Nigeria’s President Mohammadu Buhari has a lot to do concerning his vow to deal with corruption. This news item spoke about the fact that one of hi biggest challenges will be to change mindsets, with Nigeria a country where money talks, particularly when it comes to politics, power and influence.”Will he have the political will to actually deal with the people who are in the same party who contributed to getting him elected?” asked Idayat Hassan, from Nigeria’s Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). Please read the article – New Nigerian leader faces monumental struggle with graft – Yahoo News

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The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism

Nigerian Youth Entrepreneurship Development

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the remedies. – Groucho Marx.

Nigerian politics and governance

Nigeria has slipped into recession, with the latest growth figures showing the economy contracted 2.06% between April and June.

Nigerian economy slips into recession

Nigeria Debates Push for Locally-Made Goods – As Nigeria struggles with the price of imported goods and slow economic growth, a social media campaign is encouraging Nigerians to buy local.

Nigeria Debates Push for Locally-Made Goods

This commentary was republished on March 19, 2015, by the Cable and the Metropole but was originally written by Professor Calestous Juma.

Why Nigeria Matters to the World

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism By Ayodele OshoI found this article on the Nigerian Politics of Tribalism and wish to share it with my readers.The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.———————-This is an entry for the Pulse writer’s contest by Ayodele Osho. “…No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment…”According to the 8th Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Tribalism is the behaviour and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. Tribalism suggests the possession of a strong ethnic identity that distinguishes one member of a tribe from the members of another tribe. We can decide to let this hold us back or use the rich diversity in Nigeria to our benefits.Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic society has been faced with tribalism over the years. Each ethnic group has its own culture, language and traditional belief. There are numerous negative perceptions about the various tribes even by Nigerians. The various tribes in Nigeria have their mythologies about where they originated from. The diversities from the origin however ought to be a blessing to the Nigerian nation. However, its heterogeneous nature has been the bane of the nation at various times in her over hundred years of existence.The first step for Nigeria to really succeed in the 21st century is to put an end to tribalism and look forward to attaining true nationhood. No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment.There is NO point in being tribalistic in this era of political and economic transformation. Some people from some tribes may have been seen in the past as the cause of the problems in Nigeria. However the time is right to put our Nigeria in the comity of nations that have outgrown sentiments and become united irrespective of all odds.The inter-ethnic relationship among the various tribes in Nigeria has been severed with power tussle and ethno-religious crisis among ethnic nationalities leading to marginalization and loss of lives and property.Tribalism is very much related to racism. Tribalism is at the very core of the nation’s politics and it will be a hindrance as long as it is allowed to continue. It is not the sole cause but of course it adds to the some of the social and political difficulties that Nigeria is facing today.The fundamental solution to the issue of tribalism is to love one another equally. We as a people must shun defamation of character in any form. The leadership of the nation should not base political appointments on tribe. We need to remember that we are all humans, and all have the same wants.Nigerian politics is very complicated but, it is not entirely different from world politics, which is often plagued by partisanship and sectionalism. Nigerian politics is unique however, because it brings into play so many factors, a few of which includes individual interests, geographic factors, ethnicity, religion and a host of other issues. Politics is an integral part of democracy, and in order for us to achieve sustainable development, we need to redefine politics in Nigeria. Up till this moment, true democracy has remained elusive to us, and we must do something about it.Recent political developments in Nigeria have unearthed the true depth of the underlying spirit of her nationhood. It has also put to a simple test, the character of our political leaders; who are supposed to be advocates of change. But as it is now, the parochial interests of the nation’s political, tribal, and religious leaders have made nonsense of the character of sound political leadership as prescribed in every healthy presidential democracy. It is most absurd to note that the political class has shamelessly turned Nigeria’s democracy on its head. This sad development is a clear demonstration that the noble democratic culture of good governance has been deliberately drowned in the pool of negative political scheming.Institutional framework has become too weak and consequently unable to carry the burden of Due Process and the Rule of Law. While Transparency and Accountability are products of the culture of Due Process, the Rule of Law promotes Justice and Fair Play. These principles are unarguably the pillars of any healthy society.This explains why Nigeria is still counted among the poorest nations of the world despite her abundant human and natural resources. It has also given a clue as to why Nigeria – the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world relies on the importation of virtually all petroleum products. Instead of this sad reality posing a huge challenge to our political leaders; they have with selfish intentions allowed the nation to drift far into the ocean of anarchy and disintegration. Surprisingly, the political class is carrying on as if Nigeria has nothing to lose, even when the contrary is clearly the case.Nigeria’s greatest problem is tribalism. It is owing to the deep rooted culture of tribalism that successive administrations have not been able to effectively fight corruption in Nigeria. There is an unwritten law in Nigeria that forbids citizens from exposing or prosecuting fellow tribesmen for corrupt practices.That is the reason why public servants that earn less than N5Million annually will build mansions and own fleet of exotic cars worth over N500m and still be conferred with chieftaincy titles without verifying the sources of the sudden wealth of their kinsmen and women.Nigeria has been turned into a nation where one must also have his or her tribes person in position of authority in order to be employed, given a key appointment, or awarded a big contract. This anomaly is hugely responsible for why the issue of tribal lineage is regarded far above every other factor in the Nigerian society. In a nutshell; tribalism can only become rife in a nation where there is no transparency, accountability, justice, and fair play.Furthermore, tribalism promotes national poverty. It compels citizens to be lazy. In a tribal-induced bureaucracy, even people that sow nothing can reap bountifully simply because their tribes person is in power. This is clearly against natural principle. The more we promote tribal agenda above constitutional provisions, the closer we move toward disintegration. Everybody professes “One Nigeria” but is unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to unite the various ethnic clusters in the nation.Power belongs to God. He gives power to whoever that pleases Him. God also takes away power whenever it pleases Him. One is therefore forced to wonder why people see and treat power with a “do-or-die” attitude. Perhaps, one should emphasize here that the basic aim of political power is to improve the lives of man and society through quality leadership.Nigeria is bigger than any individual or ethnic group. It is high time Nigeria became a nation; it is about time we have a shared culture and our national values restored.<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/bloggers/pulse-blogger-the-nigerian-politics-of-tribalism-writers-contest-id4059945.html" target="_blank">Courtesy Pulse NG. Read More on this article and others from Pulse NG Magazine</a>&nbsp;

