WATCH: How Nigeria used to be the largest producer of black mineral

• A prominent chieftain of the APC, Bashir Ahmad, shared a nostalgic video of indigenous craftspersons and factory workers contributing to Nigeria's economy
• Legit.ng reports that the manufacturing sector is a high-labour-absorbing sector that can create direct employment for people like operators of different types of machinery, technicians, and engineers
• Although other sectors contribute to economic growth, manufacturing is critical to either opening the economy or kickstarting the development engine

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance.

Kano, Kano state - Bashir Ahmad, the digital communications assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari, said he became emotional after watching a video of the evolvement of the Nigerian manufacturing sector.

Legit.ng reports that dubbed the driving strength behind the socio-economic development of all societies the world over, the manufacturing industry in Nigeria effectively started in about 1955, with multinational firms, formerly engaged in wholesale and retail trade, moving into manufacturing.

Nigeria continues to face many social and economic challenges. Photo credits:@BashirAhmaad, SOPA Images
Source: UGC

In the past, large-scale manufacturing was dominated by the production of textiles, tobacco, beverages, and cement.

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The main markets for Nigerian exports — consisting mostly of crude oil, cocoa beans, and rubber — include India, the United States, and the countries of the European Union (EU).

Thinking fondly of the past, Ahmad wrote on his verified X (formerly known as Twitter) handle on Friday, August 16, with an accompanying 2 minutes 54 seconds video:

“Take a moment to watch this short video, a glimpse of Northern Nigeria in 1959. Watching the video made me incredibly emotional. From the beginning, Nigeria had everything needed to achieve greatness. Where did things go wrong?”

Nigerians react to Ahmad's video

Following the flashback video and poser by Ahmad, some Nigerians on X shared their thoughts. Legit.ng captures some comments below:

@ojojo26 wrote:

"Northerners abandoned their God-giving talent to chase oil money. Most of the investors in this creative sectors are now filling stations owners or oilfield owners."

@mamatii001 said:

"Greediness on the part of our people @BashirAhmaad. Everybody wants to enrich their personal purse instead of the country at large."

Yakub Tijani commented:

"Military coups and greed for power. If they had allowed us to maintain the regional system of government, the country would have grown better. Western region was at its best at that time."

@theProphessor_X wrote:

"The discovery of crude oil in the Niger Delta region disrupted the growth Nigeria was experiencing at the time."

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“Nigeria’s economy will suffer”, agency sounds alarm

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued a strong warning on the effect of delay in supplying crude oil to the Dangote refinery on the Nigerian economy.

The EIU said further delays in providing feedstock to the 650,000 bpd-capacity refinery could further ruin Nigeria’s economic recovery and put additional pressure on the naira.

Source: Legit.ng