even difficult to source timely. The Mercedes G Wagen had a known design fault at the front end transmission/suspension which could collapse on a fairly modest front collision or an abrupt entry into a hole. I witnessed this happen to one on Akin Adesola V.I. Differentiating the IVM G80 from this design might be useful.

The question is should Innoson celebrate positive differences from similarly ‘inspired’ vehicles or just sidestep discussion? Overtly discussing this as part of a marketing strategy has never been done before by other manufacturers!

What is clear though is that Innoson motors is NOT in the ‘piration’ business. Innoson has never claimed to be any brand other than Innoson.

And when you look at context, and a country with the highest GDP by some margin in all Africa…. where its Air Force with a government allocation it does not have to work for, is putting air people in the sky in ‘flying okadas’… and then you look at the grit, the business savvy and the singular determination of Innocent Chukwuma, then with Innoson motors, you can see something really special is going on.

 

 

REFERENCES:

  • Counterfeiting – a threat to Nigerian Democracy – Moses Nosike https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/counterfeiting-threat-nigerian-economy-experts/
  • Procedures and Strategies for Anti-counterfeiting: Nigeria. https://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/anti-counterfeiting/procedures-and-strategies-anti-counterfeiting-nigeria-0
  • MADE IN ABA: IMPORTANT LESSONS TO LEARN FROM JAPAN AND CHINA – Oludare Fasure https://medium.com/@holluthare/made-in-aba-important-lessons-to-learn-from-japan-and-china-9eecd98b82fa
  • History of the Chinese BJ80C and its variants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAIC_BJ80
  • Chinese G Wagen  latest skirmish- clone wars. https://www.autoweek.com/news/auto-shows/a1868516/chinese-mercedes-g-wagen-latest-skirmish-clone-wars/
  • Daewoo company : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daewoo
  • Hyundai Motor Company: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Motor_Group
  • Kia Motors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors
  • Automotive industry in Malaysia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_Malaysia
  • Rootes Group:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootes_Group
  • British Leyland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Leyland
  • Comparision between Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porche Cayenne. https://www.picknbuy24.com/column_351.html
  • Why the G Wagen had to change: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a20152192/why-the-g-wagen-had-to-change/
  • Innoson IVM G80 rebadged Chinese made: https://www.nairaland.com/5368387/innoson-ivm-g80-rebadged-chinese-made
  • Mixed reactions trail Innosons SUV, its replica design of Chinese vehicle: https://nairametrics.com/2019/10/09/mixed-reactions-trail-innosons-suv-its-replica-design-of-chinese-vehicle/
  • Analysis of Eurofighter Typhoon Aerodynamics – Samuel Turner – School of Engineering, Warwick University.
  • Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault/Dornier_Alpha_Jet
  • Nigerian Air Force: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Air_Force
  • Volkswagen Beetle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle
  • Chengdu F-7: https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/j7f7fighteraircraft/

Nokia Secures $14.1m NASA Deal to Roll Out 4G Network on the Moon

By
Samuel Nwite
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0

Nokia has secured a $14.1 million deal with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to build a 4G cellphone network on the moon.

NASA is pushing toward a return to the moon in 2024, and has a $370 million fund for contracts geared toward the mission dubbed Artemis, which is expected to include at least one woman. Most of the fund has gone to space companies including SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to perfect techniques to make and handle rocket propellant in space, according to the statement from the US space Agency.

The Finish telecom giant is partnering with NASA to develop a network on the moon that will enable a new wave of astronauts to share their space experience via Instagram if they wish.

NASA has a 2028 goal to have astronauts working on the lunar base, and it is developing new technologies for working and living in the moon.

“We need power systems that can last a long time on the surface of the moon, and we need habitation capability on the surface,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

Nokia’s North America subsidiary won the contract but will be supported by its European parent. The deal will help the communication company to realize its moon mission goal, announced in 2018, in collaboration with British Vodafone. The companies had planned to launch a lander and rovers built by Audi, utilizing a SpaceX rocket.

