The Successes And Failures In Nigeria So Far

Editor’s note: Nigeria is 55 and while it is a day to celebrate the country’s independence from the colonial rule, it is also a day to reflect on the path the country has followed so far. While Nigeria has fared very well in some quarters, there is still a lot to be done.

First, the five areas Nigeria has performed above avearge in.

One country

Since Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, here has been concern about how the country would survive considering the diverse groups of people who share little or no cultural and traditional relationship. After independence, it seemed the journey to disintegration had begun with the highlight being the Biafra war that occurred from 1967 to 1970. After the secession attempt was thwarted by the Nigerian military, the possibility of having a single nation still looked bleak. Nigeria was among the countries reportedly listed by the United States to break up into smaller countries and the 2015 election was predicted to be the catalyst for the break up. Nigeria has however survived the prophetic projection of disintegration and has still continued to remain as a single country

Foreign policy

After independence in 1960, Nigeria moved swiftly to pursuing a strong foreign policy in Africa and the rest of the world. Nigeria was a founding member of the Organisation of African Unity which later became African Union. Through its strong military force, Nigeria spearheaded the founding of ECOMOG which oversaw military assistance in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria has shown zeal to establish a pan African framework that will see African countries develop from within and also attend to each other’s issues. The Ebola outbreak in Liberia which threatened to spread to Nigeria but was quickly managed saw Nigeria deploy 250 soldiers to the affected region to handle the situation. The country is waxing stronger and living up to its label as the Giant of Africa.

Democracy

The first military coup in Nigeria in 1966 just six years after gaining independence cast shadows on the possibility of Nigeria being able to manage itself. Coups, counter coups and abortive coups followed until a brief democratic stint from 1979 to 1983. Another rounds of coups followed until 1999 when the country returned to civilian rule. Significantly, May 29 was declared as democracy day and since then, the country has been able to sustain uninterrupted democratic rule.

Electoral reform

June 12 is a symbolic day in Nigeria as on the same day in 1993, the country had a presidential election that was adjudged one of the fairest elections in the country. The result of the election was however annulled by the then military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Chief MKO Abiola was considered the winner of the election but an interim president, Chief Ernest Shonekan was appointed. Fast forward to 1999, Nigeria now has periodic election after every four years that seems to get better. The 2015 general election was applauded by the international community for its violence free poll. The introduction of card readers also lent credibility to the votes. The future also looks bright as the Independent National Electoral Commission is unrelenting in its effort to make electoral process in the country more credible.

Arts

Nigeria is a foremost producer and consumer of arts in Africa and the world. The Nigeria movie industry, Nollywood is considered the biggest movie industry in terms of output in the Africa and arguable the third only behind Hollywood and Bollywood. The music industry is also blazing the trail in the continent. The country has done very well in literature and writing with Wole Soyinka being the first recipient of the Nobel Laureate in Affric. The Caine prize for writing in Africa has been won five times by a Nigerian. New generational artists in the country are also making their marks international which indicates the country’s success in arts.

And now, the five areas Nigeria has not gotten right yet.

Insecurity

Managing security has been a big problem in Nigeria. Boko Haram insurgency has claimed the lives of thousands of Nigerians. While the nation is dealing with this extremist group that gets its support from ISIS, minor criminal gangs operate in the country. Kidnapping, robbery, rape and other forms of crime still happen in the country on a periodic basis thereby affecting the peace in the country.

Corruption

The culture of corruption in Nigeria has been a serious problem that has crippled the development of the country. Political corruption is so rampant and common place that corrupt officials become celebrated and sometimes accorded the highest chieftaincy title in their states. This corruption also rooted in small scale engagement like in a school or workplace. Although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been at the forefront of prosecuting corrupt persons, the culture still persists.

Poverty

A lot of Nigerian live below the poverty line inspire of the abundant wealth that exist in the nation. Insecurity and corruption are two of the catalysts of poverty in the country. The desire for money has made cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja overpopulated as these cities offers more opportunities than other places. It is fair to assume that if poverty is well managed and other regions of the country begin to experience growth, these overpopulated places might be depopulated. Until then, the country is still wallowing in poverty.

Economic diversity

Nigeria’s economy is still hinged on crude oil so the currency rises and falls with the rise and fall of crude oil in the international market. Other natural resources that the country has either remain untapped or irrelevant. Agricultural strength in the country has dwindled as Nigeria now imports food from other countries.

Education

Although the country has come a long way in trying to develop its academic strength, the position of the institutions in Africa and in the world still requires a lot to be done. A lot of institutions and facilities are in abandoned states due to little financial support. Wealthy Nigerians send their children to schools in neighbouring African countries due to the poor state of Nigerian institutions. A lot is still left to be done in order to build the academic strength of the country.