‘You Can’t Kill all Flies before you farm’ –Prof Steve Ugbah urges Simultaneous Action on security, development evelopment
...At MAP 2025 Summit, RMAFC Federal Commissioner Calls for Strategic Infrastructure Push in Northern Nigeria
By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit (MAP 2025), Ambassador Professor Steve Davies Ugbah, Federal Commissioner at the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and Director of Economic Development for the Northern Elders Forum, emphasized that security and development must go hand in hand.
Using the metaphor of a chicken and an egg, Prof. Ugbah explained that waiting for perfect security before initiating development is counterproductive. “You can’t have security without progress,” he stated. “When you develop—when you build roads, bridges, railways, and power plants you are also insulating your society from insecurity.”
According to him, infrastructure and industrialization efforts in mining, agriculture, and power are not just economic necessities—they are strategic responses to insecurity.
“Mining needs roads. Agriculture needs power. Power needs infrastructure. These are the veins through which development flows. If someone is pursuing you and there’s no road, how do you escape? Infrastructure is security,” he emphasized.
Prof. Ugbah also referenced a saying in his native Tiv language: “Should you kill all the flies before you farm?” The answer, he said, is no. “When you till the soil and begin to farm, the flies naturally reduce. That’s what development does to insecurity—it reduces it.”
He challenged narratives that Northern Nigeria is too large or too complex to be developed. “Northern Nigeria is not a lost cause. It is vast, resource-rich, and full of opportunities. But we must start somewhere. One step at a time. That’s what MAP 2025 is about—strategic, manageable interventions with long-term impact.”
The summit, he noted, is part of a larger, deliberate approach to industrialization and regional integration. “We’re creating synergy—connecting states, aligning comparative advantages, and feeding off one another in a seamless, symbiotic relationship,” he explained.
Beyond mining, agriculture, and power, he highlighted untapped sectors like finance and banking that could unlock further potential. “We’re being strategic. We can’t do everything at once, but we must keep moving.”
Prof. Ugbah concluded with a call for boldness and unity: “This is not just about economics—it’s about survival, dignity, and building a future for generations to come. Northern Nigeria deserves better, and it starts with action—not excuses.”
