Haha, funny and unfortunate comments on this thread. These folks in the poverty capital of the world actually relish the culture of fraud and corruption that keeps them in perpetual penury. The process that led full-grown black adults to a mental place where celebrating criminality becomes flex needs to be studied in detail.

https://punchng.com/71-million-nigerians-extremely-poor-world-poverty-clock/

Any teenager of slightly above average intelligence can perceive that the satisfaction many black folks get from maintaining tribal allegiances and pursuing fraudulent ends far exceed the physical and psychological rewards they could potentially get from improving their society in ways that normal people in most parts of the world desire.

The disgraceful situation of sub-saharan Africa is merely a natural outcome of the perverse structures they celebrate. The rest of the world continues to grow as they incentivize productive, value-adding things. As the old saying goes, ut sementum feceris, ita metes.

The association of Nigerian criminals and their committed fans will need to find a way to help the CSU representatives explain under oath how Elnora Daniel could have signed a valid certificate for their man.

These clowns have become so accustomed to insanity that they can't imagine a world without it.

Prof. Wole Soyinka being celebrated for supporting a people's right to self-determination is truly commendable

Prof. Wole Soyinka producing excellent literary works that earned him the Nobel Prize is nothing short of admirable.

It is also truly commendable that Prof. Wole Soyinka is lambasted for ascribing fascism to a loud-mouthed group that cannot in any honesty be counted among the primary promoters of oppression and injustice in Nigeria, because of the soft spot he has for a man with a proven sordid past.

OP needs mental evaluation if his point is that the renowned Prof should only be admired for his praiseworthy acts, but not called out for his missteps. The principles of fairness recognize no sacred cows.

One of the beautuful things about the world is that you can't have your cake and eat it too, at least not for long. There will surely be a reckoning.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nairametrics.com/2023/01/06/nigerias-debt-service-to-revenue-ratio-rises-to-81-in-2022/%3famp=1

Those talking about debt to fictitious GDP ratio can continue to live in delusion. It is quite normal for humans to bury their heads in the sands in the face of unfavourable realities. The country's debt profile is worsening and the credit rating agencies make that clear
http://www.worldgovernmentbonds.com/credit-rating/nigeria/


It's hard to feel any pity for Nigerians though because their leaders are a faithful representation of true Nigerian values - moral bankruptcy, oppressive tendencies and arrogance in the face of woeful failure. Winter is coming for Nigeria. The current hardships merely serve as an appetizer for what is to come. You must reap what you sow.

Those who have been in charge of Nigeria are not necessarily clueless. It's more about a misalignment between the rulers' interests and the progress of the people. It really has nothing to do with their tribes either. The Nigerian elite class is largely composed of people who cannot survive or compete within a meritocratic environment. They can only survive within a system of impunity. The masses are not interested in widespread societal progress themselves. They too are largely interested in the progress of their private pockets at the expense of everyone else. They don't detest the impunity prevalent in their environment and actually yearn to be counted among the tiny minority who benefit from it.

The upper echelon among the elite class are beneficiaries of a colonial legacy that has seen them hold military power since independence, with the support of the West, for the benefit of the West. The lower tier members of the elite class derive their influence partly from the former, and on their own part, secure their positions by compromising security agencies, leveraging religious and tribal sentiments to keep the masses divided and conquered, and empowering criminals to keep the people in fear.

True progress happening in Nigeria would be an existential threat for these folks because that would mean leaders at every level would have to be held accountable for their time in office. Permiting progress would be tantamount to self-injury and no normal person would wilfully invite injury to themselves. That's why there can be no measurable progress until an ideological revolution takes place and creates a critical mass of Nigerians that are capable and ready to break the criminal structures that serve these rulers. Until then, the leaders will naturally continue to protect and promote their interests which are at odds with the progress of the masses.

In the meantime, the people can continue to suffer and enjoy the thrill they get from ethnic and religious bigotry. When you observe how the average Nigerian thinks and acts, it's hard not to conclude that they deserve the leaders they get.

Dejs:
MY MIND IS MADE UP

(by Daniel Samuel Katalyst)

....

𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵 𝓢𝓪𝓶𝓾𝓮𝓵

Author || Keynote Speaker || Personal Development Expert


Photo illustration @rayartworld
Victim's name: Efidi Bina Jennifer

Beautiful!

shinealight:



Let the following guide you before jumping to conclusions:

The only set of people who think there is any kind of smoking gun with which to nail Bola Tinubu in the rehash of the old wives’ tales David Hundeyin concocted are the same people who never see anything good in Tinubu.

It needs to be asked how anyone could think the FBI and DEA will allow a drug dealer or a man running a drug cartel to go scot-free without conviction as well as leave him to go and live a lush life on the proceeds of crime. We are talking about the same man who goes in and out of the US and Europe since 1992. He actually resided in the US all through the exilic period induced by the late dictator, Sani Abacha.

Asiwaju Tinubu had gone to deliver lectures at top policy think-tank institutes like Chatham House, Woodrow Centre, Council on Foreign Relations, etc, in the US, UK and around Europe. He just returned from a two-week official visit to France. Yet, he was not a subject of interest for the FBI, Interpol and DEA all through.

We know the kind of efforts the FBI invests to get extradition of those on their wanted list for crimes. They spared no effort to get late Senator Buruji Kashamu for drug crime purportedly committed in the 90s. Former Vice President Atiku that was indicted in a corruption case in the US could not visit the country until a special arrangement was brokered for him before the 2019 general election. And since then, Atiku has not gone to the US again.

Tinubu has been travelling in and out of these countries and US unhindered, but someone wants us to accept that retailing the same old stories is a product of investigative reporting?

Here are three key issues of commonsense and rational thinking.

1. The US will not settle any case of drug and other narcotics dealings with money where a prima facie case is established against a drug baron.

2. The US government will never allow a drug dealer to go with any amount from proceeds of crime.

3. A man that has not been convicted of any crime in any country and jurisdiction of the world cannot be convicted by a disgruntled ‘investigative journalist’. If the US allowed Tinubu to go free without conviction of any drug crime and other crimes, it means the FBI and DEA and, indeed, all law enforcement agencies including IRS had no evidence upon which Tinubu can be found guilty.

Hundeyin knows his audience and how excitable and unquestioning they can be. With his misdirected crap on Tinubu, the ‘investigative journalist’ has again served his unthinking audience their regular opium.

If there is one thing that is fundamental about human nature it is the protection of personal property. This is consistent across history and geography. Even criminals fight tooth and nail when the proceeds of their crimes are threatened because they veiw those proceeds as the work of their sweat. People of honest means tend to not only fight to protect the fruits of their labour, but also make all efforts to clear their names when their labour is associated with activities that will smear their character. You already know where I'm going with this.

Somehow Tinubu reached a nearly 500,000 USD settlement with the US Govt in a narcotics-related case. What is your explanation for why he would act in a manner that is so inconsistent with human nature if he were innocent?

On what grounds would an innocent person need to reach a settlement for a crime that doesn't exist? $400,000+ in the 90s would've been an incredible amount of money to give up.

Btw, I believe you know all of this, so I don't expect anything much of a reply. Specious reasoning is hard to tolerate. You have a job to do here. It's understood.

Bashir75:


“ The IRS secured warrants in January 1992 to seize almost $2 million, according to court filings. While living in Chicago between 1989 and 1991, Tinubu had deposited more than $1.8 million into one of the accounts, before transferring large sums to another bank, according to the US government’s complaint. While disputing the US’s reason for targeting the accounts, Tinubu settled in September 1993, agreeing to give up $460,000 to the US government in exchange for the release of the rest of the money. Tinubu wasn’t indicted over the matter”

Ask any Nigerian-American, they will tell you taxes in the USA is complicated for Dual-Citizens. When IRS is involved in any money issue, it’s tax related not crime. They felt there’s a taxable income you’re trying hard to protect. All Americans know how to re-invest their money to afford taxes and it’s not even illegal. Even Trump and American wealthy people do that every time.

