QATAR'S INVESTING IN NIGERIA: The request of a rich beggar

I actually bowed my head in shame when I heard that the President of Nigeria was begging the visiting Emir of Qatar to come and invest in all major sectors of our economy. At that moment, I felt ashamed to be a Nigerian and I sought to hide my face under my chair when I also heard that the president told the Emir to have his 'management here to oversee the investment' and that 'we need your expertise'. I am no economist but I know enough to sense that the president is clearly announcing his government's failure and asking for help from Qatar to run Nigeria's economy. Yeah, I know that beggars have no choice but I come from a part of the country where beggars dictate the amount of money you give to them, so forgive me if I don't feel comfortable with this situation. Forget about the enormous disgrace and the destruction of our pride as leaders of Africa and our dignity as a great nation. Let's forget all that and let's focus on why the president is essentially handing over the country to a nation with a population not up to some local governments in one of our states.

 

Qatar is a tiny country with a total area of 11,571 sq. km., 2.7 million people in 2017 (2.3 million of which are foreign expatriates), a low $200 minimum wage, world's highest GDP per capita of $129,000 (in 2016), 3rd largest gas deposit, world's largest supplier of LNG, 4th largest producers of gas, some fish, petroleum, 1.2% arable land and some hardly significant minerals. It gained its independence from our former colonial masters 11 years after we gained ours. Qatar is currently one of the richest and the fastest growing nation in the world. They plan to host the 2022 World Cup in a way the world has never seen. 

 

Now, let's look at Naija. We occupy the enviable position of poverty capital of the planet. With every natural resource you can think of, we have a size of 923,768 sq. km., very arable land and fishy waters, 198 million people (many of which are migrating abroad), $83 minimum wage, GDP per capita of $1,900 (in 2017), 9th largest gas deposit (most of which is burnt off). We gained independence from Britain in 1960 and FIFA will never be mad enough to allow us host a meeting of the janitorial staff of its headquarters. In fact, we won't even dare make a bid. 

 

So what is the reason why Africa's biggest heavyweight, a country as blessed as Nigeria, is begging a tiny desert nation to help her run her economy, or rather, why does her president feel the need to carry out this plea? Part of the problem is that every Nigerian has a different version of what he thinks is the problem, but the biggest part of this problem is that the government who with one side of its mouth professes that we are on the path of growth and development is also begging for help with another side of that same mouth. So, the summary is that there is no conscious effort to address the problem because the handlers are not admitting that there is a problem. It's like someone who claims to be happy and safe but is also at the same time crying and wringing his hands. Perhaps it's democrazy - the demonstration of craze.