Nigeria's Squandered Opportunity By Joel Brinkley-LA Times



By Joel Brinkley

Just outside President Goodluck Jonathan's office sat 17 ambulances, just in case he or one of his aides fell ill. They were seldom if ever used.

No actual health-care facility nationwide had as many, and in fact a few still have none at all. But as soon as a Nigerian newspaper took a photo of the ambulances and published a story about them, they suddenly disappeared -- probably to an underground garage.

Jonathan is president of Nigeria, which should be among the world's most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61 a barrel, that's $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can't afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth.

Sure, Transparency International lists almost three dozen states as more corrupt -- Chad, Haiti, Laos, Yemen, Cambodia and the like. But are any of those nations as wealthy as Nigeria -- taking in $81 billion annually, just from the sale of oil? No, not even one of them. So Nigeria steals and squanders more money than any other nation, making it the world's most corrupt, by that measure.

Nigerian journalist Musikilu Mojeed finds all this so discouraging.

"With its geopolitical power, economic resources and middle class," he laments, "no country (with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia and Egypt) has the power to change the course of black/African civilization like Nigeria." After all, Nigeria is Africa's most populous state -- and large, twice the size of California.

So Nigerians are living an opportunity squandered -- particularly now. Egypt is in turmoil. In just the last few days, in fact, many Egyptians have been calling for a military coup -- anything to rid the state of its widely despised Muslim Brotherhood government. And a new report by the World Economic Forum ranked Egypt the least safe and secure tourist destination among 140 tourist nations evaluated.

Egypt has lost its place as the Arab/African worlds' leader, and Saudi Arabia never had it. So for Nigeria, the time is ripe. But its leaders seem interested only in stealing the state's money to make themselves rich beyond imaging. Think about it: $81 billion a year just from the oil, while most every local government official still tells his people the nation just doesn't have enough money to fix the roads, schools or hospitals. (Roads are in such terrible shape that government officials generally travel any distance by helicopter.)

And Nigeria's people -- well, they are as mistreated as any on earth. In only nine nations -- among them Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia -- do more mothers die during childbirth. And in only 10 states, including Chad, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, is the average life expectancy lower. Right now the average Nigerian's average life span ends at 52. That may be why the median age of Nigerians is just 18.

A few months ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit published an evaluation of the best places for babies to born in 2013, given their probable welfare as children and the chance for a safe, comfortable, prosperous life. Switzerland, Australia and Norway were the top three. The United States came in at 16th, largely because "babies will inherit the large debts of the boomer generation."

Dead last: Nigeria. "It is the worst place for a baby to enter the world in 2013," the report said.

Even with all that wealth, only just over half the population has access to clean drinking water, and one-third to a toilet, UNICEF says. Two-thirds live below the poverty line. Only one child in four who contracts pneumonia is given antibiotics, and only about half the population is literate.

The CIA also cites endemic "soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution." All this in a county whose gross domestic product stands at $236 billion a year, in the same league as Denmark, Chile, Israel and the United Arab Emirates -- prosperous, successful states to be envied.

Goodluck Jonathan is certainly aware of all of this. After all, taking the oath of office, he swore to "devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God."

Well, just last week he demonstrated who he really is and what he stands for when he pardoned a former state governor who'd been convicted of embezzling state funds and laundering the money. That pardon triggered a broad, angry uproar.

Good luck, Mr. Jonathan. It's time you were impeached.

(Joel Brinkley is the Hearst professional in residence at Stanford University and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former correspondent for The New York Times.)



http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sns-201303191300--tms--amvoicesctnav-c20130319-20130319,0,2415012.column

I second to the opinion expressed here!

The whole world can't be wrong!

I totally agree..

The LA times reporter simply confirms what we already know - GEJ is a failure and unfit to rule Nigeria.

Jonathan is president of Nigeria, which should be among the world's most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61 a barrel, that's $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can't afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth.

How can any sane human being defend the above? The sad thing is that we have 'educated' people, even here on NL, who will do just that.

With 17 Ambulances in front of GEJ's office (what for, sebi Yar'Adua is no longer with us), uncontrolled terrorism, Alam's pardon, corruption at epidemic levels, Billion naira food and entertainment bill, multi billion naira for the first lady's pet project, summary killings of our people without trial, e.t.c. e.t.c, one can only conclude that GEJ is a curse to the nation.

2015 cannot arrive soon enough.

Let me ask: did this corrupt practice start with GEJ? All the progressive promising change, as far as memories go, corruption has been eating Nigeria, has there ever been a day they come out to ask for a change and then be noble enough to. 'Make an attempt at stepping down so they are not part of the corruption? Nooo. They stayed in the system, enjoyed, spent their time, replaced. That seat with their candidates and once they fall our they come out with a front of saying we need to change somethings for the better. Betterment of who?

Exaggerated lies with truth to make everything look real!


Only one third has access to toilet?

For the sake of things getting worse, for the sake of national wealth seriously wasted everyday, for the sake of corruption getting to a record high and the sake of wrong decisions made by GEJ everyday,I beg that he is impeached without futher delay.