The UPI said the companies had planned to touch down near the Apollo 17 landing site and have rovers examine the Lunar Roving Vehicle, or moon buggy, astronauts left behind in 1972. But the plan never materialized.

Now, the NASA deal has offered Nokia the opportunity to fulfill the lunar dream, though it is about communication this time.

“Having cellular service on the moon could support communication between lunar landers, rovers, habitats and astronauts,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

“The system would also extend to spacecraft. With NASA funding, Nokia will look at how terrestrial technology could be modified for the lunar environment to support reliable, high-rate communications,” he added.

While some details of the mission, including landing site, are still missing, Bridenstine explained that the contracts are geared toward NASA’s Tipping Point program, which funds technologies that, if demonstrated successfully, are likely to be adopted by private industry.

“We want to build the [lunar] infrastructure… that is going to enable an international partnership for the biggest, broadest, most diverse inclusive coalition of researchers and explorers in the history of humankind,” he said.

The $370 million fund covers other Artemis-related projects. UPI named a few of the technologies funded alongside Nokia’s moon project, including demonstrations of lunar surface power generation and energy storage: Development of a hopping robot that could launch and carry small payloads from one lunar site to another, by Houston-based Intuitive Machines; and the creation of a small laboratory that could land on the moon’s surface and allow researchers to study how the extreme temperatures and radiation affect materials and electronics.

However, as much as Nokia’s lunar project will change space radio-based communication; the choice of 4G network questions the reliability of 5G. XDA Developers said 4G has been chosen because 5G signals can only reach shorter distances, which means more stations will be required.

“4G will do an ample job in those early days, with far less infrastructure. Maybe the moon will get a 5G (or even 6G) upgrade once we’re settled on the surface,” the report said.

At 4pm Lagos Time (Oct 18, Sunday) CBN Website Remains Offline Here [Video]

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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1

I just made this video to show that most people cannot access the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) website from outside Nigeria. This video was just made at about 4pm Lagos time today (Oct 18, 2020). As I noted, the CBN engineers were smart to have blocked foreign traffic initially. But after 48 hours, they need to find a way to allow legal foreign traffic to go through. There is no need for denial with those crazy statements. This is  not working and needs to be fixed. You can read more here.

Babcock University Delivers Nigeria’s Most Successful Tech Startup Exit via Paystack

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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0

To the Paystack founders – Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, I send my congratulations again, as a member of the Babcock University family. Shola and Ezra  built and exited a business of $200 million within four years. Both of you studied in Babcock and we are happy for the success. I have congratulated our Dean; he is super happy for the ways both have projected “Babcock, Nigeria and Africa at large.” You will read from the University this week. Shola and Ezra, you are living the tenets of “Knowledge, Truth, Service”.

Paystack raised a total of $11.7 million and exited at more than $200 million to Stripe. This could be one of the most successful startups in Nigerian history by merely looking at the efficiency in the utilization of factors of production. Yes, the founders would be controlling a huge part of this company which means the bulk of that $200 million would go to them. From left to right, village to town, and across all domains, what the Paystack boys have done is uncommon in Africa, and most especially Nigeria.

[…]

By looking at the multiples and the short time they created this value, Paystack is possibly the most successful Nigerian startup on value creation for investors for deals above $50 million.

I hold professorship in their department. I am very happy for these young men. While many know of Davido, the fact is that Babcock continues to create really good techies. Today, Babcock has the prize. Yes, Babcock University Delivers Nigeria’s Most Successful Tech Startup Exit via Paystack.

Paystack Is The Most Successful Nigerian Tech Startup on Large Value Creation for Investors

#EndSARS Protest: Is Nigeria About to be Born Again?

By
Temitayo Ade-Peters
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0

It is a known fact that for solutions to be sustainable, long term thinking is required and this begins with identifying the root cause of the problem so as to set a right road map in place. 