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the remedies. – Groucho Marx.The logman of the quiet past is inadequate to storm the present.The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise to the occasion. As our case is near, we must act now.-Abraham LincolnNigeria as a democratic country will hopefully continue to explore her political leadership position in Africa so as to emphasize the unquestionable maturity as a truly democratic nation. The current political system must be readjusted so that it can become acceptable to all Nigerians and eventually, translate to the envy of other developing nations of the world. Nigeria must pursue clearly identified development, political finesse and reasonable economic growth through credible structural changes. The Nigerian leadership approach to achieve the above lofty goals must be dominantly tied to stable political and enduring social systems that clearly support selfless service, honesty of intents, actions and transparency in all ramifications.There is a great hope for Nigerian leaders who can amass significant support for economic programmes that can elevate people from poverty. To get to this level, the nation must search for near-perfect and highly disciplined leaders who can turn the economy around to the level that it will rival other developed nations. In the near future, Nigeria may produce goal-getter and unassuming leaders, as experienced between 1950 and 1960, who can execute credible socio-political programmes that will lead to notable national growth and improve the welfare of citizens. Within this extreme, such desired leadership pursuits will embrace successful wiggling out of the arms of prevalent poverty that has assailed Nigerian citizens and marred them in the grip of social imbroglios. The fact remains that our past political leaders have overwhelmingly portrayed themselves as mere house/gate keepers who delight in feeding fat on the national political misadventure that led to widespread misfortunes of people.However, it is too late to put the entire blames of national socio-economic disasters on the past and present leaders. To say the truth, we are all guilty of past political misadventures and misplacement of the nation’s developmental priorities as clearly charged. It is necessary to examine outright the basic reasons that pushed our political leaders to the quagmire of unmitigated failures and unabated corruption at the cradle of power. We are not concerned with nominating and electing political candidates who fulfill the normal and reasonable indices of leadership that can augur for positive or efficient performance. The right performance barometers and supportive mentality of would-be leaders for good governance were jettisoned for mundane gifts and grafts. We have not generally considered for leadership positions, dutiful and knowledgeable men and woman, who are highly intelligent, with the innate ability, rapt attention to details, effective communicator, passion for good governance and reasonable exploitative interest of diverse national resources.Thus, the political candidates presented as leaders for public offices have not been absolutely fair, impartial to national interests, devoid of nepotism, with no reasonable ability to differentiate between personal, family and public relationships and matters that cause political discords or disaffection in the national interests. Basically, celebrated political leaders must be able to differentiate between skewed political inclinations, personal and group interests but quite capable of aligning with the overall interest of electorates. They must not become the drain-pipes for siphoning public funds or psychologically unstable to act reasonably in matters of national interest, observe national realities while shunning the allure of being drug barons, couriers or addicts with the tendency to push the country towards the abyss of national calamity. <a href="https://guardian.ng/opinion/nigerian-politics-and-governance/" target="_blank">Read more</a>&nbsp;Written by Okunrinboye Olu.