If he had been impeached Dec 2011, Petrol would still be 65 naira
If he had been impeached in May 2012, his wife's plane wouldn't have forced Dana Air crash with many lives gone.
If he had been impeached before the helicopter of the govenors crashed,they would have still been alive
If he had been impeached in February,the world renowned corrupt and public funds armed robbers wouldn't have been pardoned.
Etc

Who knows what happens 2morow from our president.

Please Politicians do us a huge favour by impeaching GEJ, arrest him immediately after impeachment, recover all stolen funds, cancel all his waste projects like giving fones to farmers nationwide and d rest,arrest all his cabinet members and prosecute dem seriously like Egypt prosecuted Hosni Mubarak,send Okupe and Abati to special jail and seize all their assets,their should no mercy to any slight degree,nothing like Abati's wife crying on TV to forgive her husband or Abati village people coming in groups with placards for his release. Justice must be served wholely, no half justice for any of them. Rebuild the civil service, mend all crooked ways and let Nigerians be united again happy,richer,better and safer.

I pray thee.

There are some news you cannot read without an alomo bitters beside you to cool down ur temper.

Una forget say for match substitutes dey sitdon for bench D oda ambulance wey dem see dey bench incase the ones wey dey active get injury.

Like I have already said, Nigeria is a God forgotten country.
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The longer an indolent leader remains in power, the longer is the road to progress! If those sleazy low class crooks in the National Assembly will not impeach him, he musnt be allowed to return in 2015. When leaders have no solution, the solution is without those leaders- Away with the utterly clueless one!

What baffles me most is the CIA's report of the erosion menace in Nigeria, the probable conclusion is that, the CIA have being spying on us for God knows when.

U people are looking at it the very wrong way though barking at the right horse. GEJ problem starts with his advicers and people around him. Nigeria is a country where Oga's at the top take decisions with impunity without consulting just cos they feel its their right to do so. Most Nigerian men have that problem esp ones who grew up in Nigeria even more esp our corrupt politicians and senior government officials. No if our government (GEJ, PDP and there cronies) could learn that before they take serious decisions they should sample opinions most of these problems would not be, also if they knew they would have to answer to someone; believe u me, they would make no room for mistakes.

OP just a question for the confused Mr Joel Brinkley,Is GEJ the first leader of Nigeria?how many years has he spent on power so far?Nigeria has been ruled by bad leaders for decades and u expect GEJ to turn bad things around within three years,the writer of the article must be dreaming.

gunuvi: There are some news you cannot read without an alomo bitters beside you to cool down ur temper.

I know right!!!

Lucasbalo: Like I have already said, Nigeria is a God forgotten country.
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I agree. And to add to that I would like to say my best saying: Nigeria looks like it has not been visited by God since 1960. Lo_oL

Even i, would wish for a military comeback.
Our saintly civilians have caused us more pain, and deaths.









I was never a fan of the western world, but now, i just need to take my family out of the country, where my kids have a future, and never look back! Never! Never!








Where the hell were my great-grandfathers, when africans were being picked as slaves?
Maybe he would have suffered for a while, and i'd have had a better future by now.

gunuvi: There are some news you cannot read without an alomo bitters beside you to cool down ur temper.

confirm guy!!!

bubadaniel13: OP just a question for the confused Mr Joel Brinkley,Is GEJ the first leader of Nigeria?how many years has he spent on power so far?Nigeria has been ruled by bad leaders for decades and u expect GEJ to turn bad things around within three years,the writer of the article must be dreaming.

Please spare me dat trash! The writer ended his piece perfectly joor, "[By pardoning thieves and people who stole state funds, GEJ has shown the whole world whom he truly is. He deserves Impeachment"], as I type.

Seems everybody around the world and some Nigerians seem to just realise that our president is a concrete nuisance. Well, I've known this long ago and I seriously campaigned against him in 2011 but those without brains said they were voting GEJ not PDP...now we are in a mess.

SoLUTION: Please let's kick PDP out 2015

.

It is only in Nigeria that a man who performed poorly as a governor of the smallest state (with lots of monies as oil royalty) in the country is voted in as a president.. Our leaders have their problem, but the citizens are worse.

The world is right. Nigeria's sick.

The reporter is simply foolish. He shld focus on his country.
And jonathan shld do quick and go back to his village. he don try

kokoA: It is only in Nigeria that a man who performed poorly as a governor of the smallest state (with lots of monies as oil royalty) in the country is voted in as a president.. Our leaders have their problem, but the citizens are worse.

You hit the nail so hard that you drew blood!

That, my friend, is the real koko of the matter!

kpom!

I don't really know buhari that much, but if he will come and kill some politicians then he is ok by me.

Nigeria is in perpectual darkness that can only be brought to light by her youth- how many of us (the youth) is/are ready to match to national assembly to make our grieviances known, How many of us will vote someone who does not have a direct influence on us and does nt belong to thesame tribe as ours. Stop putting the whole blame on the leaders(though they have their own fair share of the problem) but followers(mostly youth) should also be blame because a larger percentage of us have limited our responsibilities to complains and prayers . Sad!

this is the boom digidy,people need to read this.

has it ever been this bad?