The idea that natural resources might be more of an economic curse than a blessing began to emerge in the 1980s. Richard Auty in 1993 described how countries rich in natural resources were unable to use that wealth to boost their economies and how, conversely, Intuitively, these countries had lower economic growth than countries without abundant natural resources. A violation of our community and high profile corruption are some of the creations that crude oil has bequeathed to us in Nigeria. The desperate drive for public office and elective positions clearly points to the depth of corruption and the curse that crude oil has brought us in Nigeria.
Before the commercialization of crude oil in Nigeria, agriculture and effective taxation were the main sources of our national survival. Agriculture contributed more than 60% to our exports and to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although the confederate states that make up Nigeria were in a cold war with each other over some political differences, the events in the various regions were notable. We had the peanut pyramid in the north and the cocoa pyramid in the west with a bustling coal industry in the east. The various regions started different programs just to make sure that their regions were not left behind in the committee of states. High paying jobs were ubiquitous and the standard of living in Nigeria was extraordinary. Quality education was a hallmark of government, particularly in the West. Nigerians were respected at home and abroad. Nigeria gave loans to other African countries and we played a very important role in the independence and liberation of most African countries. Nigerians did not need visas to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) or other developed countries of the world. They saw Nigerians as equals.
However, that once glorious entity called Nigeria, has today become a relic of its own. Those who shared the Nigerian Dream have left us to pursue their aspirations in other countries of the world. Countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, China, India, Egypt and several others that shared the same rate of development with us in the 1960s and 1970s have long surpassed us and have become some of the largest economies in the world. Today, Nigerians suffer untold deprivation and torture in these countries that once looked up to Nigeria as Big Brother. Getting a visa to these countries is like a trip to the Promised Land. What’s wrong with Nigeria? Could it be the big cultural and religious differences? But India and Malaysia have managed to get by despite their cultural and religious differences. Maybe it’s the size of our population. What about China? In a matter of 30 years, they have grown their own economy from obscurity to become the second largest economy in the world with the possibility of becoming the first in the near future.
According to the Niger Delta Congress, it is estimated that more than $600 billion worth of crude oil has been pumped from the Niger Delta states since 1937. However, high unemployment, environmental degradation, and a lack of basic resources such as fresh water and electricity. The continued neglect of the Niger Delta region has prompted some of the region’s marginalized youth to take up arms. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the fiercest and most dangerous militant group, is the product of abandonment of a region that has fed Nigeria for the last four decades. Compared to other oil-producing regions in other countries, the pathetic environmental and weak infrastructure development in the Niger Delta calls for some soul-searching solutions. Abuja, like other capital cities, deserves a worthy status. Anything less than its current outlook would put Nigeria in a very negative light. And there is still more development underway without difficult political debates. Not once was the development and transformation of Abuja brought to the Nigerian town square for deliberation. If Abuja could transform into such a megacity in a matter of years, what’s wrong with the development of the Niger Delta region that has fed the nation since Independence?
Successive governments since the regime of General Yakubu Gowon, no visible development can be pointed out, however, the region continues to bear the burden of the nation’s survival. In terms of exploitation, the region is the one that has suffered the most. marginalization? That is the hallmark of the region. Oil companies conduct business in this region without recourse to the state of the environment in the region. Oil spills, gas flaring and oil supplies are some of the daily dangers that threaten the existence of the inhabitants of the Niger Delta region. More insulting is the evil military invasion of the region ordered by the administrations of Presidents Obasanjo and Goodluck. Hundreds of innocent civilians lost their lives in brutal military atrocities. Because this assault which should have been investigated by the United Nations (UN) was ongoing, no concrete development master plan was initiated to calm the nerves of these various agitated communities. To this day, the memories of those inhumane invasions and genocides still linger in the minds of the region’s destitute who lost their loved ones.
At one point in our political history, we had the Peanut Pyramid in the North, the Cocoa Pyramid in the South, and the Coal Industry in the East. In the Niger Delta region, what is the proof of our oil reserves? Is it dysfunctional refineries, gas flaring, exploitation, environmental degradation, or the relentless murder of innocent Niger Deltas? Honestly, there is no historical monument in the Niger Delta region that represents the great wealth with which we have been blessed. Many writers and public commentators have offered solutions and recommendations to the Nigerian government on how to develop the region. Of all these recommendations, only the amnesty program has been implemented. Why this might be laudable, it certainly isn’t enough. What about the gas flaring that the Federal Government has refused to address? Oil spill, environmental degradation and lack of modern infrastructure? Recently, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Allison Madueke, admitted in a public forum that Nigeria earns more than N42b a day from crude oil. Of this distorted figure, how much is earmarked for the development of the Niger Delta region? Our foreign exchange reserves are being depleted daily by our greedy politicians and yet a region that produces these resources is suffering total neglect. The high unemployment rate in the region has given rise to the kidnapping threat in the Niger Delta which has spread to other regions. If we start to list the problems that plague the region, it will take up too many pages.
Ultimately, urgent and concrete steps must be taken to develop this region. Enough of all the false promises and exploitation that the region has suffered. If the government of President Goodluck Jonathan or whoever succeeds him does nothing to address the core problems threatening the region’s existence, then Nigeria too could be preparing for the worst from that region’s youth. A threat to the existence of the Niger Delta region is a threat to the survival of the Nigerian nation. The stage is set!
Fred Itua is a writer/contributor for The Politico Magazine and lives in Abuja, Nigeria.