Naija Political Blog

It is depressing that Nigeria remains a third world country after 51 years of independence even though it is endowed with such immense human and national resources. In spite of being a major oil producer, the vast majority of Nigerians have remained impoverished due to the poverty of leadership in Nigeria and wanton corruption by government officials and their cronies. According to the World Bank, 80% of Nigeria’s oil revenue only benefits 1% of the population
While Nigeria’s stunted growth can be blamed in part on decades of military dictatorship and the inherent absence of a culture of democracy, it is inexcusable that a lot has not been achieved since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule. How is it possible that Ghana, a smaller neighboring country was able to make such significant strides within the same time frame? How is it possible that Brazil, a developing country like Nigeria in 1999 has made such phenomenal progress that it had the clout to join India, China, Russia and South Africa to form the BRICS block of nations? The BRICS are a force to be reckoned with in the international community and at the United Nations. 13 years is a very long time for the democracy dividend to continue to elude the vast majority of Nigerians. Political observers were hoping that the leaders of Nigeria would have learned from the diplomatic snub they suffered at the hands of President Obama on his first trip to Africa when he visited Ghana and shunned Nigeria. For America’s first black president whose father was an African from Kenya to shun Nigeria in this fashion was a slap on the face to the leaders of Nigeria and a strong message for them to put their house in order. Regrettably, that was a lesson not learned as the cancer of corruption continues to eat away at the destiny of Nigeria. Even in 2012, the level of corruption in all levels of government has not abated. It’s been 13 years of lost opportunities and waste.
• According to One Blog, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about the issue of corruption during her trip to Nigeria in August 2009. At a town hall meeting during this trip, she talked about the failure of Nigeria to achieve the economic successes expected of a nation with the continent’s largest population and enormous energy and natural resources, which she attributed to poor leadership and corruption. She illustrated this by indicating that Nigeria is one of the leading exporters of crude oil and yet it imports 80 % of its domestic fuel needs further underscoring the fact that corruption is the primary cause of Nigeria’s under development.