Topic: Is Nigeria a blessing to Africa? (Read 504 times)

It is what it is, and that is the reality right now and there is no change in sight. It is sad that even the basic things of life is lacking in Nigeria, things such as good road networks, power, healthcare, etc, but politicians eat fat on the nations wealth. It is common to hear people blame the colonizers for our present situation, but they are wrong, we have gained independence for a very long time and the only people to blame are those who are in power for their own personal benefit.

No doubt things are never been as we were expecting and this happening due to bad governance and conflicts which are creating huge troubles for years Nigeria is having ability to lead from the front but for this we need to have better system and things which are not coming as Nigeria is one of the full of sources country but never do as we needed, and we are capable of doing.

Africa is rich of many things which can bring them to the better level but sadly due to having troubling geopolitics and many other factors are not allowed them to have things as they can bloodbaths are happening through our own peoples because they are not ready to talk about things which we can fix on tables with many big countries are also having their own interest, and they are putting fuel into this fire for years.

Nigeria is a blessing to Africa but a curse to Nigeria because of the leaders we have been having. Nigeria is a blessing to the world and not just Africa, our national resources are being used all over the world but we don't see any benefits for that in Nigeria. I'm not blaming the world for this but our leaders are to be held responsible because they're the cause of the suffering the people in the country are facing. Imagine we could refine this natural resources ourselves, our fate would be different from what we're suffering but because we weren't educated when this resources were discovered, we got taken advantage of.


Imagining being able to supply power to other countries when we don't have power in Nigeria, same thing can be said about gas and some other needed resources. How can we celebrate being a blessing to others when we aren't having a share of that blessing. Nigeria need to do better because it just doesn't make sense that we do all this for others but treat our people like second class citizens in their own country.

I agree with you, the way things were in those days it was way more better than it is now. The leaders have seen that other Africa countries are looking up to them and they find a way to make the fight for a better Africa be for everyone who look up to them but now is not the same, they only fight for their selfish interest which to me other Africa nations don't see Nigeria as the hope of Africa any more. No matter what they gain from Nigeria, their view of how the leaders are handling things doesn't interest them anymore, is like all hope are lost and is every man for himself soy they can't rely on Nigeria to even be the head of Africa anymore.

Nigerian Leaders today are different from the leaders of years back. And the leaders of years back were fighting for all the African countries and not only for Nigerians. The independent of many African countries were spearheaded by Nigeria with peaceful movement. But today corruption has destroyed the whole country.
Nigeria I know today can't be a leader in the continent. And for now Nigeria is not a blessing to any African country but a cause to them. Because the leaders are so much corrupt that another country is not good to follow up. Nigeria is the reason richest country in Africa even now but he has the highest unemployment list in the continent, highest corrupt list, and the highest underdeveloped country in Africa. So with all these how can it lead others and be a blessing to them?

A blessing to other our African sister nations perhaps but not so much for the citizens of Nigeria. Nigerians remains some of the most talented and industrious people around the world and somehow, every effort to break free and be financially stable is been trampled upon by the government. Using corrupt practices where the law doesn’t persecute the elites in the same way as the lower class.

Well that’s not the point here, the point is the economy and I can tell you, with riots here and there, you can see that Nigerians are angry, they aren’t doing any good within but, to our sister nations, our products and services comes in ways not even Nigerians could have access to.

That is existent in every nation, it could be other African nations, it could be European nations, it could be the USA, we have something that is corrupt in every single nation, so it is not really that complicated to understand that we are going to see problems from politicians to happen. So we need to be careful with what we have and nothing more, I understand that we are going to face some issues but we can't make it work any other way, we just have to accept it. We can find solutions if we are careful, but it will not be simple and we just need to compare nations without putting corruption as calculation.

So, if Nigeria has many good things but corruption, then other nations have corruption AND no other good things, that matters a lot and should be the comparison point. If you do that, then you will realize that Nigeria will become the best nation in all of Africa, maybe it is already the best nation in Africa right now and that means wealth for the future.

Each country must have their contributions to the other not only in Africa, so I agree when you say that it is a blessing. Lacking of bad governance is not an issue but it is actually a good thing.

