Honestly speaking, the truth is not cloudy so much that you cannot see some of the reasons why Nigeria is not a developed country. The evidence is obvious if you are someone that is familiar with both the economic, political cum infrastructural climate of the country.
Ever since its independence in October 1, 1960, Nigeria has been experiencing several political changes, following the consistent transference of power from politicians to military men and back to politicians. No doubt, this ruckus has seriously affected the nation in so many deleterious ways and it seems from thence the helpless country has been struggling to survive.
Nigeria’s foreign policy was put to the test in the 1970s after the country emerged united from its civil war. It supported movements against white minority governments in Southern Africa.
Nigeria backed the African National Congress by taking a committed tough line about the South African government. Nigeria was a founding member of the Organization for African Unity (now the African Union) and has tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole.
This has resulted in a serious trade imbalance, with Nigeria importing ten times more than it exports to China. Subsequently, Nigeria’s economy is becoming over-reliant on cheap imports to sustain itself, resulting in a clear decline in Nigerian industry under such arrangements.
Continuing its Africa-centered foreign policy, Nigeria introduced the idea of a single currency for West Africa known as the Eco under the presumption that it would be led by the naira.
Reasons Nigeria is not a Developed Country
Being the largest economy in Africa and of course the leader in energy power, financial market, pharmaceuticals and entertainment industry in Africa, Nigeria is yet grappling with attaining the status of being identified as truly developed. What then is the reason or are the reasons why Nigeria is not a developed country?
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Corrupt Leadership
Just like a ship wrecked aground by some hefty storm, Nigeria is being thrown overboard because of the many and increasing corrupt practices of its leaders. It is a huge problem that has affected almost every aspect of life in the country and is robbing us of growth.
It seems as if it doesn’t matter which political leader we choose; the result will be the same – they will not worry about improving the lives of Nigerians.
There are many politicians who steal funds meant for various projects related to the development of the country and put them in their personal bank pockets. If you look at the luxurious lifestyle of many politicians, it will be clear that in addition to their government salaries, they also receive money from the national treasury.
Efforts have been made to fight corruption in Nigeria and many initiatives have been approved by the government.
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Excessive Unemployed Youths
No doubt, this problem is very serious and heartbreaking because if there are not enough workers, their contribution to the development of the country will be reduced. There is no need to look longer than necessary because the problem identified is one major cause. Young people cannot find jobs due to high demand and unemployment.
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Not only the youth but also the elderly who find it difficult to find work find themselves unemployed when their knowledge and skills can be of great value to the growth and development of Nigeria.
Due to the unemployment rate, Nigeria’s GDP is decreasing every year, which is one of the factors that lead to the development of our country.
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Human Capital Flight
This is another cause of the question, why Nigeria is not a developed country? Human capital flight which also known as brain drain can be seen as the exodus or immigration of highly educated people to their country. Another name for this is human flight. The net profit from the flight of one’s capital to the host country is sometimes referred to as “brain gain”, while the net income paid to the home country is sometimes called “brain gain”.
Is Nigeria a developed country? In the employment and surplus of graduates, the immigration and emigration of professionals trained abroad can lead to the unemployment of graduates in the country. We need to improve our society so that we don’t lose educated people.
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Constant Religious and Ethnic Conflicts
A country with unhealthy mumbling such as religious and ethnic conflicts can never be found growing. Hence, it will be constantly impeded by tribal bias, nepotism of various kinds, and internal discriminations that are based on sentiments, beliefs and selfish values. This undoubtedly can be one good reason why a nation like Nigeria can never be identified as a developed country.
Being a very diverse country when it comes to ethnicity and religion and has hundreds of tribes, the main problem yet in Nigeria today is ethnicity. The problem is the division of different ethnic groups that causes people, because ethnic groups hold the identity of their country above all others, and may have illusions that prejudice against people of different races.
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Bad Government Policy Implementation
There are many initiatives in Nigeria that use technology to improve the lives of the people living in the country. They all look good on paper, but in practice have little implementation. The result is the premature termination of many projects scheduled for development because they did not make it out of the literature stage.
The government should take it upon itself and review these laws, make sure they are implemented and not on paper. This is a problem that the government needs to address immediately because there are many improvements that can be made and little implementation.
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Inflating Illiteracy and Lack of Quality
For a country to be successful, it must be educated – it’s an unspoken rule. Another reason for Nigeria’s underdevelopment is the high level of illiteracy in the country, especially in the northern regions. The main factors affecting illiteracy in the country are poverty and low standard of living. Many children feed their families and work from an early age, instead of going to school.
Many children, especially girls, are forced to marry and drop out of school. Parents often do not understand the importance of education and consider their children as assets that can earn them money. This happens because they are devoted to the old traditions instead of changing their view of the modern world, or simply because they do not have a source of income and survive.
As a result, many people grow up illiterate, without any school education. If the level of illiteracy in Nigeria decreases, then more people will become productive and can create new ideas that can change the future of the country for the better.
