Nigeria’s cheerless economic growth indicator

President Goodluck Jonathan

By Paul Arhewe

Economics is full of ambivalences; some would add it is a whole load of bullshit. Why? Economists talk from two sides of the mouth. A reality could be painted good and bad, all at the same time in the same way they could talk of growth without development. What sets me on the edge is the recent revelation that our dear Nigeria is the third fastest growing economy in the world. With annual growth rate of 7.68 percent, she trails behind Mongolia (14.9 percent) and China (8.4 percent). The above revelation, no doubt, should have been one that should have boosted the dampened spirit of the highly impoverished people of the country, especially from the ethereal level against a future expectation that things might turn better for them. I would rather such indexes came as in-dicators for the real economy situation on improved standard of living for Nigerians.

Of the US, North’s underdevelopment and Boko Haram

 By Paul Arhewe

A rural Nothern Nigerian houses



Can the United States of America afford to be indifferent to developments in Nigeria? The answer is a categorical no! Reason is that there is a strong trade relation between both coun-tries, mostly on oil. It is worth over $42 billion a year and growing. In 2010, the two countries entered into a Bi-national Commission Agreement, which is de-signed to deepen bilateral relations be-tween the two countries. The strategic interest of Nigeria to the US and indeed the West lies in the fact that she is Africa’s most populous nation, its largest contributor of peacekeepers, its largest producer of oil, and the largest recipient of direct investment by the American private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore, natural that the American government cannot ignore the problems facing our dear Nigeria. I reason within the context of the recent statement credited to the US Assistant Secretary of State, Johnnie Carson linking the pervasive poverty in the North with the deadly attacks of the Islamist militant sect, Boko Haram.

The real fuel cabal and saboteurs

The word cabal, a coinage from cabalocracy, became more pronounced during the recent anti-fuel subsidy removal strike and protests. It was the recurring term Nigerians used to condemn in unequivocal terms, those short-changing them under the cover of fuel subsidy. While all attention focused on the invisible and faceless economic saboteurs, Nigerians must not forget that the economic felons could not, on their own, milk the country dry without readily available official collaborators and accomplices.

It won't be strange to say that the majority of Nigerians occupying various spheres of human endeavour in the country are enslaved under the burden of corruption. However, the intimidating aspect of this is when those who consider themselves clean are disappearing, or battling with their resolve to remain steadfast. Nevertheless, the murky enticement corruption offers is making many to compromise or lose faith as they see the situation as irredeemable.