Well, I guess there is only a typo there. As they say; 'comparison is a thief of joy', so you should quit on saying that other countries are much better than in yours. Maybe there are still things that you can do in order to improve your situation or help your government/country, instead of sitting at the corner and non-stop comparing stuffs only to feel like a shit afterwards. Lastly, even though we know that our country is not doing well, we shouldn't showcase this in public. We don't want to get more bashing do we? And that can make us feel more down.

With all the country have and how high other countries have placed Nigeria it still doesn't show how great we are with some of these unnecessary things going on, it only speak different from how people placed us. It would have been more better if the standard was maintained like keeping that name to speak more of Nigeria, The Giant Of Africa. Up till now since questions do arises, like is Nigeria really the Giant Of Africa? With how poor the economy has been things can't be the way it's supposed to be, lack of job opportunities and many more, only if the leaders have a way (which I know they do) to always maintain that great name (Giant Of Africa) I believe by now the development level would have been higher than some other Africa countries.

Talking about colonialism got me too hard, it's a big shame that what our fathers fought with both blood and tears for, in other to free us from the bondage/perpetual suffering from those foreigners are now wiped off to no avail. We are now slaves, (working too hard but have nothing to show forth) in our own country being ruled by our so called brothers and sisters, it's a big shame because it seems like moving from frying pan to fire, very disappointed now we are all the talk of the day by fellow African's far different from what they expected which gave us the ability to control the name African giant but rather we have failed everyone due to corruption mainly from the government.

The country is a blessing country that the everyone is proud it and also the African is benefiting from Nigeria, but the issues of our country is that we’re lack of bad governance that’s is the country remain without moving forward; because if we look at others countries are not the our nation there far better than Nigeria and is due the bad leadership that we have which is why the country looks somehow.

Furthermore, The Nigeria currently situation and also how the economic situation situation is very badly because is affecting so many people in countries since their no more economic stability again and that’s why some are know longer depend on the Nigeria anymore, due to the corruption and the poor leadership.

When you look dip into the Nigerian society, all of the things you mentioned happened across all states are guilty of this but let's not rush into conclusions, let's break it down. Nigeria marginalization was a mistake by the colonial masters, it was big mistakes because there is nothing like one Nigeria and this division is causing big problems in Nigeria, the Hausa, igbos and Yoruba are too different people that can't coexist.

Now let's forget about the ethnicity, there is too much religious differences among Hausa, Igbos and Yourba's, Yourbas are even religious tolerant but there is a huge difference between the igbos and Hausa. The literate ones tolerate each other but majority don't and that is the genesis of the problems we are having in Nigeria today, there is insecurity in the major North where Hausa live and there is high rate militant killings in the Southeast where major Igbo people stays but few in Yoruba land.

What am I saying, Nigeria was never a possible thing, it was force. What I have mentioned are the main problem and step back of this country while the rest you mentioned are secondary, they are popular because the primary reason.

We were supposed to be, but it is quite obvious that we aren't, you are a Nigerian so i am sure you know that. Post colonialism came with a lot of hope and aspirations for Nigerians, but 64 years later and we disillusioned because of how things turned out. Corruption has been the bane of Nigeria and that is the reason why we are still underdeveloped and still lack the most basic things of life. Nigeria must first develop itself as a nation before we talk of influencing other African nations positively.

With the natural resources, intellectual minds and industrialization in Nigeria our country is indeed a blessing to the continent but due to bad and corrupt leaders the country is becoming something else , the rate of crime such as kidnapping and internet fraud keeps increasing because of the hardship an unemployment situation, this isn't an excuse for all these atrocities but if there were opportunities most of them wouldn't think of doing all that... Nigerians are being stereotyped by other African countries due to the things Nigerians are involved in.. Nigeria is blessed but limited by bad governance

All of the problems that you have mentioned are actually affecting Nigeria, but what I know you to understand and you know it is that all the available resources that are in Nigeria are being crashed due to corruption and bad governance, but everyone knows that Nigeria is a blessed country, so this situation that we found ourselves in is very critical and has caused a lot of damages to our country already. All we have to do is try our best to see the improvement of our country. 
 
But fighting against corruption and greediness will be the hardest barrier to overcome as long as Nigeria is concerned because not only the politicians but also the youth and citizens of the country are all corrupt, so to break that barrier will not be a small deal.