However, when there are issues of urgent concern that require immediate response, the right thing to do is to swing into action as with first aid. No one gets to an emergency scene and begins asking questions with the intent for extended research. The first thing to do is to act based on what you can see: stop the bleeding, stop the suicide attempt, save the baby etc. The remaining part of the research can be handled thereafter.

This is the case with the #EndSARS movement. Some people have said it’s not just about ending SARS and that is fair enough. However, that is a great start. We need that first aid, that bandage to nip Police Brutality in Nigeria in the bud.

With a predominantly youth population, Nigeria is one of the youngest countries on earth having a median age of 18.3. In an ideal situation, a nation like ours will enjoy high economic development, considering the availability of its vibrant work force to contribute to economic activities productively. 

However, this demographic dividend also portends huge potential for crime in situations where the youths are not productively engaged and the nation is ravaged by poverty. When corruption is the order of the day, and whole systems are broken, there’s bound to be a breakdown of law and order. 

Subsequently, Police will need to step up their effort to avoid a state of lawlessness because youths are naturally restless and their energy must be channeled to something – productive or not. 

This is the case in Nigeria. The strength of our youth has not been managed effectively and now, we’re deploying police to curb what not, targeting any youth that doesn’t fit into their supposed profile of what clean should look like. 

Back to our analogy on first aid. After the first aid, the urgent action, the patient’s health will require in-depth analysis to understand the underlying issues. Stopping at just the first aid will mean lost opportunity to finally proffer a lasting solution to elongate the patient’s life. Nonetheless, skipping the first aid and focusing straight on analysis and research may mark an urgent disaster. 

There have been massive protests in Nigeria calling for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a section of the Nigerian Police Force charged with curbing armed robbery. While experiences of protesters and their loved ones vary, the reason for this all important request remains the same: young people, and not just the robbers the SARS was set up to manage, are now targets and victims of brutality in the hands of these men of the force.

Contrary to what most people think, the situation is actually a simple yet sensitive one. Simple in the sense that there is absolutely no justification for police brutality but sensitive because the current state of the nation requires a high level of security to protect lives and property. We all know that while a lot of people go into crime because of poverty and lack, the case is not the same with all. At any rate, crime against your fellow humans, people working hard and trying their best to put food on their tables and support their families is unjustifiable for any reason. 

In consonance with the complexity of the situation, it is important to also proffer a holistic approach to tackling the challenges.

Thus, in analyzing the root cause of the circumstances that have finally culminated into these mass protests that are gradually becoming deadly, with deaths already recorded from the bullets of police men, some fundamental issues need to be addressed.

A lot of people have alluded to the fact that the state of the police, the protests and indeed the hopelessness of our youth is a direct reflection of the nation. Like symptoms, these are only pointers to the true health status of Nigeria. 

Nigeria is indeed a paradox of a nation. A country that is now recognized as the poverty capital of the world is also home to the richest black man and indeed some of the richest black people in the world. A country that attracts the best entrepreneurs in the world but also repels its own people due to lack of opportunities. Isn’t it amazing that Nigerians are some of the best groups when it comes to impact in countries like America but seem to be unproductive at home? In Nigeria, you walk from opulence into slums with mere gates as the divide! 

To begin with, we cannot tackle any of the issues highlighted without narrowing squarely on poverty and inequality. True, Nigeria has been dubbed the largest economy is Africa but we all know this does not translate to anything substantial for the man on the street. 

Addressing the level of poverty in Nigeria requires restructuring of systems, collaborative effort, with the leaders having the political will to champion and support the process without politicizing the issues.

Going by the pressing issue, a great starting point is the absolute reformation of the police force. Police welfare in Nigeria is beyond despicable. You have grown men earning meager salaries not enough to live by and then you hand them guns! Some years back, a television station in the country did a quasi documentary about the state of the police college and it was indeed a terrible sight to behold. In the end, nothing changed, instead they got a backlash from the government. 

