I thought I will share the attached human development indicators for Nigeria and Rwanda. Given what Rwanda has gone through, and given how Nigeria has much more resources, and is blessed with a democracy that is presumably working because there is no a "Kagame," Nigeria should be doing exceedingly better.
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-- Each report is six pages. I encourage the reader to print it out or open two screens so as to patiently compare the indicators. The impression one gets is that in many respects, Nigeria even with democracy is sometimes a big for nothing since her human development indicators are not necessarily highly better than that of many other countries.
And in my assessment the result here is even looking better because Nigeria's human development indicators are better as a country, than when you dis-aggregate it by regions. If the North is only compared with Rwanda or other countries, the situation will look terribly bad.
You wonder where all the democracy in Nigeria went with regard to human development. The Nigerian mass media is vibrant, there is fierce competition for power, no life president etc.. But that these have translated into human development for all is not true. And given this, it will sound simplistic to just continue to be shouting democracy without going deeper into how to make the system really translate into concrete benefits for especially the poorest of the poor. Any government, whether authoritarian or democratic that fails to meets or attend to its citizens' basic needs and promote their human dignity will run into problems. We do not democracy is that is a kind of crowd control in the sense that you make people feel like they are doing something meaningful by participating in campaigns and voting when in reality nothing really changes.
And in my assessment the result here is even looking better because Nigeria's human development indicators are better as a country, than when you dis-aggregate it by regions. If the North is only compared with Rwanda or other countries, the situation will look terribly bad.
You wonder where all the democracy in Nigeria went with regard to human development. The Nigerian mass media is vibrant, there is fierce competition for power, no life president etc.. But that these have translated into human development for all is not true. And given this, it will sound simplistic to just continue to be shouting democracy without going deeper into how to make the system really translate into concrete benefits for especially the poorest of the poor. Any government, whether authoritarian or democratic that fails to meets or attend to its citizens' basic needs and promote their human dignity will run into problems. We do not democracy is that is a kind of crowd control in the sense that you make people feel like they are doing something meaningful by participating in campaigns and voting when in reality nothing really changes.
Samuel
Samuel Zalanga
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
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