I don’t think Nigerian can be blessing for Africa because any African countries depends on their economy and none of them depend on Nigeria as we speak. The Nigerian economy is not in a stable condition to be depend on due to corruption and poor leadership if not the natural resources we have in Nigeria is enough for African countries to depend on Nigeria if they are properly managed. Nevertheless, Nigerian is till the giant of Africa by population alone because even the military powers are no more.

Based on the little I know in Africa, I guess Nigeria is a blessing to Africa because the current refinery that was built in Nigeria is the biggest refinery in the whole Africa, which it has brought more development into Africa. Before you will mention the most developed country in Africa, Nigeria must be the first or second country because they have natural resources that helped the country to attracted more foreign investors in the past that gave the country more exposure on some minerals resources in Nigeria.

But for security aspect, I don't think Nigeria is a blessing to Africa because insecurity has reduced Nigeria to low level in Africa, based on the history of Nigeria in the past, because many nations know Nigeria among the peaceful nation in the whole Africa, but some of the leaders in Nigeria are now using insecurity as politics to achieve what they want.

Ecowas is just a name, since I'm born I can't for once say this is exactly benefits of Nigeria from Ecowas rather it's the Nigerian government that is forming the alliance with the western African countries. You can see that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has left Ecowas and heaven did not fall on them rather they have been lead by the military government thag has stop worshipping the westerners especially France that come and takeaway their mineral resources.

Nigeria is a blessed country but our diversity and corruption has blind folded everyone eyes. The youth of yhe country are helpless because the elders don't want to let them rule the country and the old ones are looting the country dry. Check all the past governors from the last government, all of them were invited by Economy financial crime commission and what happen after? All the allegations were swept under the carpet and you think such country will improve? I'm not sure about that.

Nigeria supply electricity to some countries, and  Nigerian citizens are not enjoying it, they have best land in term of agriculture, food stuff, fees, bill, and so on  the commodity of all this things are getting higher day by day, they supply crude oil to other countries and their own country need it more, the leaders take their children abroad to study, that means that the leaders also did not believe in their capability and leadership, because if they do they will allow their children to study in Nigeria so that the country should develop more, a lot of graduate are unemployed, to be sincere Nigeria have wonderful and hard working youths, but it is bad government that is killing them.

Of course we can call Nigeria a true blessing to Africa with all the heights that it's people (citizens) have attend in the world but in current time and day Nigeria has grown from better to worst in its economy performance. If we begin to measure how well Nigeria has played in Africa, there is a lot of goods record which it has set world wide including helping other nations gain independence, it's really a true African giant but the leadership in the country has reaped up and tire down it's wonderful performaning economy leaving it's people with all kinds of sufferings.

One thing is certain even with the bad governance of the country the citizens still find a better way to represent the country in a good way and this forum is a good example of how well the people can be.

Nigeria can be both blessing and a curse to Africa. First and foremost, Nigeria got the largest economies in Africa due to oil, but it makes Nigeria prone to oil pollution and possible to complicate the nations developments. Nigeria also has immense population with 200 million people that became the center for economic growth. To count also the location of Nigeria which make it excel in trade and regional politics. Good music for addition. Also, when it comes to sport, Nigeria has a strong team and became very influential in terms of sports advertisements and such. Always needed to count political side and governance as it always be a major factor if a nation is blessed with such public servant or just a tyrant, political instability and corruption have always been a persistent issues, undermining governance and efforts.
It also can be a curse if all these assets went downside. Balancing Nigeria's economy might be a challenge.

I understand you have good intentions towards the growth of my country Nigeria but I just want to let you know that the government is doing everything possible to silent the voice of the youth in the country, they don't want the youths to stop depending on the government for survival tso that they can not come up with protest and other good ideas to fight corruption.

During the last presidential election, the citizens rose up in mass to elect a young vibrant man as the next president but it will shock you to know that the results of the election was reversed and a 90 years old man was announced as the president. When the level of corruption has eaten the brains of our political leaders and all the law enforcement agencies how then do we begin to fight corruption when we the young men has tried through voting they rigged the election, we have tried through protest they ordered soldiers to shoot at us how do we stand up boldly to fight and eradicate all the bad leaders again?
Do you know that they are fighting so hard to end p2p transactions in Nigeria because they don't want the youths to involve in cryptocurrency transactions since it will give them money to sponsor the right candidate to lead us, up till date the government has not created any good thing that will benefit her citizens instead they will pay millions to ensure they kill any young person who stands up to say no to corruption, I don't want to say anything again but just know that the biggest dream of any young man in the country right now is to move out to Nigeria to go get a better life cause things aren't funny anymore.

