Tuesday, September 28, 2010

NiGERIA @50: Nigeria & Indonesia, spot the difference!

History
·         Both Indonesia and Nigeria,  are the giants of their region, home to tens of millions of people.
·         Both were formed as one nation by Europeans around 1900.
·         Both were governed by the colonial system of "indirect rule".
·         Both once made money from palm oil, and later discovered oil and gas.
·         At independence, the standards of living in the two countries were comparable on most measures.
·         And since independence, both have suffered three decades of military misrule and corruption.
·         Their first coups were launched within months of each other - in September 1965 in Indonesia and in January 1966 in Nigeria
·         Military rule came to an end within 12 months, in May 1998 (Indonesia) and 1999 (Nigeria)
Achievements
·         In Indonesia, the life expectancy of a child at birth had risen from 45 to 70 years since independence.
·         In Nigeria, life expectancy remains stuck just above 45; today it is around 47.
·         When Indonesia's second president, Haji Muhammad Suharto, took power in 1967 the number of people living in poverty was the same as in Nigeria; around six out of ten.
·         Three decades later, it had fallen from six to two. In Nigeria it had risen from six to seven.
·         Currently, Indonesia lies almost 50 places above Nigeria on the United Nation's Human Development Index.
·         Adult literacy in Indonesia stands at 92%, 20 points better than Nigeria.
·         Per capita income in Indonesia is close to $4,000, is almost twice that of Nigeria.
·         Basic healthcare is strikingly better in Indonesia, and the same is true for education.
·         Access to clean water and a good balanced diet are better too.
·         GDP: Nigeria $207.12bn, Indonesia $510.73bn
·         Population below poverty line: Nigeria 70%, Indonesia 17.8%
Source, UN, World Bank, BBC, CIA World Fact Book

I think it is time we need to ask ourselves, where exactly did the wheels fall off?

2 comments:

The Watchman said...

This is what I think about some Nigerians living in my country:

http://escapefrombanjul.blogspot.com/2010/09/expelling-nigerian-problem-from-gambia.html

Femme Lounge said...

interesting comparison. i think we know where it all went wrong. doing the right thing to correct the mistakes is the problem