How Indonesia overtook Nigeria

When Indonesia's second president, Haji Muhammad Suharto, took power in 1967 the number of people living in poverty was the same as in Nigeria; around six out of ten. Three decades later, it had fallen from six to two. In Nigeria it had risen from six to seven.


Not only Indonesia, but also Malaysia. If not on the same level of development considering economic indicators, Nigeria was ahead of Malaysia in the early 1960s even though Malaysia got independence from the same former colonial master with Nigeria two years earlier. In terms of population Nigeria had and still has five times that of Malaysia. So also natural resources. No wonder former Prime Minister Tuanko Abdulrahman imported palm kernel seedlings from Nigeria in the 1960s possibly because of his close relationship with the late Sardauna.

But, thats not the story today, both nations, Malaysia and Indonesia are far ahead of Nigeria even though we are blessed with rich human and natural resources. Read More

some texts culled from allafrica.com