I'm Looking for My Co-Coa.. Where did it go?

 Hi my people, what is popping in your area?

It’s been days since I last stumbled here, please pardon my inconsistency. There’s absolutely no excuse. I honestly miss communicating with my viewers. No matter how small in number they might be, to me it’s like a myriad. Thanks guys.

There’s been something that has left me confused for a while now, it’s somewhat linked to a political discourse. In fact it is. These days I’ve been getting irked for some happenings in the country. And it didn’t just start surfacing, it’s been there for years, and many have written/talked about it, meaning it’s no news and shouldn’t be. But for some reason, it just have begun to have a bewildering effect on my attitude.

It is about the production management of our resources. Surprise?  I did a little research recently about the sustenance of the country’s economy and obviously, we all know its mainstay is Crude Oil (very crude indeed). But it doesn’t end there, there are a lot of these raw materials that Nigeria has to experiment with and boost the state of her economy.

I’m sorry, this will bore you a little because its government talk, and it’s monotonous and just not exciting. But please, let’s face it, many of us get excited when we hear that Nigeria is the giant of Africa, rebasing of GDP, first black this and that blah blah, open your eyes well and see for yourself. There is no denying that the country has a lot of imaginable prospect, which even makes it harder to fathom its current state.

Do you know that Nigeria is the fourth largest producer of Cocoa beans in the world behind Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia according to statistics proved by the International Cocoa Organization?  It was one time Nigeria’s ‘oil’. Back in the days before independence, when oil was still in its mother’s womb, about 90 percent of foreign exchange came from the production of cocoa and its proceeds were used to build quite a number of infrastructures, particularly in the South West. Foreign countries found it satisfying to their taste and as such Nigeria’s cocoa became a sought after product.

I want to ask, what happened to our cocoa? Don’t we have capable hands that can pick it up and start generating revenue again? I learnt that a former president did refurbish the cocoa regulatory system in 1986, when the government abolished the Nigerian Cocoa Board, a government bureau that controlled the marketing of cocoa, and deregulated the industry. This didn’t change much as the decline continued.  In 1999 again, the government set up the National Cocoa Development Committee (NCDC) to promote cocoa production and trade. My question again is what has this left us with?

This whole effort is similar to the story of a mother who keeps helping a block head child to reach his full potential but fails to reciprocate. What does that leave her with? Nothing but frustration.  Here are two things I think would have caused it.

Hard up support: The agro-industrial production and export value added products and produce are being seriously jeopardized and taken for granted. The focus on the oil sector has stiffened the eyes and hands of the government not to think and act outside the box.

High Taxation: ‘The Big Brothers’ (Industrialized states) have placed high tax fee on cocoa export knowing that it is a viable area with potential to create employment and expand Nigeria’s economy base.

Beyond all that is the deep nonchalance on every side. Oil money is too sweet to make anyone think. Imagine Nigeria having a diversified and functional economy, where banking is doing fantastic, oil and gas booming (as it is), with entertainment taking over the world, and agriculture gaining robust revenue for the government. It’s sad that I can only imagine and nothing else.

Is it not funny, that many of us eat chocolate and don’t question its source? That many CV’s and cover letters mainly have some sort of shell, chevron even filling station track?  Do you know that a lot of graduates that studied the agricultural related courses now work in the bank, construction/oil Company and many other out of place fields?  This goes out to my friends waiting to sit in an AC filled office with computer on the table. Go and carry your hoes o… I just bought mine. Lol.

It is as simple as ABC, using astute advocacy may not drive the point right. Perhaps the ‘Cocoa na chocolate’ song led by D banj and other African artiste will make you see reasons with me.