VOA标准英语2011--Economy, Development Central to Nigerian

Economy, Development Central to Nigerian Voters’ Concerns

Nigeria's economy is the second-largest in sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa, but observers say that status is deceiving. They complain that Nigeria, despite billions of oil revenues and nearly 7% yearly economic growth, has failed to lift living standards for the average person.

Tony Iyare is a columnist 1 and political consultant 2 to Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomole of the south-central state of Edo.

"More than 70 percent of Nigerians live on less than $1.00 per day," says Iyare. "We have one of the highest rates of maternal 3 and child mortality. Nigeria may not meet the U.N. Millennium 4 Development Goals [which aim for dramatic reductions in poverty and improvements in health care by 2015].

"For a country that's earned over $500 billion over the past 12 years [in oil money], it has not been able to put food on the table for its population, provide health care, schools, good roads and all kinds of services, [nor] hope for its teaming population."

AP

Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has ambitious reforms for the country's energy sector 6

Power shortages

It's not for lack of trying.

President Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party has introduced several measures to improve transparency and improve efficiency.

They include a proposed $10 billion dollar plan to develop Nigeria's gas reserves and its petrochemical and fertilizer industries. Jonathan says the venture should help create half a million jobs.

His administration also backs the ambitious Petroleum 7 Industry Bill, which would improve transparency in contracts and increase government petroleum revenues, which would in turn help create a new fund to help develop often-neglected oil-producing communities.

Perhaps the president's most publicized plan is to reform the ineffective Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The state-run agency was originally named the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), which many Nigerians said meant No Electric Power Anytime or Never Electric Power Again.

Iyare says things are so bad that companies have to rely on their own sources of energy to operate.

Nigerians cast their ballots 8 for president on Saturday

"The cost of doing business in Nigeria is 50 percent higher [than in other countries in West Africa]. It is easier to do business in [Ivory Coast and] Ghana, where there is power 24 hours a day.

"[Here], if you are engaging in production, you have to provide your own power, generate your own water, build your own roads and hire your own security. By the time you add this overhead, the cost of production is very high."

Ambitious reforms

Jonathan has also proposed spending nearly 4 billion dollars on a new electricity grid 9. The president predicts domestic power generation will increase from about 4,000 megawatts today to about 20,000 within the next four years.

Sola Tayo is a first-year associate fellow in the Africa Program at the London-based think tank, Chatham House.

"Goodluck Jonathan made headlines," she says, "with his plans to completely privatize the electricity sector. No one [before him] has gone as far as he is proposing. There were efforts by [former president Olusegun Obasanjo] to reform the power sector and let foreign companies bid for contracts, but what Jonathan is proposing is a... complete privatization of state-run power company, which I don't think anyone has proposed before.

"Jonathan made a big splash with that and appointed a very respected Nigerian professor to oversee 10 the process, Professor Bart Nnaji. He is someone people admire, an innovator 11... not a light weight. But it remains 12 to be seen whether this will make a significant difference to Nigerians and if power generated will increase So far, they've had interest from [investors] in Ireland, Canada, and India. It just remains to be seen whether they deliver, and if the government makes it easy for them to deliver."

Reuters

Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari enjoys strong corruption 14-fighting credentials 15

Corruption

Observers say whether or not the country can be turned around depends on how leaders handle another important issue corruption. The World Bank blames the problem for the loss of $300 billion over the past three decades.

The issue has been a boon 16 to two other presidential contenders with records of fighting graft 17: former general Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change and Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress Party, who has served as chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

On the other hand, some have less confidence in President Jonathon, who they say has surrounded himself with corrupt 13 officials.

Emmanuel Iffer is a public commentator 18 and former news editor for the Leadership newspaper in Abuja.

"His weakness," says Iffer, "is that he has people around him, supporters who are key organizers and planners, some of whom people are not happy with. People believe that for him to succeed, he should not have relationships with such characters.

"In the last 12 years of Nigerian democracy, some of these people have been in successive governments and Nigerians see them as people who have [failed] to move the country forward. Some people are worried about such people around him. They are suspicious they are likely to influence his decisions; [they do not think he has] a mind of his own."

Observers note another characteristic common to most of the front-running candidates. Only the vice 5 presidential candidate of the Action Congress Party of Nigeria, [banker and businessman Fola Adeola], has any experience in the private sector.

Personality politics

Some complain that despite the importance of these issues, much of the campaign season has been devoted 19 to personal topics, like the candidates' religion or home region.

Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim is the director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja.

Reuters

A supporter holds a poster campaigning for former anti-graft chief Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria

"Personalities 20 have played a much bigger role in the campaigns, which is unfortunate," says Ibrahim. "The presidential candidates are not being judged on [where they stand on] the issues. Most simply [say] they will [provide] electricity, water or create employment without going into the details [of] how they will do that using the resources available at the country at this time."

Security

Jibril Ibrahim says one important topic that's been ignored is security. In recent years, the government has confronted militants 22 who say they are fighting for greater development of the oil-rich Niger Delta 23 region. It has also faced inter-communal 24 violence between Muslims and Christians 26 in the country's center, or Middle Belt and the emergence 27 in the mainly Muslim northeast of the militant 21 group Boko Haram [which translates as "Western education is sacrilege"]."

"It was clear to everyone as a serious issue," says Ibrahim. "The level of violence was quite high. In some parts of the country, there is low level insurgency 28 that has persisted; in other parts, there have been communal conflicts of significant levels; banditry and armed robbery continue to be major problems. So, in the mindset of Nigerians, improving the security is an absolute necessity."

Ibrahim says Jonathan, who has helped oversee an amnesty for Niger Delta militants, has the support of many voters who want an end to violence in the region. But others say retired 29 general Buhari, himself a northern Muslim, would be best to handle conflict in north and central regions.

Social cohesion 30

Besides security, Sola Tayo of Chatham House, say social issues have been neglected.

"There are issues people don't like to talk about," says Tayo,"like what it means to actually be Nigerian. [Today], there [are] people not calling themselves Nigerian, but Yoruba, Ibo, Muslim, Christian 25 [etc]...and that, combined with the way some people campaigned during the election, does not build a cohesive 31 nation.

Reuters

All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) Ibrahim Shekarau has earned respect as a strong and eloquent 32 governor of Kano State.

"They judge people based on their ethnicity or religion. That is something that needs to be addressed because if you look at what's happened in some other African states, in particular, Ivory coast and what [former Ivory Coast president] Laurent Gbagbo did with his [nativist] campaign [making a distinction between who is a "real" Ivorian and who, in his view, is not], I think it can be quite dangerous if people don't talk about these things on a grassroots level early on."

Observers say it's not clear to what extent regionalism will determine the winner. They note that both President Jonathan and General Buhari enjoy support throughout the country. And they say that with the abundance of so many small ethnic 33 and religious groups, it's hard to be sure any single candidate has a complete lock on any given region.