Nigeria, Wealthy, Yet Poor 
19 August 2009   


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks in Abuja, Nigeria.

Africa is a continent rich in natural resources, and yet most of its people live in poverty. Nigeria is no exception. Nigeria produces 2 million barrels of oil a day, has the seventh-largest natural gas reserves of any country in the world, but according the United Nations, the poverty rate in Nigeria has gone up from 46 percent to 76 percent over the last 13 years.

On her recent trip through Africa, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton observed that the most immediate source of the disconnect between Nigeria's wealth and its poverty is a failure of governance at the local, state, and federal level.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria has lost well over 300 billion dollars during the last 3 decades as a result of corruption and mismanagement. That means roads, schools, and hospitals could not be built. The lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the Nigerian government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state. Part of the answer, said Secretary Clinton, is to fix Nigeria's flawed electoral system, establishing a truly independent electoral council,  http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2009-08-19-voa2.cfm