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ChrisAlbin-Lackey
tionatall;theheadofNigeria’sleadinganti-corruptionbodyestimatedthatthe
countrylost$380billiontocorruptionbetween1960and1999
5.
ThecausesofNigeria’sfailuretorealizethehopesithadatindependenceare
many.Forone,Nigeriaisanationofextraordinaryethnicandreligiousdiversity
whoseborders,imposedbycolonialism,demarcateanationthatwouldalmost
certainlyneverhavecomeintobeingthroughanyrationalandlegitimateprocess.
ElaborateattemptstoaccommodatethatdiversitythroughNigeria’scomplex
anduniquebrandoffederalismhaveoftenamountedtothenakeduseofcorrup-
tionandpatronagetopreventintercommunaltension.Butobjectivelyandinthe
near-universalopinionofNigerianpoliticians,activistsandthinkers,onefactor
standsoutaboveallothersinshapingNigeria’spresent-dayproblems:oil.
Nigeria’sfirstwellwasdrilledintheNigerDeltacommunityofOloibiriin
1956,justfouryearspriortoindependence.Theoilindustryhassincegrownto
dominatethecountry’seconomy,explodingfrom$250millionin1970to$45
billionin2005
6.
Present-dayNigeriaexhibitsallofthesymptomsofthenresourcecurse”that
hasrunsorampantacrossAfrica’sresource-richcountries.Theoilindustry’s
ascendancyhasbeenaccompaniedbyparalleldeclineinothersectorsofthe
economy;by2004itwasestimatedthattheonce-vibrantmanufacturingsector
accountedforonly6percentoftheeconomy,whiletheonce-dominantagricul-
turalsectorremainedlockedinsteepdecline
7.Oilrevenuesaccountforroughly
80percentofallgovernmentincome
8,astreamofrevenuethathaserodedac-
countabilitybecauseitisnotdependentontaxationandcompletelyremoved
fromanyneedtointeractwiththecountry’scitizens.
OilhasalsoerodedtheautonomythattheoreticallyresideswithNigeria’sstate
andlocalgovernmentsbymakingthemalmostentirelydependentonoilrevenues
dispensedbythefederalauthorities
9.Andevenasoilrevenueshaveexploded
andledtoadramaticriseingovernmentincome,socio-economicconditionshave
deterioratedwhilethepoliticalsystemhasbecomedeeplycorrupt,authoritarian
andviolent.
Nigeria’sexampleillustratesjusthowpowerfulaphenomenonoftheresource
curseis.NigeriaisnotEquatorialGuinea;itisacountrythathasproducedmany
ofAfrica’smostcelebratedintellectualsandwritersalongwithpoliticalthinkers,
5NigeriaLeaders[Stole’$380Billion,BBCNewsOnline,October20,2006,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6069230.stm.
6USEnergyInformationAdministration,OPECRevenues:CountryDetails,
https://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/OPEC_Revenues/OPECDetails.html.
7P.Lewis,GettingthePoliticsRight:GovernanceandEconomicFailureinNigeria,[in:]
R.Rotberg(ed.),CraftingtheNewNigeria,LynneRiennerPublishers,Boulder,Colo2004,p.99.
8UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgram,NigerDeltaHumanDevelopmentReport,UNDP,
Abuja2006,p.14.
9SeeR.Suberu,FederalismandEthnicConflictinNigeria,USIP,Washington2001.
