In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in
Introduction
Throughout the course, culture and way of life in Africa were studied as a means to gain knowledge and understanding of the African people’s situation in the region. One of the most noteworthy facts about Africa is that most of the countries in the region experience poverty, stunted growth and development, and corruption. Considering these points, the main objective of the succeeding research is to select and study a country in Africa to explain how poverty, development, and corruption affect communities in the locality. To narrow down the scope of research, the chosen country is Nigeria. All the factors – poverty, lack of development, and corruption – interplay to create barriers for cultural and social development in local communities.
Nigeria
Poverty
Nigeria is one of the poorest nations in the world. With more than 178 million people, the rate of poverty in Nigeria continues to rise. In 2010, the poverty headcount ratio reached 46 percent. In addition, Nigeria’s income level is lower middle income (World Bank, n.d.). In 2012, the National Bureau Statistics reported that 60.9 percent of Nigeria’s population is living in poverty. Although Nigeria is one of the biggest oil producers in the country and is earning more than 500 billion in revenue, Nigeria still fails to move forward and address poverty due to corruption.
Poverty in the country affects other aspects of society from healthcare to employment. Due to poverty, families do not have access to health care and education. Consequently, lack of access to health care leads to increased mortality rates and the inability of people to work. Moreover, families fail to send their children to school, which then continues the cycle of poverty because uneducated children would not be able to obtain well-paying jobs in the future. Conflict also ensues because communities fail to protect themselves from militant groups due to lack of resources. Similarly, militant groups form not only because of conflicting views and perspectives with other groups but also because of poverty, which motivates them to gain influence and power, to earn access to resources, through violence.
Development
One of the major signs of progress is development. Consequently, through development, nations would witness growth, which would bring about improvement in the lives of citizens. Development is palpable in infrastructure, transportation, the number of jobs versus the unemployment rate, as well as the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in general. In Nigeria, the government has a long-term development scheme. Since the country’s independence, the government also began to implement several development and restoration projects. Although some leaders have expressed good intention in Nigeria’s development program, the country has lagged in global development due to failure in the implementation of programs and projects. One of the main factors that lead to failure is poor leadership in the Nigerian government. Often, people in position elected to lead the country do not have a full grasp of what it takes to plan and implement development projects. In addition, the government does not consult with the public during planning to determine the public’s needs and the ways that the government could address these needs and problems through development projects (Lawal & Oluwatoyin, 2011).
Failed attempts to implement development project also result from lack of good governance. Scholars say that decades long of colonization has deprived the Nigerian population not only of their rights and freedom, but also of resources. As a result, when they gained independence and Nigerian citizens began holding leadership positions, their newfound power and influence led them to focus on accumulating more power and to amass wealth as a means to make up for what were taken from them in the past (Lawal & Oluwatoyin, 2011).
Government leaders’ priorities reflect the lack of leadership that leads to stunted growth and development in the country. Most of them lack the commitment and will to look for ways to rebuild Nigeria and to resolve the problems and issues that ail the country. This is palpable in the lack of diverse economic bases that would help Nigeria grow as an economy due to labor or employment. At present time, Nigeria only relies on the oil sector for its resources and for export. On the contrary, the government neglects other industries that could help Nigeria’s economy to grow such as agriculture. Agriculture not only allows the Nigerian government to meet the nation’s demand on food but also create opportunities for economic growth through agricultural exports and increased labor and employment. Overall, the Nigerian government’s lack of initiative to diversify the economy by investing in agriculture and transportation, as well as developing the country’s infrastructure and services to attract local and foreign investors are the main reasons for poor development in the country (Lawal & Oluwatoyin, 2011).
Corruption
Although Boko Haram is one of the most notorious terrorist groups in Nigeria, reports suggest that terrorism is not the only root cause of violence in the country. Corruption is a major factor that leads to conflict. Boko Haram is not the only militant group in Nigeria causing conflict in local communities. In the past, states in the northern parts of Nigeria have engaged and still continue to engage in violent conflicts. Out of all the clashes and the militant groups in Nigeria, Boko Haram was the only one that received global media attention. For this reason, people around the world only catch a glimpse of the real situation in the country (Ikita, 2014).
Despite frequent conflicts that have been going on for years, the government and the military are unable to resolve them and overpower militants terrorizing communities in Nigeria. Corruption is the reason for the government and the military’s inefficiency. The Nigerian government allocates budget for national security annually. In 2010 alone, the government allotted $470 million for this purpose. The state-wide security project involved the installation of cameras in public places. Funding for this project covered the cost of facilities, installation, and labor. Even after the completion of the project, the government and authorities were unable to track the origins of bombs that were used in several terrorist bombings in the state of Abuja. When the government received a request for investigation, it raised the secret clause in the project contract that prevented disclosure. For this reason, the authorities would not be able to access information about the project to ascertain whether cameras were really installed in public spaces (Ikita, 2014).
Another evidence of corruption in Nigeria that affects the inability of the military to contain militant groups such as the Boko Haram concerns the lack of resources provided to this group. The government’s budget for security also includes resources for the military. Nonetheless, members of the Nigerian army presented complaints in the past due to inadequate sources and facilities. Some army groups even lose their commander and would have to make tactical decisions on their own. While in the field, the military is subjected to harsh conditions that make it difficult for them to do their jobs. As a consequence, they are unable to fight terrorist groups such as Boko Haram because they lack the resources and the capacity to do so. This is one of the major reasons why conflict continues and why militant groups such as Boko Haram gain power and influence, and could terrorize communities in Nigeria (Ikita, 2014).
The effect of corruption on Nigeria’s security is only one of the main issues that illustrate how poor governance and widespread corruption is setting the country back. It appears that the Nigerian government fails to learn from its mistakes. Corruption continues like a cycle wherein corrupt politicians take leadership positions, and they pass down corrupt practices to the younger generations (Point Blank News, 2012).
Conclusion
The foregoing discussion illustrates the interplay among the three factors that affect Nigeria – poverty, development, and corruption. Nigeria is a poor country due to corruption, which prevents the government from managing the country’s economy and distributing wealth equally as possible to all populations. Consequently, corruption prevents development due to mismanagement of funds and the lack of political will and interest among leaders in government to bring about change through development projects. The lack of development also worsens poverty rates in the country. The relationship among the three factors show that change in Nigeria begins with cultural change particularly in government. Good governance is the best way to resolve poverty and bring about development in the country.
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