Oga, USC 1956 and 1957 are about funds derived from narcotics or unlawful activity. Mr. Tinubu's settlement wasn't about taxes. No indictment needed as the case did not get to the stage where a grand jury becomes necessary.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1956
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1957

https://www.plainsite.org/dockets/2jqi9omh8/illinois-northern-district-court/usa-v-acct-263226700-et-al/

Nothing surprising here though. Nigerians appear to have an undying love for corruption.

Very unfortunate. No one can have their cake and eat it too. A people that sow corruption and ineptitude will inevitably reap crime and suffering. Nigerians must have a cultural and ideological revolution if they are to have any hope for the future.

Kobojunkie:
1. Again, Jesus Christ gave us about 100 commandments in total in the New Covenant Law of the Kingdom of God. Of almost 100, exactly 1 sin is listed as grievous, the sin of Blasphemy. Why? Because according to Jesus Christ,
it is unforgivable, and it is in fact it is implied by Jesus Christ that death is what will follow the commiting of such sin.

Now, imagine the case of a man who lusted in his heart after his neighbor's wife, and moments later had a heart attack and died - no time to seek forgiveness from God. Does this man not end up in eternal damnation(hell) alongside all men who commit the sin of Blasphemy?

Is there a different hell for those who die after committing blasphemy? NO, the judgment for all sins is the same in scripture and that is eternal damnation irrespective of sin committed- Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46. No matter what sin a person commits, God's decision is that all those tainted by sin - the unrighteous - end up in eternal damnation.

2. God's justice system in no way compares to man's justice system which grades crimes and punishment as men see fit. According to God's Law, even the one who commits what you consider the least sin ends up exactly the same as the one who commits what men consider the greatest sin - eternal damnation. There are no small sins or big sins. All sins end in the same place - eternal damnation.

3. Well, read what Jesus Christ tells you of the process in Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46. There are only two ends for all those who belong in His Kingdom ... and all those who sin ,the goats, are headed in the direction of Eternal damnation, this according to Jesus Christ.

You have now admitted that all sins are not equal even though you claim that only one is different from the others. So in your belief system, all but one sin are equal.

You can choose to ignore Hebrews 10:29 (greater punishment) and Matthew 5:22 (different liabilities for different wrongs).

You're claiming from Matthew 25 that there are only two possibe outcomes, eternal life and enternal damnation (which is broadly correct), and you suggest that there are no distinctions inside each of these two outcomes. A position unsupported by scripture. It is clear from 1 Corinthians 3:15 "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer its loss, but he himself will still be saved, but only as through fire. " Those who suffer loss and have their soul saved clearly have a different experience from those who did not suffer loss and yet have their soul saved without experiencing anything like fire. And the difference between the experiences of these two groups is based their works. Can good works be burned by "fire" and the doer suffer loss?

Kobojunkie:
1. I am afraid I am at a loss as to what I am meant to take from the passages you included there. Can you please give me more to go by here?

Since you claim ignorance even though I'm quite certain you're engaging in avoidance out of pride, I'll make it clear:
1 John 5:17: "All iniquity is sin, but there is a sin unto death" . Means there's clearly a distinction between sins. At least one is more grevious than others and your position is wrong.

Matthew 12:31 "For this reason, I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" A sin that cannot be forgiven is obviously not equal to the ones that can be forgiven. Your claim that sin is sin and no difference exists is wrong.

Hebrews 10:29: "how much more, do you think, someone would deserve worse punishments, if he has tread upon the Son of God, and has treated the blood of the testament, by which he was sanctified, as unclean, and has acted with disgrace toward the Spirit of grace?" Worse punishments means an obvious difference in punishments for different sins. Your claim again is proven wrong.

Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, 'Idiot,' shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, 'Worthless,' shall be liable to the fires of Hell." Obvious differences in liabilities for different wrongs demonstrate a clear difference in the gravity of wrongs. Your claim again is proven wrong.

2. You are here trying to make the very same mistake your pope and others like him make, which is to find ways to equate man's justice system with that of God's. It's not right to do or attempt such direct comparisons.

