Natural resources do not equal to wealth, though.
There are countries which are smaller and have a fraction of mineral and natural resources which any country in Africa has, and yet, they have managed to reach a very high standard of living to their citizens. In the end, a country is not about the land but the people of the land, and if the people of such land is educated, hard working, pursuing of excellence and loving of their home, then the country will be prosperous, since they will never elect a literal dictador to direct the destiny of their nation.
It does not matter how much gold or oil there is under your ground, if is stays there in the underground and is not used properly to improve our standards of living, then all of it do not matter.
I appreciate the perspective from which you examined these assertions. The truth is, whether we possess the most abundant land of natural resources, if we do not utilize it, it is as good as not having it in the first place.
In Africa, we have underutilized all the natural resources that we have, and it’s not as if the government is unaware of these issues. In fact, the truth is Nigeria has been exploited in some of these communities in town.
We have a lot of resources that we can tap into to avoid remaining poor or destitute. Instead, the goal should be for every average Nigerian to earn above $5 to $12 monthly, regardless of whether the economy is declining or improving. Thank you.
That’s one aspect. The other aspect is the hoarding of currencies and commodities by some highly placed individuals within the country, while the same individuals have been disqualifying others for engaging in similar practices.
If you don't use them and also of you misuse them. There is where corruption kicks in.
I have never been in Nigeria, but I have seen documentary films about the Nigerian culture and I am fasnated with how the people of that country has found new ways to try to face the economical challenges they have.
The cinematographic industry in Nigeria, for example, may be one of the most important ones in the African continent and all of it began because of the need to find new sources of income.
I know how it is to deal with crippling corruption, by the way, since I am from Venezuela; but my guess is Nigeria has less corrupt politicians and authorities than these we have here. There is still hope for Africa, they just need to stop believing in demagogs and false political prophets.