Nigeria is trouble giant of Africa, says John Campbell

A former US Ambassador to Nigeria , Mr John Campbell, has said though Nigeria possesses extraordinary potential, it is the truly troubled giant of Africa .

Campbell stated this in a new book he co- authored which was presented to the public on Thursday in Lagos at the US Consul General ’ s residence .

He also saluted the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians in the book titled , “ Nigeria : What Everyone Needs to Know”

Campbell stated in the book that virtually every major university in the English-speaking world hosted Nigerian academics with the country’ s medical personnel found in hospitals all over the United States and elsewhere.

He said , “ Though it possesses extraordinary potential, Nigeria is truly the troubled giant of Africa . And Nigeria exports Christian clergy to the United Kingdom and the United States . Nigerians living outside of Nigeria have been notably successful in business and finance, and they are known for their entrepreneurial spirit . ’’

In the book , Campbell and Matthew T . Page , Associate Fellow in Chatham House ’ s Africa Programme , described Nigeria as a nation characterised by a type of corruption in which government or public officials seek personal gain at the expense of the led .

They stated, “ Kleptocracy and government dishonesty have corrosive effects on popular confidence in governance . Official and unofficial corruption undermine the democratic trajectory and risks overwhelming it . It is among the most important hindrances to the country ’ s economic and social development.

“ Despite ubiquitous cell phone use and other signs of modernity, the country is one of the poorest in the world . By indices ranging from levels of female literacy to average lifespan, Nigeria scores among the lowest in the world . The country’ s population has grown explosively without the economic and infrastructure development necessary to support it. ’’