I will use one example to show why we need smart people as leaders in Nigeria. Apple Computer.

Nigeria is a country of 210 million people. Apple Inc has just 110,000 employees. But because Apple exists, 1,027,000 jobs exist in the United States.

With 110,000 employees, no crude oil, no mineral resources, nothing but brains, Apple's income has grown by more than 400% since 2009.

Total Annual Revenue Revenue
2014 Revenue $182,800,000,000
2013 Revenue $170,910,000,000
2011 Revenue $108,249,000,000
2010 Revenue $65,225,000,000
2009 Revenue $42,905,000,000

Apple made an income of $182bn dollars in 2014, Nigeria oil revenues in 2014 was $32.3 billion. In 2015, it will likely be much lower.

For years (since 1970s) we have been drunk with our oil wealth folly, saying we are rich. Our leaders have neglected the development of human capacity which is the focal point of the knowledge economy. With crude crisis, they are advocating farming (they say agriculture. but no its farming we do here) as the solution. A farming agenda is not a smart move for a nation with millions of unemployed graduates and millions joining per annum.

Investopedia says this
In countries like the U.S., Canada and Western Europe, there is very little land allowed to go to waste and infrastructure like roads is well-developed. Likewise, irrigation is widespread and farmers use fertilizer extensively. This has led many countries and farmers to turn to genetically modified seeds to increase yields and reduce the need for costly (and potentially polluting) fertilizer and herbicides.

Top global Agric exporters
United States - $118.3 billion
Netherlands - $79
Germany - $70.8
France - $68
Brazil - $55.4

The picture is much different in Africa and much of South Asia. In these areas, infrastructure is extremely under-developed and simply getting crops to market (or inputs like fertilizer to the farms) can be a struggle. Likewise, irrigation infrastructure is lacking, leaving farmers much more exposed to the variability of weather. Not surprisingly, then, a large focus of governments in these countries is to try to build roads, improve access to water and encourage the use of inputs, like fertilizer.

We are watching Naira vs Dollar everyday but we have not called ourselves to say this is where we are going, and this is what we are going to get there. Even if we said its Agric for us, has anyone projected how much we can make from Agric, when we can start making it, and what we need to put in place to make it? Has anyone planned for getting the infrastructures that is needed?

It is crude to tie our destinies to crude oil, and it is silly to expect diversification will stem the Naira fall in any short period. An intelligent question to ask is this? Didn't the nation survive when crude oil was $12? The Gulf war windfall (oil price shock) was at a price of $21 and the maximum was $46. But that is another topic. So why are we mourning at the crude oil price of $40? Because of stupidity.

In conclusion, Apple Computer is richer than the whole nation of Nigeria because of one fact. Human capital.

From Wikipedia
Human capital is an important factor for the wealth of a nation due to its influence on the overall production of the country. Technological progress can provide more efficient production-methods like machines and computers, but skilled labor is necessary to manage and develop them as well as to improve the quality and productivity of the existing labor. The formation of Nigeria's human capital is therefore of great importance in the coming years if Nigeria wants to be competitive in the future. However, Nigeria is having a problem with its human capital.

The Human Development Index (HDI) provides a measure of human capital development in three dimensions: income, health, and education. The latest values of HDI shows that Nigeria is ranked 156 with the value of 0.459 among 187 countries. The value places Nigeria in the bottom, meaning that Nigeria is considered to have low level of human development.


Best Wishes*

I don't know when will get it right in Nigeria. Wise Countries are diversifying their economy but we will learn. I just pray things will not go out of hand.

Whew!

until we have leader that will understand the dynamics of development in this present time. Nigeria will continue to experience woe and woe and another woe. the government must develop education for performance and not education for the sake of education.
India is rated among the best in information technology and has the highest population of IT workers in the united state. how were they able to achieve that? the answer is simple; the government paid attention to human capital development. India have not arrived but i think they are better of than we.take a look a major coy in Nigeria and see them occupying major positions.
we must look beyond oil, we must development the countries human resource.

lastmessenger:
until we have leader that will understand the dynamics of development in this present time. Nigeria will continue to experience woe and woe and another woe. the government must develop education for performance and not education for the sake of education.
India is rated among the best in information technology and has the highest population of IT workers in the united state. how were they able to achieve that? the answer is simple; the government paid attention to human capital development. India have not arrived but i think they are better of than we.take a look a major coy in Nigeria and see them occupying major positions.
we must look beyond oil, we must development the countries human resource.

Good smart talk @lastmessenger. And we have the inner potentials to excel the Indians if the resources are there.

Nice explanation and insightful..



Puskin, naijacutee

Frontpage.

Cool


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twosquare:
Nice explanation and insightful..



Puskin, naijacutee

Frontpage.

@twosquare, thanks and glad you found it so.

dataland:
Cool


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@dataland
Thanks and Best Wishes*

You have made a very strong case though I'm afraid that Nigeria is not really. Prepared due to combination of several factots.

Waw, amazing. Am part of the advocacy for intellectual leadership rather than religious and regional scrambling for leadership

Bitter truth

Africa is cursed


Now before you slay me with insults pay attention


It is good to want autonomy, to want to have independence, to be a country but the bitter truth is that Nigeria was not mature enough to be a republic when our fore father's fought for independence


The curse on Nigeria and Africa in general is mentality, we are educated but we still illiterate guided by our greed and the deep rooted hate within us

Imagine what's being revealed about Dasuki and Co, if it wasn't greed and deep hate who needs all that money?


Back to point, consider South Africa, the whites gave them a structure, the Oyinbos laid enough foundations and I heard Oyinbos still run their affairs. Look at South Africa today she's the real giant of Africa, Nigeria is just a figurehead


Finally we've made mistakes, we've done so many things wrong, and we are still suffering and if care is not taken generations unborn will continue to suffer


I suggest we allow Oyinbos to run our affairs through proxy programs and activities, let Oyinbos be a part of our government. We can afford it as a nation


Let Oyinbos be aware and partly in charge of our budget, Oyel, prosecution, development programs , what we need is to relearn how to do things, let them train our would be leaders, would be presidents


Maybe, just maybe we will get it right and Nigeria will be great again

@op, I will refer you to Buhari Immediately so u become our next CBN Governor with Immediate effect

afanide:
@op, I will refer you to Buhari Immediately so u become our next CBN Governor with Immediate effect

That's so flattering. Thanks. But NO.

Love d intellectual write up, far from burning energy on PDP vs APC! lt is common to see 33,000 litres tankers on Kenyan highways not filled with petroleum products as we are used to but with fresh milk produced locally, heading to other countries!