A former US
Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr John Campbell, has said though Nigeria possesses
extraordinary potential, it is the truly troubled giant of Africa.
Campbell
stated this in a new book he co-authored which was presented to the public on
Thursday in Lagos at the US Consul General’s residence.
He also
saluted the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians in the book titled, “Nigeria:
What Everyone Needs to Know”
Campbell
stated in the book that virtually every major university in the
English-speaking world hosted Nigerian academics with the country’s medical
personnel found in hospitals all over the United States and elsewhere.
He said,
“Though it possesses extraordinary potential, Nigeria is truly the troubled
giant of Africa. And Nigeria exports Christian clergy to the United Kingdom and
the United States. Nigerians living outside of Nigeria have been notably
successful in business and finance, and they are known for their
entrepreneurial spirit.’’
In the book,
Campbell and Matthew T. Page, Associate Fellow in Chatham House’s Africa
Programme, described Nigeria as a nation
characterised by a type of corruption in which government or public officials
seek personal gain at the expense of the led.
They stated,
“Kleptocracy and government dishonesty have corrosive effects on popular
confidence in governance. Official and unofficial corruption undermine the
democratic trajectory and risks overwhelming it. It is among the most important
hindrances to the country’s economic and social development.
“Despite
ubiquitous cell phone use and other signs of modernity, the country is one of
the poorest in the world. By indices ranging from levels of female literacy to
average lifespan, Nigeria scores among the lowest in the world. The country’s
population has grown explosively without the economic and infrastructure
development necessary to support it.’’
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