■- Lack of maintenance culture.

…..@ WUFAS AGRONET, We don’t know more than Food.
We earned ‘FAO’ Top Fan barge.

LACK OF MAINTENENCE CULTURE

One of the major alibi of infrastructural deficit is the inability of factoring in the efficacy of maintenance culture. Several decades of infrastructural rot , neglect coupled with poor or zero maintenance culture and rustled up management prescription had left most public infrastructure such as roads and bridges network , railway and others utilities in complete ruin.. Annual budgets in billions of dollars are focused on new infrastructure with little or no provision for maintenance budgets.

Casualties of this criminal neglect are the Nigeria Ports all over country especially those in Lagos . The Nigeria Port authority was established in 1913 by the Colonial government for shipping farm produce such as Ground nuts, Cocoa, Rubber etc to their country. The facilities are over stretched as results of massive growth and development with no adequate corresponding maintenance.

The Port is currently a jungle of hundreds of articulated vehicles and petrol farmtanks causing frustrating gridlock for logistics demands. This intractable traffic situation necessated Presidential intervention.

From the optics of the UN 2030 17 Sustainable Development Goals agenda, COVID 19 Pandemic had confirmed the prime positioning of FOOD SECURITY world wide. In the wisdom and programmes of the UN , attaining the goals in Food Security is made possible through the application of the Tripple (A) which are AVAILABILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, & AFFORDABILITY.

These could be made possible with regular maintenance of facilities.

• AVAILABILITY – Massive (mechanised ) aggressive commercial organic agricultural production.
• ACCEPTABILITY – Wholesome farm fresh foods or industrially processed of internationally acceptable quality.
• AFFORDABILITY – Obeys the economics law of Demand and Supply (the more the supply the lesser the price).

The Major framework that determines growth and development of any economy are infrastructures, notably TRANSPORTATION and ELECTRICITY amongst others

The issues of Food wastages has direct bearing on the level of infrastructural deficit in any economy. Presumably, about 40% of farm produce is wasted at every harvest season due to inaccessibility of rural cum urban road network while other perishables could be curtailed by effective and efficient electricity supply providing adequate cooling for cold chain services, offices and homes.

TRANSPORTATION

One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set up in 2015 for United Nations 2030 agenda is Good Road Network . Movement of People, goods and services to achieve better and more sustainable future for all.

The deplorable state of roads are causing daily standstill which had defied solution even by the traffic officials in most areas. Travelling from one point of the country to another has been nightmerish and misadventures that many dared to venture into. Investigation shows that virtually all the roads which transverse the length and breadth of the country are in deplorable conditions requiring urgent rehabilitation.

Travellers are bemoaning the terrible experience encountered on Federal roads scattered across Nigeria. Most roads features caters, potholes and gullies in which unsuspecting motorists are killed with passengers on board on daily basis. Dilapidated roads are making businesses unsustainable while famers’ produce are trapped and wasted on farm due to bad roads. Travelling in Nigeria is a big risk as one is safe only at the point of arrival in one piece at his destination.

Efficient transportation system includes Roads and bridges, Railways, Water ways and Airways. With all these in place they’ll serve as catalyst for trade stimulation and economic development for various sections of the nation.

In Nigeria, efforts are being made to address the lingering deplorable means of transportation such as the rails, roads and bridges, water ways and Airways. Intractable delays occasioned by protracted gridlock on the major highways and major seaports at Apapa, warri, Porthacourt and Onne ports. most of these are in serious state of disrepair.

This brings to mind the Baro inland port in Niger state. which is expected to serve as catalyst for trade stimulation and economic development and feeder to the Northern axis inland dry ports but yet to function due to deplorable road conditions. However, Baro is a railway terminal station the port could be connected to the railway for prompt useage. The Organised Private Sector (agric ) are bemoaning losses incurred by the economy.

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION ON ROADS.

Here are four major departments for roadworks.

• Federal Ministry of Works & Housing
• Multi Lateral funded projects.
• Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund. -PIDF. (Sovereign Fund).
• Sukuk – Private Interventions.

ELECTRICITY – Access to cooling.

Major reasons that could be adduced to the frequent collapse in electricity supply are Gas shortages due to pipeline vandals, systems collapse due to temperature hitting all time high globally due to Climate change .

The frequent collapse of National Electricity Transmission Systems (power grid ) has left the Nation with unattainable sufficiency in electric power utilisation with resultant effect of spoilage of edibles due to lack of effective cooling occasioning risk to lives of infants and adults as well.

Vast majority of the population is affected by the increase in unavailability of cold chain (temperature controlled supply chain and distribution activities at a desired low temperature range for preservation, and prolong shelve life of products. The rural poor and urban poor in slums ( driven by rapid urbanisation from rural areas ) lacking adequate cooling system to protect them from heatwaves

Cooling is no longer a luxury it ensures workers are productive in offices and families at homes can store nutritive Food items conveniently.

At WUFAS AGRONET, We are Competent and Reliable Food Technologists into Human Capital Development Consultancy in Post Harvest handling / Food Processing . Bridging Skill Gap and including the Socioeconomic considerations.
Our Contact : 08034064270 , 08157784430. Email : wufasagroner@gmail.com.