I just don't want to bad-mouth other people's countries by saying good about your own country, but if you yourself have bad-mouthed your own country by revealing more facts that you have seen and felt yourself. I also apologize for that because I just think that every independent country has the right to grow so well without any obstacles, including corruption and bad governance by the government.

However, when you have said things like that here, of course it would be good for all Nigerian citizens to unite and eradicate all the bad things that exist there, including corruption and bad ways of managing the country. So that every next generation in Nigeria can experience good economic growth in all sectors including electricity and well-established internet.

Nigeria has played a very important role on the African continent, Nigeria has also played a role in maintaining peace and tranquility in Africa, the role played by Nigeria has succeeded in having a positive influence on the decolonization of the continent. Nigeria is also committed overall to Africa in its foreign and defense policies with the aim of promoting African interests. Nigeria tirelessly collaborates with other countries to maintain prosperity and economic growth in order to improve the quality of life of the people there. Yes, this country is a blessing for Africa, Nigeria role has brought economic growth and can compete with countries on other continents.

You posted the same thread on Politics and Society: Is Nigeria a blessing to Africa?
And you have made this one on the Economics. You have to lock this thread and proceed with the discussion to the one that's on the P&S.
Unless you translate this thread into your local, you can duplicate the thread but if it's the same topic that are on both English board, you need to lock the other.

4th isn’t that bad but considering the fact that we went from 1st to 4th is really bad, it shows that the economy is not improving at all and things are even getting worse.

I am just weakened reading this, if people from other countries are hearing horrible stories about Nigeria then it’s obvious that the country is suffering and i also won’t refer to it as a blessing. We do have lots of resources that if managed properly could uplift the country but the leaders we have are selfish leaders that are only after their own personal interests and growing their wealth. Having something and utilizing it properly is a waste.

Since independence people have been complaining and it even seems like things are getting worse with time everyone is fed up with the hardship and they are at the stage where they will do anything just to survive. The hardship is real and the country doesn’t seem to be going anywhere so I don’t see any blessing anywhere.

I disagree with you, I am a citizen of Nigeria and all my life I have been in Nigeria though I have experienced few African countries but basically I have been in Nigeria more but am yet to see an African countries that Nigeria is better than in all round comparism.

A county that is yet to experience constant electricity is better than which African country tell me, do not be deceived by the so called resources you hear that the country has nothing is working here not even all the sectors of government, the country is full of corruption that's why it can never experience a positive growth unless all the bad eggs are eradicated that's when I believe the country can experience growth.

Most investors, companies are leaving the country because of the poor governance and insecurity in the country, other countries in Africa has good road network and, constant electricity and low unemployment rate but Nigeria is at the top of poor performing president in Africa, poor power supply, high rate of hardship and unemployment, until things get better please no one should talk good about my country Nigeria.

I'm not sure if this thread belongs here, it should be in the Naija local board because only Nigerians and other African countries knows situation of the country and other neighboring countries.
Nigeria is regarded as Giant of Africa because of the population and nothing more, every other things are just paparazzi, how can you even call Nigeria a blessing to other countries when they can't afford to bless their own country, that's a shame because all indications and the system looks like suffering and not blessings.

The electricity distribution to neighboring countries is nonsense, the power been supply is just few Mega watts because the country alone is still suffering with darkness, you can barely have 8 hours of light a day, how can they boast of supplying neighboring countries, it's even a crime to allow this to happen but when a company is run by a monopoly, this is what you get as they prefer to sell costly to other people than sell to Nigeria their home country for less price, this is a course and not blessing.

Nigeria have been receiving this blessing and called the giant of Africa since my childhood days and till date I’m yet to be boastful of it when I look deeply into the economy situation of the country. When compared to other African countries on some other sectors where we are suppose to be at the top thriving, we are no where to be found and still proclaim we are giants. Oh yes we are giants, but to how far can we prove that without having to put our heads down in some places when called upon. I know there use to be a reason Nigeria is called the giant of Africa and all other Africa countries at that time could testify to that, but later as the transfer of power was moving, Nigeria is no more where to be found, I think we have our leader to face and blame for putting shame on our face and not face others that we are truly the giants. Giants of Africa has to be proven by actions and not just by the words of mouth.

