Could Nigeria have become a world power after its civil war in the 60s/70s

GDIS Pathe

GDIS Pathe

Randall172 said:
focus on trying to unify Sub-Saharan Africa, then all of Africa.

The best thing you could do if you want to become a world power is to create a Unified African Identity (instead of seeing yourself as "Nigerian" see yourself and other countries as "African" and soley African), similar to how the Germans had their unification and the time to develop a sole "German" identity.
Africa's biggest curse is that there is too much infighting between countries and even members within countries for anyone on the continent to even worry about projecting power outside of the continent.

But it would never happen in our lifetime, any country that might become to powerful would get hammered down by outside countries for trying to change the status quo.
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Or fighting wars of aggression take your pick
 

Deleted member 67076

Nigeria needs to have much more federalism within the country to avoid the conflict between North, Southwest and Southeast if its to have the stability needed for stable economic growth. From there, the country needs to emphasis heavy development in infrastructure to better leverage its agricultural and mineral resources. Paradoxically, oil makes that difficult since it incentivizes a rentier state, and a state with an artificially high currency.

I think the best POD is one to prevent oil from being discovered and extracted en masse until the 80s or 90s, forcing Nigeria to maximize its vast agricultural reserves that in turn need the country to develop its roads and rural infrastructure.
 

GujaratiRaj

Banned
Great Britain purchases Togo and Benin (possible Liberian annexation) and unites all the West African colonies into one(namely, Nigeria)
How would this effect today's economy and world?
 

omi

A regional/African power is very easily done. Just keep the 70s oil boom going into the late 1980s and avoid the debt crisis. it could be easily done or avoid the civil war.
 

Mr Carrot

having spent a decade on and off in Nigeria trying to get various public sector organizations working correctly alongside securing institutional funding for an actual usable road in the country from Lagos to Abuja.

my experience would say for the period specified (post civil war) you preclude a scenario where the British remain in region with a very firm grip for a longer period to spend the vast wealth Nigeria had accrued during ww2 in a more useful fashion.... So kick off from 1960s I would say the odds are stacked against you.

I managed to contract malaria in the jungles despite the best modern medicine had to offer. It's a developmental nightmare for foreign specialists. 'Boko Haram' repeatedly tried to blow our convoys up (though I would wager most of this were just pissed off locals/unpaid police forces).

I also have a sinking suspicion that speeding up development anytime after the export of Whabism from Saudi (so 80s onwards) basically just brings the secular conflict to a head faster.

also the huge expansion of US and European bribery and corruption regulation in the 90s (all etc.) means it's an utter arse to get paid out of there. So again for decent foreign support (which they will need) you're looking pre 1980s.

that said I have a great story from THE gloriously 70s era trashy Abuja Hilton with a drunken night out with the Justice Secretary that makes it all worth while.
 
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The Byronic Hero

The Byronic Hero

Mr Carrot said:
having spent a decade on and off in Nigeria trying to get various public sector organizations working correctly alongside securing institutional funding for an actual usable road in the country from Lagos to Abuja.

my experience would say for the period specified (post civil war) you preclude a scenario where the British remain in region with a very firm grip for a longer period to spend the vast wealth Nigeria had accrued during ww2 in a more useful fashion.... So kick off from 1960s I would say the odds are stacked against you.

I managed to contract malaria in the jungles despite the best modern medicine had to offer. It's a developmental nightmare for foreign specialists. 'Boko Haram' repeatedly tried to blow our convoys up (though I would wager most of this were just pissed off locals/unpaid police forces).

I also have a sinking suspicion that speeding up development anytime after the export of Whabism from Saudi (so 80s onwards) basically just brings the secular conflict to a head faster.

also the huge expansion of US and European bribery and corruption regulation in the 90s (all etc.) means it's an utter arse to get paid out of there. So again for decent foreign support (which they will need) you're looking pre 1980s.

that said I have a great story from THE gloriously 70s era trashy Abuja Hilton with a drunken night out with the Justice Secretary that makes it all worth while.
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Tell tell!
 

Veiovis

Randall172 said:
The best thing you could do if you want to become a world power is to create a Unified African Identity (instead of seeing yourself as "Nigerian" see yourself and other countries as "African" and soley African)
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dude,they don't even have that "nigerian" identity down,so first establishing that would be a more reasonable goal.
 

Raferty

They are one of the few nations in the world that have not brought their population dynamics under control. Without the Cold War, I suppose its possible that they could have launched wars of conquest on their neighbors and won and built an empire of sorts for themselves.

But economically speaking, there are structural problems that they have not at all managed to address, not to mention their social problems.
 

Deleted member 67076

dsov2016 said:
@Soverihn


but would more federalism not lead to disintegration as it would promote much more tribal isolation and ethnocentrism.
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How so? Federalism, particularly in the monetary sense would assuage the main historical fears of one group dominating the others. It would also weaken the gatekeeper state apparatus within the country.
 
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