Because of your pride, you cherry-pick scripture and deny the parallels between human justice and God's justice systems clearly depicted in scripture as shown in the verses above. You can construct comprehensible sentence, which suggests you are literate enough to comprehend written words. But you choose not to comprehend these verses because they do not agree with your viewpoints. Your pride has made you superior to Christ Himself in your heart.

Look, as far as God's Law and Kingdom is concerned, whether your sin is such that you simply lusted in your heart after your galfriend, or you mowed down a crowd of 80 people at a party, sentence is the same...eternal Damnation. Same consequence for all sinners, no matter how great or small or....

You are not the mouthpiece of God. No one gave you that authority and it is an act of arrogance to arrogate such authority to yourself. Defend your words with evidence.

Zane2point4:
This pope don the fear me i swear.

I'm a Catholic but his utterances am not sure its inspired by almighty God o.

Brother, as a Catholic you are aware that sexual immoralities are mortal sins and that mortal sins cause grave injuries to the spiritual life. The Pope never contradicted this fact.


You can see the CCC position that is consisitent with his view of pride as a more grevious sin from
CCC 1864 "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

In addition, the Catholic view is that the proud of heart reject's God's authority over people's lives. All willful sins result from prioritizing personal satisfaction over God's satisfaction. The root of this sort of prioritization is pride (the refusal to humble oneself before God). For this reason ,pride has been recognized as the enabler of all other willful sins which makes it more grevious than others.

He who doesn't love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8 ). Anyone who chooses hatred while claiming to know God has essentially denied God and acts in opposition to all that Christ represents.

GuyfawkesAB:
Na this particular pope go lead plenty Catholics to hell. People wey don already dey worship idols and praying to and in the name of mere men who were called to serve in the name of saints, you con add more wahala to their load say outside knacking in a marriage no be serious sin.

Fathers and Reverend Sisters at Monasteries and Seminaries will be full of joy tonight. Their knackings go gather new momentum now

As far as the ministry of Christ is concerned, no Catholic that freely believes in Christ, accepts the sacrifice on the cross, and accepts the teaching of love Christ has passed down is going to hell. You may be arrogant enough to believe you can take the place of God in judgement because you depend on your false confidence, but you're still irrelevant in matters of judgement.

You are guilty of several lies and I recommend that you seek forgiveness. You have lied against the Pope by claiming he said sexual sin was not a serious sin even though he said no such thing. But you were confident enough to make that claim. Normally this should be a sign that you should watch yourself before you speak with false confidence. You have also lied that the Catholic church teaches the worship of idols when in fact they only worship God. Regardless of what you may have heard, what you think, or what you feel, you may want to ask yourself if your conclusions are based on the same false confidence which has been established here.

I will leave you with Matthew 12:36-37, and I pray that you find the humility that God seeks in His followers.

Kobojunkie:
There is no such thing as most grievous sin to begin with. That idea is of men, and it was created to decieve you all by your Popes and Mogs.

God gave us about 100 rules that clearly define sin, this through Jesus Christ, and whether you break one or all 100 rules, you are guilty of sin. It is that simple!

Sir, you speak with so much confidence. How do you reconcile your authoritative speak with 1 John 5:17, Matthew 12:31, Luke 12:46-47, Hebrews 10:29, and Mathew 5:22?

@ the bolded, people use the analogy that if a person commits petty theft in Nigeria, then that person has gone against the law. If a person commits murder, then the law is also broken. In both cases, crimes (sins) against the law were committed. But they obviously do not carry the same punishment. This analogy is consistent with the verses above. Was the law broken? Yes. Are the consequences the same? No, therefore the crimes are not the same You appear to disagree with this analogy. So how do you reconcile the verses above or do you subscribe to cherry-picking things that appear to loosely support what you think?

kwasoly:


I don't think you have anything to say else you won't be asking this question.
Let's do small apologetics if you can.

No need sir. You already exposed your ignorance with your earlier post.

kwasoly:


End time message. Nothing like little sin or big sin, sin na sin and the wages of sin is death.
Nobody is permitted to add or remove anything from the Holy Bible.

Are you sure you have read this Holy Bible you refer to?

Righteousness2:
The Word of GOD, the Holy Bible says clearly that the wages of sin is Death.