Yes Nigeria is a blessed nation and a giant of Africa as it maybe called. They've numerous natural resources and human resources with a strong geopolitical background.
Just as you said, they've been playing crucial roles of assisting the neighboring countries within the Africa continent with most provisional supports but the fact is that the government of Nigeria is not utilizing those resources to an utmost benefit of her citizens.
There had been adjective poverty poverty in the country to the extend that her citizens even relocates to the neighbor countries which are even less resourceful than Nigeria but their at the admired neighboring country(s) has more of governments concerns for their citizens than Nigeria which has more potentials does to their citizens.
Citizens of Nigeria relocates to the neighboring countries with less resource compared to Nigeria because Nigeria lacks the structures to build infrastructures even that would attract foreign investors simply because of selfish interests in the governance system.

What country will be a blessing to others yet a course to themselves? Nigeria has all it takes to make the economy better but bad leadership has made Nigeria stood still like a monument for so long. A country know for massive production of crude yet they don have enough petrol and it is expensive to afford. A place where cement is produced yet it is expensive. We have a vast mineral resources like gold, coal, gas, agriculture products like cocoa, palm oil, we have clay soil for ceramic tile and plate production and many more but yet we leave in outreach poverty. Sometimes I still wonder if the name giant of Africa still fits us, because I have never seen a person feeding another person why his hungry and you expect him to look fine and be called a giant. Although poverty is everywhere all over the world and not only in Nigeria, so let it no be like Nigeria is the only one suffering thesame thing but why Nigeria is mostly emphasized is because of their raw talent and the bunch of Natural resources which would have taken them far but they are still stagnant.

You have said it all, the reason why Nigeria is being called the giant of Africa is because of the population and some natural resources that are being blessed in the country if not Nigeria is not a developed country, Nigeria is among the worst countries in the world that their citizens are suffering, although when it comes to respect to the country we have it we also have what is called greediness and that is why we have not been able to develop, Nigeria is a country that when it comes to cooperating they are the best but the greediness and selfishness will not allow us to develop each in the country.

Nigeria before is not the Nigeria we all knew before, the way some Nigerian citizens are suffering this day to the extent that some are praying for another country to rule Nigeria, I have heard more than five people say that it will be better for Nigeria to be controlled by another country than the Nigeria leaders because of the way they are doing but I think the reason why the people said that is because of what they have seen, Nigeria is blessed with many resources that even our grandchildren will enjoy but we don’t allow to enjoy because of the bad leaders.

And the most heartbreaking part is that we (as a nation) do not have any plans for the future, no road maps and KPIs to measure our economy or even have an idea on where we are heading to. What's more heartbreaking is that in the middle of all these economic instability and crisis, the citizens are suffering double taxations, reduced ROIs and lack of tangible support from the government, either in form of loans or grants. The SMES are suffering lack of stable electricity supply to aid their businesses and markets. The civil service is faced with lack of proper reward system implemented by the government thereby contributing immensely on the public outcry the country is facing.

I'm not from Nigeria, but I hear horror stories about the country and they are not doing good as well since their independent. So not sure though if you can call it a blessing to Africa as almost all the continents are also suffering.

And most of them rely to countries like China, UK and the US or even Saudi, so it's not that they are all independent. And it might take centuries as well to recover from all the destruction and other ill effects of being under colonialism for hundreds of years. And then there is the corruption that plague not just Nigeria but it's neighboring countries as well so it's not they are a role model or taking the lead.

Nigeria has all it takes to be a super economy but bad government and corruption have been her biggest impediments. The country has the biggest economy, highest population, and best agricultural lands but all these blessings have not led to development. The main problem of the country now is insecurity which has affected the agricultural, educational, and economic sectors. Many farmers have been chased out of their farms by armed bandits, schools have been destroyed and students kidnapped and businesses are closing because of a high rate of crime and low patronage.

Nigeria has contributed to the development of other African countries in many ways but until it settles her internal problems she will just be a handicapped giant of Africa. Until the government makes policies that will reduce the financial gap between the poor and the rich, Nigeria will remain a sleeping giant.

