Factors Affecting Nigerias Underdevelopment
According to an economist the idea of development is a situation whereby there is an increase in a nations GNP and GDP, leading to an increase in growth .but to a sociologist this is a surface definition as development or rather a country is regarded as developed when such increase is affecting the living condition of its people even to the smallest group in the society. Where we don’t only calculate numbers and figures and structures but can see the positive change of things in the life of the people, both the rich, average and poor. Then such a society would be regarded as developed. For example the living conditions of the USA.
Nigeria the most populated country in Africa filled with its endowed natural resources, and according to the “united nations statistics Nigeria is the 8th most populous county in the world with a population of 2.3%” (UN 2011).but the country still suffers the decay of underdevelopment due to certain avoidable factors that stand as unavoidable. What actually is underdevelopment?
W.A Lewis 1963 says that a country may be “underdeveloped in the sense that its technology is backward when compared with that of other countries or in the sense that its institutions are relatively unfavorable to investment, or in the sense that capital resources per head are low when compared with western Europe or in the sense that output per head is low or in the sense that it has valuable natural resources that has not yet begun use” (extracted by opafola 1996). Agreeing to what Lewis has said so well underdevelopment can be explored from another dimension which in a way he seemed to have ignored, it is a situation whereby the quality of life of the majority of its people is low. The causes or factors of Nigeria’s underdevelopment can be divided into 2 which are both external and internal. “External includes slavery, colonialism, neo- colonialism and the worldwide recession” (Rodney 1972), with which in my opinion is a fact for our underdevelopment the
Nigeria the most populated country in Africa filled with its endowed natural resources, and according to the “united nations statistics Nigeria is the 8th most populous county in the world with a population of 2.3%” (UN 2011).but the country still suffers the decay of underdevelopment due to certain avoidable factors that stand as unavoidable. What actually is underdevelopment?
W.A Lewis 1963 says that a country may be “underdeveloped in the sense that its technology is backward when compared with that of other countries or in the sense that its institutions are relatively unfavorable to investment, or in the sense that capital resources per head are low when compared with western Europe or in the sense that output per head is low or in the sense that it has valuable natural resources that has not yet begun use” (extracted by opafola 1996). Agreeing to what Lewis has said so well underdevelopment can be explored from another dimension which in a way he seemed to have ignored, it is a situation whereby the quality of life of the majority of its people is low. The causes or factors of Nigeria’s underdevelopment can be divided into 2 which are both external and internal. “External includes slavery, colonialism, neo- colonialism and the worldwide recession” (Rodney 1972), with which in my opinion is a fact for our underdevelopment the
References: Walter Rodney (1972) “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” Dar-Es Salaam. Tanzania Publishing House. Lewis W.A (1963) “The Theory of Economic Growth” London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. S.O. Opafola (1996) “The Journal of Philosophy and Development” Vol.2, Ogun State University: Hope Publications. Onimode, B (1981) “Imperialism and Nigerian Development” In O. Nnoli Edition. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English New Edition. Business Day Newspaper Wednesday September 6 (2011), Nigeria and Corruption Index United Nation Statistics 2011. AIT News august 2012.