The Word of GOD clearly says Fornicators , adulterers and Unrighteous folks will not see Heaven.
1Corithians 6:9
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind

Pope says it is not a serious sin.
These are the Last of the Last Moments. The foot soldiers and false Prophet of the antichrist are being revealed!

Watch and Pray that you will not be caught in their web of deceits and Delusion.

If you are engaging in sex outside Marriage, it is not Dating! It is Fornication! it is Evil. It is a terrible sin and will destroy your soul in Hell.

Immorality of any kind is Evil. Fornication, adultery, beastiality, homosexuality, lesbianism,etc. It is Sin and will Destroy your soul in Hell.

@bolded, thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour. You should seek forgiveness for telling lies against another person.

The outrage on this thread is an indictment of the Nigerian educational system. That Kanu Nwankwo is not the tallest footballer in history doesn't in anyway make him a short footballer.

Basic reasoning should even make all realize that just as all good works are not equal, then it should be expected that all evil works are not of equal weight. Sexual sin remains a mortal sin and nothing the Pope said contradicts that.

Sexual sins can be forgiven, but the sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. Obviously these sins are not equal. It's amusing that those of the sola scriptura persuasion are ever ready to cherry-pick scripture.

Another avenue for daylight robbery by ruthless thieves.

Fuel subsidy payments 2018: NGN722B, average oil price $71.3/barrel
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/385394-nigeria-spent-n722-3-billion-on-fuel-subsidy-in-2018-neiti-report.html

Fuel subsidy payments 2019: NGN1.5T, average oil price $64.3/barrel
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/04/n1-5trn-spent-on-fuel-subsidy-in-2019-fg/amp/

Fuel subsidy payments for 2021: NGN3T (El Rufai says Nigeria spends NGN250B per month), average oil price $69.3/barrel

How is it possible that subsidy payments double every one to two years despite the media touted "subsidy removals"? Ruthless, ruthless criminals in power. NNPC and the ministry of petroleum have to be among the most criminal minded entities that ever existed.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/262860/uk-brent-crude-oil-price-changes-since-1976/

@OP, I hope you realize that you will be feeding the so called narcissistic ex' ego with this pathetic, pity-seeking letter.

No man should ever present himself in a pathetic light or desire a pity party. It's bad optics and doesn't develop the psyche. No man is allowed to outsource his feeling of wellbeing to someone else. Instead, a man must be the source of strength when everyone chooses weakness.

As a single, unmarried man, you are the center of your world. No one else is. That low self esteem I pick from your post has to die. I do not dismiss what you feel, but you must use that feeling as a catalyst to grow into something much better.

Work on yourself. Join a gym, you'll feel pain at first, but do not give up. Continue, and you'll be making your brain more resilient. Develop yourself mentally, take your time, every day, to work on a skill. Do not care for what the world has to say, develop your mind and your body for you are the center of your life. Do this for a few years, and you will be proud of the man you become.

Sewgon79:


Now i understand you now. There is different between being an eloquent writer with good english command and being an economist. I think you are very good in one which is English Writeup but you are not a sound economist. Making Naira scare will cause deflation and too much of money in circulation will cause inflation. I will suggest Nigeria government need to monitor what we import against what we export so as to balance trade. This will strengthen our economy. They can do this by reducing all this unnecessary importation materials like plastics, tooth picks, to mentions but few.

Those things that a normal or average Nigeria can produce that is what is being import in Nigeria. And in economy when what you import is greater than what you export. There is bound to be influx of buying dollars and trading it for their importation which is affecting our economy this days.

Moreso, Tax duties should be waves to encourage more SME scale business in the country. Also i dont see reason why our banking system needs to have seperate account where people buy dollars and funds the account to trade international in name of DOMICILED ACCOUNT. It is not done in China, not done in Europe and not done in USA and UK so why should it be apply here in Nigeria. If you want to transact, informed banks and let bank do the conversion and tells you how much you will pay in Naira. Shikena

Why are you lying to support your point? I've spent some time in the UK and people are allowed to open USD and Euro accounts. I've spent time in the Netherlands and individuals are allowed to open USD accounts. Individuals in Canada can also open USD accounts.