Nigeria has slipped into recession, with the latest growth figures showing the economy contracted 2.06% between April and June.The country has now seen two consecutive quarters of declining growth, the usual definition of recession.Its vital oil industry has been hit by weaker global prices, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).But the government says there has been strong growth in other sectors.Crude oil sales account for 70% of government income.The price of oil has fallen from highs of about $112 a barrel in 2014 to below $50 at the moment.Outside the oil industry, the figures show the fall in the Nigerian currency, the naira, has hurt the economy. It was allowed to float freely in June to help kick-start the economy, but critics argued it should have been done earlier.This economic recession comes as no surprise to millions of Nigerians. Many say they’ve never known it so tough.The slump in global oil prices has hit Nigeria hard. The government depends on oil sales for about 70% of its revenues.But critics say government policies made a bad situation even worse. The decision to delay devaluing Nigeria’s currency meant many businesses struggled to get foreign currency to pay for imports, which had a cooling effect on the entire economy.Following enormous pressure, the government changed tack this summer, allowing the naira to float.That’s led to a spike in inflation, but the hope is that it will attract foreign investors. The government also says the country needs to import less: it wants to see more products made in Nigeria.Courtesy BBC News.<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37228741" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37228741</a>&nbsp;

<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1661994215/oh9vqvfyh4yq1emp4rju.png" alt=""> </div>Nigeria Debates Push for Locally-Made Goods – As Nigeria struggles with the price of imported goods and slow economic growth, a social media campaign is encouraging Nigerians to buy local.Championed by an outspoken senator and spread across social media, #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira advocates are choosing locally made products over imports as the global drop in the price of petroleum takes its toll on oil-dependent Nigeria.“I say the only way to solve our economic problem is to support made-in-Nigeria goods and services, because if we did that, some of the money stays here. We could support our people here,” said the senator, Ben Murray-Bruce. “We have great entrepreneurs in this country.”Sales of crude oil bring in most of Nigeria’s government revenues and account for much of the exports of Africa’s largest economy.The price of petroleum has slid to around $35 per barrel from about $100 two years ago. The ensuing drop in oil revenue has hurt the naira currency. It has lost about 50 percent of its value on the black market, even though the government has managed to keep its official rate stable by spending foreign reserves and imposing capital controls.Nigeria has spent decades developing its oil sector at the expense of other industries. As a result, it imports much of its household goods and electronics.Bills for importers have to be settled in foreign currencies, and with a weak naira, that’s affecting prices at marketplaces across the country.Sitting in his shop at Lagos’ Obalende Market, Sunday Emeka said he has to charge more for foreign goods like diapers.“The importing of the goods makes the dollar rise up,” he said. “People are just complaining.”<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1661994300/jugsjaafhmukrlmerswq.png" alt=""> </div>Some Nigerian entrepreneurs have praised Murray-Bruce’s campaign.“It’s something we should all join,” said Ani Bassey-Eyo, who runs a food company that sells honey. “There’s no reason why we should import certain things like toothpicks, or certain things we can make back home.”Others see it as shortsighted.“He’s not really looking at the real structural issue that’s at hand,” said Chuba Ezekwesili, a research analyst at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.Nigeria ranks dismally in the World Bank’s business climate rankings, scoring 169th out of 189 countries surveyed. The bank cites the unreliability of electricity and slow pace of bureaucracies for the low score.It would be best to tackle problems like these that drive up the cost of doing business in the country, Ezekwesili said. That would allow Nigeria to export more than just petroleum, cushioning the economy when prices fall. Read more (Credit:Voice of America News)&nbsp;

