I love studying up on nations. Mine is a ravishing interest in stories of leaders with great visions and their countries doing exploits economically even with minimal natural resources. Moments I stumble on enamouring stories of big and small countries, a natural reflex in me immediately juxtaposes their alluring testaments with Nigeria’s undeserved and endless troubles in all endeavours.
Despite the Giant of Africa’s abundant and abounding divine endowments in human and natural resources, the country is still far away from that place in history from where milk and honey flow. Regrettably, many countries with economic success stories do not possess a third of the natural gifts Nigeria can boast of. It is why I ask this question this week: Why is Nigeria where she is as a nation? Japan is a mountainous, volcanic island country, and the world’s fourth largest economy.
It is the largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas; and the second largest importer of crude oil. Its natural resources are fish and scanty mineral resources. Japan exports automobiles, consumer electronics, computers, semiconductors, copper, iron, and steel.
This country with no drop of crude oil has exports of around $717 billion. And Nigeria has much more than Japan in resources, but no testaments of remarkable progress. Less than 600 miles from Japan is South Korea; the world’s 13th largest economy.
The World Bank once submitted that South Korea went from an African standard nation (on a par .