Omishor2020:


It requires Canadian bank details. How can someone still in Nigeria use it to purchase CAD

Oh wow. Thought you were in Canada. I couldn't find a way to get CAD when I was relocating to Canada. Had to get USD cash from the bank and aboki. Opened USD and CAD accounts when I arrived Canada and visited the bank. Transfers can be made from the USD account to the CAD account at anytime, although not at the most favourable exchange rate.

Alchemist01:
What is the best way that someone can convert Naira to CAD in Canada at a reasonable rate?

Check FMExchange. It's a platform that links Nigerians seeking CAD<>NGN exchanges. I was able to buy some CAD through the platform a few weeks back and it was deposited directly into my account. Good luck!

Neurotika:
Hmmm how do you explain a gross loss increment of over 100% from 36.7b in 2019 to 81.1b in 2020 for the corporation. Even the dubious profit declared was due to the huge impairment reversal of over 400billion (with a vague disclosure to back it up). The level of inefficiency and waste in government owned parastatals is beyond comprehension.

That fraudulent declaration of profit will not pass any sniff test. It's all nonsense PR designed to make an underperforming President look good.

The imaginary "profits" are obviously a reflection of the dubious impairments' reversal among other accounting tricks employed. How can a poorly run oil company be having massive impairment reversal gains for a year where the oil majors were booking heavy impairment losses? Who knew that a government of "integrity" could have Enron as a role model.

These pro-Buhari retards have come out once more with their fake news. I was serving in 2011/2012 when some of my fellow corpers serving with NLNG in Lagos had to look for new PPAs because NLNG was relocating to Port Harcourt.

blackpanda:


Do u think if nigeria couldn't pay back it's debt, then world bank and co will be willing to still borrow us money If u had bothered to read the article u will see that most of the money's borrowed are self financing. They are tied to projects that generate income to pay back the loans. This is different from the past where nigeria borrows money and it just enters someone's pocket. Try to read before commenting. Cheers

When I first responded to you, I didn't imagine you could be this naive. There's an ancient saying: "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender". The financial heavyweights behind the Bretton Woods institutions will always benefit in the long run even if you default on the loans you owe them, like has been the case for over 30 years of their operations in Africa.

There has never been a time when loans were provided to find their way into "someone's pocket". There's always the assumption on paper that revenue will grow to pay off the loans. It rarely ever turns out that way in West Africa.

The data clearly shows that Nigeria's debt sustainability case worsens year after year.

2016: 33.94% of revenue
2017: 34.02% of revenue
https://punchng.com/nigeria-spends-34-of-revenue-on-debt-servicing-dmo/?amp
The ratios were already at alarming levels at this point.

2018: 50%+ of revenue
https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/nigeria-servicing-debt-with-more-than-50-revenue-imf/%3famp

2019: 54.66% of revenue
2020: 72% of revenue
https://punchng.com/debt-servicing-rises-gulps-72-of-fg-revenues/?utm_source=auto-read-also&utm_medium=web&amp

Most economic experts have expresses their worries about Nigeria's debt sustainability, including the IMF and Akinwumi Adesina, who heads one of our creditor organizations, the AFDB. Everyone has the right to bury their heads in the sands. But that has no bearing on the reality that awaits them.

blackpanda:


This is the problem with majority of Nigerians. Inability to read + ignorance. America that u worship is $23trn indebted to china!

Perhaps America will collapse sooner than most of us imagine if they begin to struggle with debt servicing. Debt sustainability is a very big deal. People who are not ignorant shouldn't try to make light of such matters. Capacity for revenue generation and the interest rates at which the debts were acquired significantly impact debt sustainability. Have you compared Nigeria's capacity for revenue generation to that of America? Have you compared the average interest rate at which Nigeria secures its debt to America?

Tax paying citizens of a country that spends more than 70% of its generated revenue on debt servicing are right to be disturbed. Things are looking very worrisome for Nigeria's economic future. The downward trend over the last 5 years appears to be steepening.