Charles Okeke

Road to Prosperity Charles Okeke

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, but the majority of its people live in abject poverty, even though the nation is awash in crude oil and other natural resources like iron ore, gold, zinc, limestone, and more. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria was worth 405.10 billion US dollars in 2016. The GDP value of Nigeria represents 0.65 percent of the world economy. But still its people suffer. In this well-researched commentary, the author argues that the country needs a responsible and responsive government to achieve its full potential-and not necessarily a democratic one. Having tried the Western democratic scheme with miserable results, he urges adopting a new approach based on socialist economic principles. In promoting the revised system, he exposes the shortcomings of the plural political system presently practiced in Nigeria. He also explains why a hitherto mixed economy has failed to yield financial rewards for the nation's long-suffering people.