Stop condeming Nigeria, we are doing better than most countries (3), By Sunday Adelaja

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is sick and tired of all the tales of woe about Nigeria. In this article, I will mainly write in pieces and points to make it easier for readers. I have written seven books on Nigeria and its greatness, now I am giving you some bullet points for easier digestion.

1. Every Nigerian talks about his country, usually in a derogatory way, criticism, and even hatred;
2. If hatred and anger is not directed at the nation, it will be directed at its leader. Most Nigerians believe that we have had bad leaders since independence and that is our problem. I believe this can be debatable, in comparison with other countries;
3. I personally think that the reason for acting like this is because we are too much concerned with the desire for the country, which is not bad;
4. Our expectations are too high, we are impatient and unrealistic in our desires, which is a form of greed;
5. Now, if we just take $400 billion as our GDP, in relation to 215 million people, that brings our per capita to $2,300. Remember this from $88 per capita at independence. How much growth is it?
6. Our GDP growth is one of the highest in world history, and better and faster than America or Great Britain, with 400 times or 10,000% growth since independence. Note that I only used $400 billion as a GDP benchmark, even though it is now closer to $500 billion;
7. The population growth rate since 1960 is 377%. This is the source of our sorrow as a nation;
8. Meanwhile the British population grew by only 30% in 60 years, from 52.4 million to 68 million;
9. At the same time, the per capita growth of the British economy is 3,000%;
10. The GDP grew during the same period to 3,600% in the UK. Note that real nominal GDP growth is almost the same as per capita growth;
11. If our per capita (or population) growth is nominal GDP, which is 10,000%, then the standard of living of our people will increase by 10,000% but unfortunately that is not the case because our population has consumed our growth. it hardly shows in our per capita figure;
12. Our economy has grown 800% annually for the past 60 years. In 1960, our GDP per capita was $88 dollars, but today it is $2,300. So, we have a growth of 2,500%, compared to the UK, with a growth of 3,000% per capita, while the GDP growth in the same period is 3,600%;
13. Compared to the growth of Nigeria’s GPD at 10,000%, if our population had grown at the same rate as Britain, our standard of living would have increased by 8000% as against the 2,500% increase we have now;
14. The reason for the 2,500% growth in the standard of living of our people from 1960 to today is because we did not control our population growth like the UK;
15. Today, our population is growing by 2.6% or an additional five million people per year. This is a big problem that our government has unfortunately not taken seriously;
16. Meanwhile, Britain’s population growth is 0.5%. So, if we only grow 30% in 60 years, like the UK, our population will now be 58 million people, which means our standard of living will now be the best in the world;
17. We may be at the same level of standard of living as Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, etc.;
18. We need to expand our human resources to produce faster than population growth. If our government wants to reduce Nigeria’s population growth, it must work hard to make the economy grow many times faster than the population growth;
19. In Nigeria, only 20-25% are productive in the economy, which means this is the only skilled labor we have, unlike in Europe where it is at the level of 75% to 90% skilled workers;
20. How can we compete with the world if our human resources are low? No European country can function with such a low level of human capital development. Can you imagine the UK using only 30% of its working population to save the economy? This would be a disaster for the British economy;
21. But that is in Nigeria. 50% of our citizens are not skilled workers and we cannot compete with smaller countries that put most of their population into productive work;
22. Our human capital development is a disaster. We grew thanks to oil, which led to people running away from farms;
23. Now, it is time to get rid of dependence on raw materials. It is time for the development of human capital, so that our future economy will be based on the maximization of human capital like in the rest of the world;
24. If that happens, we will be ready to overtake England and all European countries in the future. I strongly believe that if we put our actions together in the next twenty years, we can grow the economy bigger than any country in Europe;
25. A good example is Brazil. Portugal colonized Brazil in the past, but now the country has changed its own story. Brazil’s economy is $1.5 trillion, while Portugal’s is $230 billion, which is six times larger or 552% larger than the former colonial ruler;
26. Nigeria should do the same, build an economy bigger than the countries that colonized us. It is not a dream but a possibility in the near future, especially if we expand the development of our human capital;
27. The Nigerian economy is projected to be among the top ten economies in the world by 2050, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $6.4 trillion;
28. A report by PwC states that Nigeria, Indonesia and Mexico could topple the UK and France out of the top ten economies by 2050;
29. Nigeria can sustain an average growth of about 5-6% in the long run. If it does, it will achieve this goal;
30. I believe in the resilient spirit of Nigerians; with good leadership and policies that our goal will come.

What Nigeria Produces and Where Nigeria Leads the World

Recently, a Nigerian-American PhD student wrote a thesis on Africa and, in particular, the achievements of his home country, Nigeria. They despair because they cannot find any useful material on the internet that talks about positive and great steps in our country. Fortunately, he came across one of my articles and saved him, and saved him from embarrassment. I am sure he is not the only person with the same problem, as if there is nothing good to write about Nigeria. Below I will list the areas where Nigeria is leading the world, even though we are only 60 years old, a newly independent country, compared to the age of other countries in the world.

Nigeria ranks number one in the world in the production of the following agricultural commodities:

1. Cassava
2. Melon seeds
3. Peas
4. Koko
5. Yam
6. Onions
7. Taro
8. Kolanut
9. Shea Nuts
10. Ginger
11. The sun.

Nigeria ranks second in the world in the following items:

1. Funio
2. Okra
3. Orange
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Groundnuts with shell
6. Green Corn

Apart:

1. Palm oil fruits – four times
2. Chocolate seeds – four times
3. Millets – four
4. Pulse – five times
5. Plantains – five times
6. Sesame seeds – five times
7. Lombok and green pepper – seventh
8. Onion, green onion – seventh
9. Papaya – seventh
10. Pineapple – eight times
11. Fresh fruit – nine
12. Tomatoes – eleven times
13. Mango, mangosteen, guava – twelve times
14. Oil crops – twelve
15. Fields – thirteen
16. Rubber, natural – thirteen
17. Cashew nuts, in shell – fourteen
18. Animal fiber – fourteen
19. Soy beans – sixteen
20. Onion, dry – seventeen
21. Coconut – twenty two
22. Cotton seeds – twenty one
23. Carrots and turnips – thirty one
24. Potatoes – thirty four
25. Oilseeds – forty nine
26. Fiber Plant – fifty once
27. Cane – fifty three
28. Coffee, green, – fifty four
29. Tobacco, not manufactured – fifty eight
30. Sugar Plant – seventy one
31. Garlic – seventy nine
32. Wheat – eighty five.

Continued.

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Sunday Adelaja is a Nigerian born leader, transformational strategist, pastor and innovator. He is based in Kiev, Ukraine.