This commentary was republished on March 19, 2015, by the Cable and the Metropole but was originally written by Professor Calestous Juma.I once asked a U.S. army commander responsible for Africa what kept him up at night about the continent. “Elections,” he said. His concern was the kind of political anxiety that has gripped Nigerian ahead of the next elections.The postponement of elections signifies Nigeria is at a delicate crossroads, with the next several weeks being a critical period in the nation’s democracy and its relations with Africa and the world. But the stakes are high for the international community as well.But amid these concerns, Nigeria’s economic future remains optimistic. According to a recent survey, the country is projected to be among the 10 fastest economies in the world is 2015. Sustaining this positive outlook will be significantly influenced by the conduct and outcome of the elections.The most important measure of national maturity is conducting free and fair elections and avoiding post-election violence. Of the latter, Nigeria has had too much already.The international community has been slow to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram’s extremism. The UN Security Council only recently even acknowledged the conflict. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom have offered some support, but not enough to significantly impact the outcome. Many have argued that Nigeria has been slow to respond to the crisis. But Boko Haram is a global issue, not just a Nigeria concern. The decision of the African Union to send 8,700 troops to fight the extremists underscores the international nature of the crisis.Nigerians must take the lead in combating this threat. But beyond the loss of life and human suffering, the violence and instability threatens Nigeria’s economic growth prospects. Nigeria has made an effort to diversify its economy from oil and invest in agriculture, manufacturing, and services. The effort is even more urgent now in the face of falling global oil prices.Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and 26th in the world. Its GDP stands at $510 billion with immense growth potential. A stable and peaceful Nigeria will contribute to Africa’s rise and integration into the global economy. On the other hand, an unstable, stagnant and conflict-driven Nigeria will be a threat to regional and global stability.Last year, President Barack Obama hosted Africa’s leaders at a summit in Washington. One of the highlights was an impressive gathering of CEOs from many of the largest U.S. companies, to explore new business opportunities across Africa. Importantly, investor interest in Nigeria and across Africa today includes not just oil and mining companies looking to develop and export natural resources, but infrastructure, technology, consumer goods, agribusiness, and manufacturing companies that can sustain growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods.The United States is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, with many U.S. companies looking ahead to the potential of a large, growing consumer market emerging in the country. It is vital that this investment interest not be undermined by the spread of violence and instability.The culture of corruption is entrenched in Nigeria. Taking it on should be a top priority for the winner. Nigeria has shown that it can act. An example is reforming the system to provide farmers with agricultural input. Today, the private sector distributes fertilizer to farmers, with the government only providing a subsidy. It has created a national database of more than 10 million smallholder farmers to ensure they receive the needed supplies. This is far from being enough, but it is an important step forward.Nigeria has the potential to be a key exporter of agricultural produce. It has over 84 million hectares of arable land — larger than the size of Turkey — but only 40 percent of it is currently cultivated. It has abundant rainfall and a labor force that can increase agriculture production. With continued reforms and infusion of domestic and foreign investment, this sector can grow to feed Nigerians and the wider world.The country has shown its potential to nurture a growing entrepreneurial class. The emergence of Nollywood, a booming billion dollar film industry, has been made possible by a combination of new digital technologies and a culture of entrepreneurship. Investing in infrastructure (energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms) to grow other sectors requires peace and stability. The country’s infrastructure gap between now and 2030 is estimated at $2.4 trillion.The way Nigeria swiftly contained Ebola through state, federal, and international cooperation is another sign of the country’s potential to be a key regional and international player. Nigeria also plays a decisive role as a leader in peacekeeping across Africa.The country’s political and military leadership needs to ensure a free and fair vote. All sides must respect the result. Then the international community needs to support Nigeria’s efforts to promote economic growth and social inclusion, contain violence and extremism, and tackle corruption. Investment in diplomacy, economic engagement, and security will lead to a more prosperous Nigeria. Africa and the world will sleep better with a stable and peaceful Nigeria. <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/why-nigeria-matters-world" target="_blank">read more</a>&nbsp;