Why Nigeria’s Growth Is Stunted @ 58

By Guy Ikokwu

A reflection of Nigeria’s palpable dismal situation 58 years after independence shows that our growth has been stunted for over 40 years since independence. The Nigerian nation is today at the cross roads of choosing its path to National growth in line with other developing nations or on the other hand continuing its present retardation along the ignoble road to self destruction and conflicts among its numerous ethnic nationalities as had been witnessed within the last few years. 

*President Muhammadu Buhari 

It is such that most observers, domestic and international, have observed that our country has not been as divided as it is today, the division stands from religious bigotry, economic degradation, high index of poverty, joblessness, insecurity, massive corruption as a way of life, high rate of mediocrity in the leadership circles, lack of good governance, very low capital appropriation coupled with massive external loans and indebtedness which are being used mainly for recurrent expenditures, personal allowances, and non-diversification of critical areas of the economy, which makes Nigeria a dumping ground for other countries and a classic case of consumption rather than production.

Nigeria Without Nation Builders At 58

By Martins Oloja

But for the way we are – as a country without leaders who are afraid of the people, I would have borrowed the title of an artful writer, Brett Baker who had on August 18, 2017 said of his country, ‘Don’t look now, but we are a country with no leader’. I mean, I would have liked the title of the anniversary essay on my country at 58 to be: ‘Nigeria @ 58: A Country Without A Leader’.

*pix: ThisDay

Despite the prevailing situation, I am still persuaded as we celebrate Nigeria at 58 that we are a nation with an absentee leader. There is a sense in which we can also look at the 36 states of the federation, 774 local governments and the three arms of government in this convoluted federation and claim too that we are indeed a country without nation builders (leaders) at all levels.