Developing the economy of Nsukka from the known to unknown
The economic position of any city is highly dependent on how much money that comes into that city, in relation to the much that leaves it. In such case, development has a lot to do with economy. When your economy is bad, it means that you are poor. When your economy is good, people rush in, the population explodes, the need to build more houses arises and the need to increase transportation means follow suit. When population increases, demand increases and the local inhabitants rise up to the situation. They bring goods that the people demand; they get employed in industries that arrive with the people, and embrace the market that thrives, thus improving economically. Experts come in to provide the required services as demanded by the people. This inflow of people with different backgrounds improves the quality of life of the people who originally inhabit such a city.
The economy of Nsukka as a city is poor comparably, and this owes to the fact that it has not been able to witness gross material development, as did some other cities. Nsukka has only academic industries, which is not a continuous running system. Due to the fact that the only big academic industry in Nsukka is UNN, there is no other institution that has an alternate academic programme, such that when UNN is not in session, it could be in session, thereby providing a fairly continuous flow of economic activities. So, whenever there is strike, long vacation or closure of the school, the town goes dry economically.
However, even when students are in school, their input is usually low, because they rarely participate in the activities that boost the economy of a city. This may be due to their busy academic activities. Outside this, they have their own community, where they operate and only come out when it is extremely necessary. Invariably, Nsukka cannot even boast of being a complete academic city, with only one university and a few post secondary school institutions. With Nsukka’s popularity, due to the presence of the country’s premier university, it is supposed to have attracted other major tertiary institutions by now. UNN is famous and draws a reasonable population of intending undergraduates, which makes spill over after admission, outnumber admitted candidates. With other competent universities in the town, these candidates would have been making alternative choices and thus, we wouldn’t have been losing that population, yearly. With such universities, Nsukka can now be seen as a total academic city.
Any visionary investor, who would site a university in Nsukka, would just have a gold mine per se, because of the possible low cost of running such an institution. There are already existing human and material structures on ground to aid the running of such, hence the low cost in running it. In fact, I expected one of the first private universities in Nigeria to be in Nsukka, for the above reasons. This would have attracted other industries as well. Indigenes of Nsukka who have what it takes to invest in this, individually or collectively, should look in this direction, before others take this advantage. The Catholic Church in Nsukka, with a hospital that can easily be upgraded, land resources, structures and other resources should think in this direction. Churches with formidable followership have edges because many parents would want to send their wards to seemingly morally guided institutions, located in a serene environment. More so, challenges posed by the already existing higher institutions, with students from all walks of life, is enough to help the students of such institution get focused. I also, on this note challenge the Anglican Church and some strong men of God to emulate Very Rev Fr (Prof) Emmanuel Ede, and set up morally guided higher education institutions in Nsukka to take advantage of the availability of facilities on ground. Such institutions can partner with UNN in areas like Library usage, laboratories, IT, etc.
It is gladdening to note that notable individuals without any prior links with Nsukka like Late Prof Dora Akunyili and the egghead Ms Oluchi Ejindu, were sent by their parents to Nsukka right from secondary school to the university for the purpose of sound education. It is my belief that looking into this exploit and building on it, we could go back to those glorious days when exceptional people are sent from various parts of the country and beyond, to Nsukka to actualize their academic dream.
Culled from the book: Unveiling the True Brand of Nwansukka; the Panacea for a Vibrant Adada State (Published, 2009)
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