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:
This is what I think about some Nigerians living in my country:
http://escapefrombanjul.blogspot.com/2010/09/expelling-nigerian-problem-from-gambia.html
interesting comparison. i think we know where it all went wrong. doing the right thing to correct the mistakes is the problem
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