Nigeria like most African countries (the Republic of South Africa excluded) is young with yet to be fully tested institutions. But as young as Nigeria or African countries are, they are confronted with many difficulties and they are doing fairly well for their age. Older countries in older regions such as Latin America , with an average age of 100 years, are still facing similar problems confronting African countries, which have an age average of 40. Furthermore, in spite the fact that, Latin American states have a larger and dominant European settler population, it was only in the 80’s and 90’s that, she was able to anchor her economy to that of the rest of the world. There is the case of India , which alone has almost twice the population of the African continent. She is equally young, that is, if the year of her independence from Great Britain in 1947 is any benchmark to rely on. The age of India has not deterred her from growing economically at breakneck speed. But while India is growing and becoming assertive, it is only her positive transformation that one hears or reads.

 Her negative aspects such as her larger pool of people suffering from abject poverty, her caste system which is euphuism for apartheid, her religious and tribal conflicts, are swept under the carpet. But concerning Nigeria or Africa , it is always the negative aspects that top news headlines around the world. Why? It is very difficult to give a clear cut answer. While India is growing economically, it is important to point out that, Nigeria and Africa are also doing the same, even though not at the same scale because the strategic and population importance are not the same. It is also important to stressed that, India , in spite her ran away economic successes, still has similar problems that confront Nigeria and Africa . There exist pockets of hope and disappointments in India just as in Nigeria or in other countries in Africa (1). But sadly, in spite all efforts and progress made by Nigeria and in many other African countries such as Kenya , Tanzania and Ghana recently, they are not getting fair patronage in the media or amongst Nigerians or Africans, especially those that are abroad. What seems to motivate Nigerians and other Africans who are abroad is to run down anything positive that takes place in Nigeria or in other African countries.

 Some Nigerians and some Africans abroad are suffering from what I call the syndrome of the politics of exile. Nigerians and most Africans, who are abroad, in particular those in Western Europe and the United States , are often carried away or overwhelmed by their conditions and the level of development of places where they reside. Thus most become idealistic and want a Harry porter-like transformation of their countries; hence they always want to transpose the level of development and even the culture, especially the negative ones, to Nigeria or in other African countries. As usual, when it doesn’t work out according to their dream or expectations, they are shocked. Why? Simply because their expectations are often higher than the realities of the countries they have left, some for a long time. Shocked as they are, they often resort to arrogance expecting that, their utterances will be gobbled by Nigerians or other Africans like lapdogs.  Every honest and loving person will want Nigeria and the rest of the continent to have the level of development of the United States or the United Kingdom , but in that desire, there is need for some realism and not idealism to serve as motivation.

 It is important to know that, the United Kingdom or the United States, that is much younger compared to other European countries, did not become what they are economically in a span of four or five decades. Another aspect worth examining is the comparable history of both Europe and African continents. But be that as it may, Nigeria and Africa will certainly, at their own speed and idiosyncratic realities, develop and even over pass those laughing at her today.

 Personally, I am not alarmed at Africa ’s level of development because of two things. The first I will keep to myself because it is not politically correct to voice or write it, while the second is motivated after my experiences in Latin America . As I was saying or writing, some Nigerians abroad expect Nigerians to accept or move according to their dictates and most are often more demanding and hard on Nigerians than foreigners. And when Nigerians at home don’t grovel to their dictates, the exiles turn to create cabals, out which only denigration of Nigeria ensues. What have we not read, and heard about Nigeria recently? Those who conceived the plot to denigrate Nigeria wanted the world to think that, the country is on the brink. Fortunately, their expectations and speculations about Nigeria are always light years with the reality on the ground and it is the same case with other African countries. One such positive realities ignored as always is that,  the last eights years of democracy, which were not without her limits, are perhaps the best years the country has ever known in particular, in the area macro economic management.

 The politics of sell and spend or Cinderella politics that, pass Nigerian governments, especially, the military were known for, took an 8 year holyday under President Olusegun Obasanjo. In support of the above is the fact that, there is growing confidence in Nigeria as demonstrated by foreigners investing in Nigeria ’s non Oil sector. The mirror of Nigeria’s positive transformation is her Banks and one proof is that, stocks of the following Nigerian banks: Zenith and Guaranty Trust Banks are now recommended to international investors by fund managers(2). Furthermore, the property market is booming as the construction of houses skyrockets. And also interesting is the boom time at Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos , where investors are not only foreigners but mostly Nigerians, in particular, those in the Diaspora who have developed confidence in their country’s economy and the future of their country (3).

 Even though most don’t like to admit this simple fact, the arch architect of Nigeria ’s positive transformation is former president Mathew Olusegun Obasanjo. It was under him that, Nigeria’s foreign debt which stood at close to $ 45 billion was repaid and other wiped out by creditors and it was still under him that, Nigeria built a foreign reserve of more than $ 47 billion that, some Nigerians leaders led by some corrupt governors, now wants to squander(4). It was still under Obasanjo that, the fight against corrupt and scam e-mails were ferociously launched and partly won, for today, Nigerian fraudsters have relocated to other countries in the region. Look at the locations from where you now receive your scam e-mails to measure and understand how it has now become dangerous to forge in Nigeria . But while Nigeria ’s foreign debts have been wiped out, her internal debts remains high and that is left in the hands of President Omar Musa Yar’adua to settle. He must also continue with the liberal economic reforms of his predecessor. More, President Yar’adua also has to sort a negotiated settlement to the problems in the Niger Delta. The Nigerian situation just as those of other African countries shows that, expectations, in particular negative ones are very far from the reality.

 Notes:-

 -1) read pages 64 of Time magazine of June 4^th 2007

-2) read pages 10 of Financial Times Weekly Review of Fund Management Industry of Monday June 25^th 2007

-3) read pages 20 of the French daily Le Monde of Saturday June 30^th 2007

-4) read Financial Times special Report on Nigeria of Thursday July 12^th 2007

Robot  # 1 | 09.08.2007 17:25

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