International Journal of Nigerian Studies and Development
Volume 16 December 2010
Editorial
Okechukwu Ukaga
The current global economic crisis has affected various countries of the world differently. In the first paper Folorunso Sunday Ayadi examines possible channels through which the crisis has affected Nigeria. Ayadi used cointegration tool to test whether or not there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between economic growth (as proxied by the GDP growth) and foreign direct investment flows from various regions of the world so as to confirm the effect of the present crisis on Nigeria via FDI. Further, the study investigated the relationship between growth on one hand and import and export growth on the other hand. To complement the cointegration test, the Ayadi also utilized causality to determine the factors of growth. Results indicate that Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) from United Kingdom, Western Europe and possibly Asia are beneficial to growth just like import growth. In addition, the major impact of the crisis may not be so serious via FDI flows but through export. Based on the above, therefore, we suggest policies that can stimulate the domestic as well as financial system to fund domestic expansion among others.
Beyond the need to mitigate the impacts of the current global economic crisis, Nigeria desperately needs to develop and maintain effective infrastructure. For instance, without good transportation systems (roads, railways, etc) and adequate and reliable electric power to support business and industry, Nigeria is not ready for sustainable development. Against this backdrop, the second paper by Iwarere, Fanara, and Okoro examines the current effort to solve the power supply problem in Nigeria through power system privatization. Market effects and welfare considerations are discussed. However, while the current federal government, like others before this, has promised to solve the power problem as soon as possible, whether such a promised is fulfilled or allowed to come to nothing (as is usually the case in Nigeria) depends on leadership. Unfortunately, given recent history of the country and the track record of most of the current political, business and even some religious leaders in Nigeria, it is difficult to be reasonably optimistic.
As Chinua Achebe puts it simply and honestly in his book, The Trouble with Nigeria, the trouble with Nigeria is a failure of leadership. The same can be said of most African countries. Hence, in the third paper Ngunan Nancy Agbe calls for re-defining leadership in Africa and suggests that educational institutions play a major role in doing so. The paper starts with a survey of contemporary political developments in Africa and their implications for the future, then discusses hindrances to Africa's development and the expected roles of emerging African leaders, and finally suggests specific role for higher institutions to play in re-defining leadership in Africa.
Still on education, the fourth paper by Antyo Joseph and E. G. Egbe-Okpenge focused more narrowly on the role of remedial program in students' achievement in degree programs at Nigerian higher institutions of learning. Two main questions were answered by this study: 1) the extent to which remedial studies influence performance in the degree programs, and 2) the type of relationship that exists between the performance in remedial studies and the performance in degree programs. The CGPA of students that passed through Preliminary Studies was found to be higher than those that were admitted through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), but the difference in performance was not statistically significant. The mode of entry did not significantly influence the performance in the degree programs nor was the performance in remedial studies related to the performance in the degree programs.
Next, Adebowale examined the influence of television viewing on academic performance among secondary school students and concluded that there is a direct relationship between television viewing and poor academic performance of the adolescents. The results also showed that the students' gender makes no difference with regard to academic performance, but type of school matters. Students in private school performed better than their counterparts in public schools while the males and females did not perform differently. Television viewing can be very beneficial as a source of useful information if properly utilized. However, as confirmed in this study, watching too much television is problematic as it limits learning hence the need to reduce television viewing among adolescents to enhance their academic performance. Parents and teachers should help students understand the importance of real studying which may include limiting television watching to mainly educational programs.
Turning to foreign relations, the next paper by Funso Adesola examines the difference personalities make with special attention to Nigeria's External Relations during the Abacha Years. The late General Sani Abacha's rule, which spanned from 1993 to 1998, was undoubtedly the most repressive epoch in Nigeria's history. Once he became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, his persona gave a peculiar/notorious colouration to the country's external image. Literarily, he became the nation personified and arguably more than his predecessors. He over-personalized the nation's decision-making which led to series of diplomatic blunders. By employing personality theory, this study explains Abacha's idiosyncrasies as they affected Nigeria's foreign relations during his reign. Notably, in Nigeria there is yet to be a well established institutional framework to adequately check the excesses of leaders especially under military autocracy. Hence, Abacha could not but strongly bring his preferences to bear and subject almost all other considerations to his own whims. This explains the country's external affairs misadventure during his reign.
Finally in the commentary, titled Re-Building Nigerian University Education for National Development, Dora Akunyili highlights the deplorable state of our educational system, suggests how it can be revamped, and discusses her broader strategy for rebranding Nigeria. However, we honestly believe that it would take more than talk, slogan or even cosmetic efforts to achieve real re-branding. Notably, while most of the current Nigerian leaders enjoyed and benefited from a Nigeria that was at its best while they were growing up, these so called leaders have been unable or unwilling to really lead the country to assure the same quality of life for current and future generations. Again, the trouble with Nigeria is a failure of leadership. To be effective, therefore, any effort at rebranding Nigeria should start with a new brand of leadership—one that is selfless, honest, visionary, effective, and above all accountable to the good people of Nigeria. Getting such leadership, in turn depends in large part on free and fair elections as that would not only allow the people to keep in office only those they believe would serve them best, but it would also compel elected officials to pay attention the peoples' needs and public opinion or be voted out at the next election. This has not been the case since the return of so called democracy in Nigeria. Currently, the peoples' needs and opinions are generally disregarded with impunity by politicians who tend to focus solely on acquiring undue wealth and power for themselves and their sponsors at the expense of the people/country simply because the system allows visionless, ill-equipped, corrupt and questionable characters to get into leadership positions through rigging, violence, cheating, and political god fathers.
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