The reformation of the police force must happen from end to end: From the entry point, the police college, to the salary, welfare and training of serving police officers, pensions of retired officers, compensation for families of those who die in active service to provision of standard tools, gadgets and weapons amongst others.

Next is the total overhaul of the education system which is currently in shambles. The government needs to rally private sector partnerships and put the right policies and incentives in place to attract investment into this all important foundation of our nation. The backwardness and stagnation of the country is directly linked to the poor level of our education standard and total lack of it in most quarters.

Closely linked to this is the need to set up youth development and empowerment schemes. We need urgent action in this area to reduce poverty and youth restiveness across the states. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources and our skill acquisition schemes should be focused on providing youths in different areas with the know-how to effectively leverage the resources in their states for export and local consumption where applicable. 

Again, without the government providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive, no matter the education or skills acquired, once the ease of doing business is low, there will be no adequate jobs to mop up unemployment. Government policies or lack of them have a huge impact on businesses. They have the capacity to advance businesses beyond the level of  the owners’ self-survival to truly thriving businesses that can create more job opportunities and contribute good taxes for national development.

Additionally, one of the challenges Nigeria has faced when it comes to export and even local consumption of goods is quality and standard. We need the combined efforts of business councils, NGOs, industry players and the Government working with existing bodies like the SON, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NAFDAC and others to put in effective and seamless product standardization policies in place to aid exportation and local acceptance. This is important to help us not only diversify our economy from oil, but to also shore up the Naira from FOREX shocks.

From a political standpoint, Nigeria needs to have a more inclusive government where youth representation matters. Even if anyone had doubts, with the coordination and organization of the protests, Nigerian youths have shown that beyond being leaders of tomorrow, they are ready to take the country to the promised land, for the now and for future generations. 

Ultimately, Nigeria needs to have improved justice and Judicial systems. To feel safe enough in Nigeria to serve with all our might and recreate a nation we can all be proud of across sectors, we need to push for the tenets of Goal 16 of the UN SDGs, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. 

Essentially, we need active institutionalization and enforcement of the Rule of Law. All citizens need to trust that justice will be served, no matter who is on either side. All citizens need to know that no one guilty of crime will slip away because of their privileged position or standing or because of poor structure and systems to bring wrongdoers to book.

The focus on justice is particularly important because, as much as we speak in favour of police welfare in Nigeria and rightfully so, many a times, the culture of extended neglect and denied justice can fuel crimes and misconduct. In the United States of America for example, police welfare cannot be said to be poor but American police brutality, especially against the blacks, is one of the highest in the world. 

In Nigeria also, many years of injustice, neglect and citizens’ indifference as regards accountability from political leaders have increased the level of complacency and nourished the culture of poor leadership across all spheres of the nation. Youths especially feel betrayed, have deep distrust for the leaders, with many having lost any iota of hope in the systems. This is highly expected considering the many years of unfulfilled promises, government after government. 

Nigeria is however at a critical tipping point and history is being re-written by Nigerian youths. Many have advised that, with the youths finally getting the attention of those in high places and their being voices heard, the #endsars and #endpolicebrutality protests should be explored to push for total reforms across all critical systems of the nation.

2020 has indeed been a year of many learnings and discoveries. From COVID-19, its safety rules and periods of lockdown, to new levels of digitization in spheres never thought possible, Protest EndSARS will also go down as one of the landmarks of the year and its effects can definitely not be wished off. 

One thing is certain: this season has marked the beginning of a new Nigeria. The voices of the youths have gone up in protests and in prayers, peacefully demanding a new type of leadership. The response from our leaders will set the tone for how things will proceed going forward. 

At any rate, the youths must not lose the opportunity of the season for the rebirth of a new Nigeria; a Nigeria where according to Aisha Yesufu, “the son of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody’’. 

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