Stop condeming Nigeria, we are doing better than most countries (2), By Sunday Adelaja

Compare Nigeria’s achievements and track record with the great countries of the world today at the age of 60 years or even at the age of 100 years as an independent and sovereign country, especially countries like the UK and USA. You can only objectively assess the situation when something is comparable.

Nigerians Are Not Fair To Nigeria

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 snippets and points to make it easier to read. I have written seven books on Nigeria and her 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, at times, even hatred is what we see;
2. If the 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, again 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. When it comes to leadership, I personally think that Nigeria is not that bad: Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, General Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Shonekan, Umaru Yar adua, not perfect but some of the best compared to historical leaders of other nations;
6. When it comes to development, Nigerians are unfair to their country. Nigeria is number 24 out of 200 countries in the world;
7. In addition, it is the youngest and most successful country. No country is younger than Nigeria and richer. We are the richest of all the young countries in the world;
8. Countries richer and larger than ours have a longer history and civilization than ours;
9. We often compare ourselves to the US, Germany and the UK today; are we being realistic, really?
10. We consider how to live in America in 150 years – more than twice our age, not when it was 60 like we are now;
11. In America it is worse than it is in Nigeria. The truth is that it takes time to build a nation;
12. Nations are not built overnight. Poverty was worse in England a hundred years ago, than it is in Nigeria today.
13. China was nothing to write home about back in the day;
14. Just a hundred years ago, the average life expectancy in America was 47 years, almost 150 years after independence. We have a life expectancy of between 54 and 60 years, but we are not 150 years old, only 60;
15. 100 years ago, only 14% of American homes had a toilet or bathroom, about the same as Nigeria today. What Americans do, they work hard and continue to build their nation;
16. When America was 150 years old, only 8% of Americans owned a telephone. In Nigeria in 60 years, it is almost 70% of people;
17. The average income per person in America is $2,000. In Nigeria in 60 years, it is close to $3,000, and not after 150 years like the USA;
18. Hospital conditions are so bad that 95% of all births are at home in America, after 150 years of independence;
19. In 150 years, only 6% of Americans have graduated from high school. In Nigeria it is 60% literacy rate in 60 years;
20. After 150 years, the 20% of Americans who are considered rich have slaves, servants and maids in their homes, while almost half of the population is subject to the 20%;
21. Talk about Canada, they actually passed a law prohibiting the poor from entering the country for any reason;
22. Every nation grows and develops greatness according to how much dedication and hard work they put into it. Rome was not built in a day;
23. Let’s talk about Nigerians today in America today. Although Nigerians are a small part of the US population, 17% of all Nigerians in the country have a Master’s degree, while 4% have a doctorate. Additionally, 37% have a Bachelor’s degree.
24. To put the numbers into perspective, only 8% of the White population in the US has a Master’s degree, according to the Census survey. And 1% hold a doctorate. About 19% of White residents have a Bachelor’s degree. Asians come close to Nigerians with 12% holding a Master’s degree and 3% having a doctorate;
25. Stephen Kleinberg, a sociologist at Rice University, who conducts the annual Houston Area Survey, suspects the percentage of Nigerian immigrants with post-graduate degrees is higher than Census data suggests;
26. Of all the Nigerian immigrants he reached in a random telephone survey from 1994 through 2007 – 45 households in total – Kleinberg said 40% of Nigerians said they had a postgraduate degree. “It’s a higher level of education than we’ve found in other communities,” Kleinberg said.

Nigeria’s Uncontrolled Population Growth is Our Albatross

To those who say we have nothing to show for our 60 years of independence: STOP talking about your country, do your research, show your empirical evidence.

Compare Nigeria’s achievements and track record with the great countries of the world today when they are 60 years old or even when they are 100 years old as independent and sovereign countries, especially countries like the UK and USA. You can only objectively assess the situation when something is comparable.

1. If not for our unregulated population growth, Nigeria would have been rated more highly than the tiger countries of Korea, Singapore or Taiwan, as you will see below;
2. If we had adjusted our population to grow at the same rate, for example, England, we would have lived better than some countries in Europe;
3. Despite many failures, the results of economic growth can only be compared with the Middle Belt countries of Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, and Japan. I am presenting you with the facts here, so put them aside and think about them.
4. In 1960 our GDP was $4 billion to an estimated population of 45 million, which means a per capita of $88 per citizen.

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