Colonialism leaves a lot of long-lasting damage that needs to be undone and places countries in a very difficult position. It's the sense of self-worth that's diminished by being a former colony, the education that often doesn't get properly localized and spreads imperialist narratives, and also strong economic and political dependence. Nigeria is a country of great people, from what I see on this forum. But the political system there is still not working in the interest of the people and is deeply flawed. I hope that gradual change will lead the people of this country to a better future, and then make Nigeria a good example for other countries as well.

i am not from nigeria so it is difficult to assess the real situation of your country without living in it myself but op’s point can still stand especially if a lot of resources are available in your country

maybe the government is not as efficient as it should be but there are plenty things to be grateful for anyway this is all good discussion but perhaps not in the proper board. Here is the nigerian board https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=275.0

4th isn’t that bad, still no? considering top 3 are south africa, egypt and algeria

This could be true but i don't know where Nigeria start giving light to other neighboring country why Nigeria as whole doesn't have light in most of rural and urban areas how could start distributing lights to them?
Nigeria is actually a blessed nation but lack of governance, I still understand we don't have good governance to help make the name of Nigeria shine more brighter the way it should be, corruption has eaten up the nation.

Nigeria can be said to be much better than several other countries in Africa at the moment, although currently almost all countries in Africa have experienced some economic growth through certain sectors so there are fewer difficulties there. However, if we compare it with several other countries outside Africa, of course there are many things that must be done and done by all countries in Africa in order to compete with other countries outside Africa. Because now almost all countries have experienced very good changes through economic growth and other things, even though there are still categories of poor countries in the world for now.

A country that have the focus of the people at mind and is working towards seeing great achievements with them, it won't be running after being a figure head in the continental region when it has not yet settled all it local financial and economic challenges, we are also expected to be a blessing to ourselves, no one should be idle doing nothing, we need to start our own personal contribution towards the nation's growth in other to make it stand out in the African regions.

Nigeria might have been placed in that level in Africa but whether it has retained and merited that glory presently is a topic to be discussed because with the level of braindrain going on in different sectors of the Nigerian economy is so alarming and this is caused by falling economic system. If Nigeria is supplying electricity to neighbouring west African countries or not, it is not for free. Such is not without other symbiotic relationship occasioned by bilateral relations and agreement. Have you asked yourself why there are epileptic power supply in Nigeria while the neighbouring countries that Nigeria supply electricity have constant and stable power supply. For me, I just might think that Nigeria is living in past glory of being the giant of Africa.

Our economy is not good. Poverty is at high level. Our currency become best performing to worst performing recently. We are not developed the way we supposed to be developed. We remain being a developing nation when there are many developed nations in the world. Our population surpass our work force. We are still part of the third world natios. Inflation is high.

Nigeria is said to be giant of Africa because of just a single reason which is because of our population and nothing more. In gross domestic product, we are fourth in Africa now as we dropped from first.

You have brought up a nice discussion praising Nigeria, although it is known that Nigeria has been recognised as the giant of Africa due to many considerations and many sectors that they are so strong in, like football, cultural influences, population, and many more.
 
So it is not that what you brought was not a good thread. but you keep it in the wrong place. When I went through your profile, all I saw was that you were just around the economy board, which made me think maybe, as a newbie, you were not patient enough to go and read and do research in order to know the best board to create a thread, but I will use this opportunity to encourage you as a newbie to go to beginners and help boards in order to know more about the form. And mind you, this thread is supposed to be in the Naija local board, not in the economy, so take note and ensure you do research. 

Well OP you have stated well Nigerian is truly a great blessing to Africa and also has riches like coal, tin, oils, good soils in terms of good food production, and also good music,  art artwork, culture, and more this country is blessed it so many things and traditions.
And most importantly are blessed with vibrant youths who are hard-working.

Nigeria was granted independent in 1960 by Britain, ever since she has been playing a fatherly role in the African continent, some of the roles include laying a  solid foundation for the establishment of ECOWAS with her continent sister Togo, she also played a lead role in peace keeping missions in Africa . Also to mention is the supply of electricity to neighbouring countries, to mention but a few with these one can conclude by saying Nigeria is truly a blessing to Africa.