essay on development in nigeria

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First page of “Nigerian Economic and Social Development”

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Nigerian Economic and Social Development

This essay will display the economic, political and social features of Nigeria. A historical analysis of the country and its strong sectors will be made and judged. The past decisions that have affected the country today will be criticized, knowing well what the results of their plans have reaped.

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FUWUKARI Journal of Politics and Development, 2021

Nigeria is a country with over two hundred (200) million people and diverse ethnic groups. The country is endowed with an abundance of mineral and natural resources scattered all over its different parts. With these human and natural resources available for growth and development, it is paradoxical to state that the country suffers economic maladies and stunted processes towards its developmental strides which has made it to be classified as a third world country. This study is an attempt to investigate through a historical excursion, issues that have stampeded the economic development of Nigeria. The study adopts the historical method of research as findings are presented in a narrative and analytical form. The study heavily relies on the secondary source of data collection which include the use of books, journal articles, internet materials and unpublished projects and dissertations. This study argues that the root issue in Nigeria"s contemporary problem of underdevelopment is her contact with Europe which came with its attendant consequences of slave trade, colonialism, imperialism and neo-imperialism. It concludes that both poor leadership and followership problem constitutes one of the leading problems of the country and that if these dual issues are addressed, then all other issues militating against the country"s economic development will be curtailed.

Nigeria celebrated 60 years of independence from Britain in 2020. At independence, Nigeria was said to have great potential for accelerated development: a large youthful population, flourishing agricultural sector, an equable climate, a fairly technocratic civil service, educated crop of leaders adjudged to be more sensible than other African nationalists who opted for socialism. Besides the agricultural produce, there was hint that there were mineral deposits, tin, gold, columbite, coal and limestone. Petroleum was discovered in the colonial period; not in commercial quantities, though. So the future for an independent Nigeria was seen as bright. Sixty years after independence, however, the Nigerian economy remains below its endowment profile. It cannot compare favourably with Asian countries such as Malaysia, Korea, and Japan, that were at the same or lower economic levels with the country in 1960. Nigerian products, except oil, hardly enter into world trade statistics. Why? Does Nigerian economic history matter? Has the Nigerian economy always been underperforming since pre-colonial times or does it have to do with the external factor of age-long imperialism or internal factors such as postcolonial leadership failures with manifestations in poor economic policy choices, natural resource dependence, devastating conflicts, among others? Is it a combination of some or all of these factors? What happens when a traditional society encounters “modernity”? Even within a country, what happens when the means of production changes or new inventions upturn the way of life of a people? One does not have to subscribe to the “economic determinism” school to know that the way a people organize themselves to provide for their everyday needs—production, distribution, consumption and exchange—reveals a lot about whatever else is happening to their social life as a whole. Scholars from the humanities, developmental and social sciences, among others, are hereby invited to join in this comprehensive investigation of the history of Nigeria’s economic development since the 1800s, guided by the subthemes below.

This study examined the dilemma of Nigerian economic development in historical perspective. It maintained that, the economic development of a society is vital for the welfare, and satisfaction of the needs of members of the society. However, post-colonial Nigeria appears to be at the economic crossroad and faces a dilemma of economic development. In that, since the decolonization of Nigeria in 1960, economic development efforts have suffered many setbacks. This paper held that although conceptualized development planning began in Nigeria during the colonial era in 1946; but that real economic development efforts in the country were undertaken after independence, since the colonial economic policies introduced by Britain were primarily for the satisfaction of British economic interest. In colonial Nigeria, British need for raw materials led to the introduction of new farm products, and a shift from the production of food crops to cash crops. Taxation was also introduced to encourage farmers to grow cash crops; and economic institutions and infrastructures provided to support the colonial economy of Nigeria. These economic developments aided the monetization and commercialization of the Nigerian economy during the period. However, the contact with the Western civilization exposed Nigeria to new models and perspectives of economic development; which this paper argued created the dilemma of what economic development path to take to achieve sustainable economic development. Hence, it concluded that, economic development efforts should be domesticated, and politically regulated, and not determined by government as the people remain the means and ends of development in any society.

The paper attempts to demystify some of the social issues that have made it difficult to generate meaningful development in Nigeria despite the huge resources at its disposal. In doing this, we x-ray some of the development theories that informed the strategies adopted by various regimes in Nigeria since independence to achieve development. Adopting the political economy theoretical framework, the paper identifies analyses and proffer possible solutions to these issues.

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Insight into Nigeria's economic development strive since independence reveals that, despite her abundance in human and natural resources, the country is yet to achieve the desired expectations as clamored by her citizens. Further findings of this study revealed that, though successive Nigeria leaders have attempted to advance development, but several challenges have posed a great threat to her progress. The setbacks are often attributed to lack of adequate capital to implement development plans and policies, corruption, lack of credible leadership among others. 1 On account of these challenges Nigeria economy has remained backward and underdeveloped. After the Second World War four major economic theories have been put forward to account for Nigeria economic underdevelopment. These include: the modernization theory, dependency theory, world system theory, and the globalization theory. 2 The objective of this study is to examine this major post World War II economic development determinants with the view to suggest the best option for Nigeria developmental strive in the 21th century. The study adopts qualitative historical research method through the application of simple descriptive analysis of all historical data collated to achieve the objective of the study.

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