reforming the unreformable
Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria by Ngozi Okonji-Iweala
Summary on Chapter 1 & 7
It begins by talking about Nigeria’s political history which she described as checkered. Nigeria is started out with a parliamentary system of government adapted from its British colonial master to military rule to democracy. Nigeria was hard to govern because of its ethnic, religious and regional differences. Nigeria has gone through independence, multiple military coups and one civil war. One of the major problems in Nigeria is the entrenchment of corruption in government which began with the “early politicians”. Nigeria is a blessed country, in terms of economic resources: labor, natural resources (hydrocarbons and mineral resources), fertile land to support agriculture and a large domestic market. The most important of Nigeria’s blessing is the large deposit of crude oil which has shaped Nigerian politics and its economy. The discovery of crude oil in Nigeria turned her into a monoculture economy.
Following the advice given by her Brazilian colleague, Ngozi Okonji Iweala set out to create an economic team that could come up with a “comprehensive strategy” that would be used to create reforms for Nigeria. The came up with a medium term plan that they believed had to pass three test: a. it should have a diagnosis of the socio-economic problems in Nigeria, b. it should propose a solution, c. solutions should be readily translated into specific actions that produce results. The plan they came up with was called National Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy (NEEDS). It was a plan for Nigeria by Nigerians.
Diagnosis of NEEDS : A) poor economic management, B) poor governance, weak public institutions, corruption, C) inability to provide public services, D) hostile environment to public sector
Goals of NEEDS: A) Wealth Creation. B) Employment Generation C) Poverty Reduction D) Value Orientation
Actions: Changing the way government works, promoting private
Summary on Chapter 1 & 7
It begins by talking about Nigeria’s political history which she described as checkered. Nigeria is started out with a parliamentary system of government adapted from its British colonial master to military rule to democracy. Nigeria was hard to govern because of its ethnic, religious and regional differences. Nigeria has gone through independence, multiple military coups and one civil war. One of the major problems in Nigeria is the entrenchment of corruption in government which began with the “early politicians”. Nigeria is a blessed country, in terms of economic resources: labor, natural resources (hydrocarbons and mineral resources), fertile land to support agriculture and a large domestic market. The most important of Nigeria’s blessing is the large deposit of crude oil which has shaped Nigerian politics and its economy. The discovery of crude oil in Nigeria turned her into a monoculture economy.
Following the advice given by her Brazilian colleague, Ngozi Okonji Iweala set out to create an economic team that could come up with a “comprehensive strategy” that would be used to create reforms for Nigeria. The came up with a medium term plan that they believed had to pass three test: a. it should have a diagnosis of the socio-economic problems in Nigeria, b. it should propose a solution, c. solutions should be readily translated into specific actions that produce results. The plan they came up with was called National Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy (NEEDS). It was a plan for Nigeria by Nigerians.
Diagnosis of NEEDS : A) poor economic management, B) poor governance, weak public institutions, corruption, C) inability to provide public services, D) hostile environment to public sector
Goals of NEEDS: A) Wealth Creation. B) Employment Generation C) Poverty Reduction D) Value Orientation
Actions: Changing the way government works, promoting private