Ghana And Nigeria As Economic Pathfinders: A Comparative Analysis

By Emmanuel Gandu

HIGHLIGHTS
Introduction

1. Independence
2. Peace and mediation
3. Population
4. Flight from Economic hardship
5. Revolutionary leadership
6. Party politics/Democracy
7. Twitter H/Q
8. Vehicle manufacturing/Assembly plants
9. Free Trade
10. Poverty
11. Cripto currency
12. Ease of doing Business
13. International Tech Giants
14. Global Peace Index
15. Global Terrorism Index

INTRODUCTION
Without any particular reason nor prejudices to any past Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari was accepted overwhelmingly on a popular mandate in 2015 as the Messiah to salvage Nigeria. This was in an election he won after 3 consecutive trials and 3 consecutive failures. This series of failures led the retired army general to weep and “cry for” his beloved country.
He eventually became Nigeria’s president on 29th May, 2015. Buhari was given a second mandate in 2019 that took him to 29th May 2023 when he handed the mantle of leadership over to the elected president Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
Regrettably, Nigeria was worst off during president Muhammadu Buhari than at any other time of the years of Nigeria’s independence.

It will amount to an understatement to merely mention without any supporting evidence of figures/statistics that Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari and currently Bola Ahmed Tinubu is dangerously ravaged by hunger and abject poverty, genocide, terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, massive unemployment, corruption, tyranny, poor standard of living, bad economic policies, rising foreign borrowing and debt profile, collapsing infrastructure, nepotism, marginalization and alienation, human rights abuses, injustice and inequality, and a divided Nigeria.
While the South West is clamoring for an Oduduwa Nation, the South East is struggling to resurcitate their Biafran dreams of the country of the rising sun. At the same time, the South South nationionalities have not forgotten their son Ken Saro Wiwa who was brutally executed in Port Harcourt along with 8 other Ogoni activists by hanging during the General Sani Abacha Junta for demanding for resource control.
In the midst of all these, the Middle Belt is agitating for liberation from the oppressive Hausa Fulani North by demanding for self determination.

All these agitations for resource control, tax reforms, restructuring, regional security outfits, alignment and re- alignment, regional groupings and meetings have found their way into the National lexicon due to the flowed administrative policies of the dishonoured leadership.
It can easily be said without contradiction that Nigerians have never been this divided along several fault lines like now.
It is therefore not rocket science to see that some of the past leadership have put a knife on the things that held us together and we’ve fallen apart.

Several years after independence, Nigerians are celebrating a sinking rudderless ship called ‘Nigeria’ captained by a clueless and corrupt leadership with a ground, sea, and air crew that have refused to listen to the series of MAYDAY distress calls from helpless Nigerians.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NIGERIA AND GHANA
In order to succinctly highlight the stark reality of the deplorable, decaying and debtor Nigerian nation, a comparative analysis between Ghana and Nigeria will suffice :

(1) INDEPENDENCE
Nigeria gained her independence on 1st. October, 1960, while Ghana had theirs earlier on 6th March, 1957.

(2) PEACE AND MEDIATION
Prior to the breakdown of peace leading up to the beginning of hostilities of the Nigerian Civil War between Biafra and Nigeria (1967 – 1970). Ghana brockered peace between Yakubu Gowon and Odumegwu Ojukwu in Aburi Ghana. Unfortunately, that signed ‘Aburi Accord’ collapsed like a pack of cards as soon as the two opposing military generals returned from Ghana.

(3) POPULATION
Ghana population is currently estimated at about 34.705 million (United Nations 2024), while Nigeria has a current projected population of over 200 million (United Nations 2024)

(4) FLIGHT FROM ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
In the late 1970’s to 1980’s Ghanaians flocked to Nigeria in order to escape their country’s harsh biting economic conditions until then president Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari government ordered them parking back to Ghana in the famous exodus nick named “Ghana must go”.
Ghana is now a well managed country, ( thanks to good leadership) and Nigerian businesses and manufacturing companies have relocated to Ghana due to the the friendly government economic policies that ensure ease of doing business.
Today, Nigerians who have relocated/fled to Ghana because of Ghana’s conducive, and peaceful disposition for business and educational pursuit etc are presently being discriminated against.
It is now referred to as ” Nigeria must go”.

(5) REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP
The Revolutionary Fighter Pilot President of Ghana Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings ruling from briefly in 1979, and again coming back a second time from 1981 ruling still as a military head of state until 1992, then coming back a third time as the democraticaly elected president and served for 8 years as the constitutionally allowed two terms of 4 years each, and finally, bowing out in 2001.

In order to restore Ghana to it’s old glory as the shining black star nation, Rawlings embarked on economic emancipation through a vigorous war on corruption, injustice in the society, economic decline, impoverishment, hunger, unemployment, etc.
During his radical revolutionary reformation of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings executed by firing squad three (3) former heads of State – Afrifa, Acheampong, and Akuffo.
Also executed were eight (8) senior military officers that included Generals Kotei, Joy Amedume, Roger Felli, and Utuka.
Not yet done with the house cleaning exercise of corrupt people, Rawlings also executed another set of over three hundred (300) Ghanaians.
At the completion of these exercises, Ghana was cleanse and ready to go. Ghana bounced back to her national pride of Nationhood.

On the contrary, Muhammadu Buhari who first came to limelight as Nigeria’s Military Head of State in December 1983 in a military coup accusing the then civilian president Alhaji Aliyu Shehu Shagari’s government of corruption and ineptitude.
In his second coming in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari was popularly elected on the mantra of fighting corruption and insecurity in Nigeria.

Sadly enough, and unfortunately too, the fight against insecurity is such that the Nigerian Military had been so much compromised (allegedly) that they were described as a lame and toothless bulldog.
Regrettably too, the fight against corruption by the Buhari presidency left much to be desired.
It is no longer news in Nigeria today that the fight against corruption by the Buhari government was rather a fight against the opposition parties.
According to erstwhile APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, any corrupt politician who defects to the APC will be given a grand reception, and “his sins will be forgiven.”

(6) PARTY POLITICS / DEMOCRACY
National stability, democratic credibility, resilience, and strong-will of the people, are the unique qualities that singles out Ghana as a leading shining star that illuminates the pathway for other African countries to follow.
Ghana is not only a beacon of hope and model of an enduring democratic culture, but a thermometer for Nigeria to guege her flowed administrative policies, “do or die” inconsistencies in planning and conduct of elections, a fantastically corrupt infested polity, flagrant disregard of an ideological driven political culture, and the use of violence and thuggery.
While Ghana’s elections are civil with free movement of people, goods and services on election day, Nigeria’s is militarized, ban on movement, armed gunmen of political party thugs, heavy use of money and open vote buying in the glare view of the security personnel, ballot box snatching/destruction, and INEC complicity with the political party in power.
Interestingly, Ghana’s transparent electoral principles stands out as clear examples of democratic values, cultural and political maturity that the African continent needs at this point.
These underscores Ghana’s tradition of respect for the rule of law, democratic ideals, world best practices and processes, and peaceful transition of power.
Therefore, the case of Nigeria’s fraudulent political democracy leaves much to be desired.

(7) TWITTER HEADQUARTERS
Nigeria suspended / banned Twitter operation on 5th June, 2021.
Twitter head quarters for Africa is based in Ghana meaning that Nigeria have lost out to Ghana on jobs, tax revenue, international image, etc.
Available facts and data show that more than 45 million Nigerians use a Twitter account. It means that the number of Nigerians who use Twitter are more than the total population of Ghana. Inspite of this numerical advantage of Nigeria over Ghana, Twitter still had a preference to locate it’s headquarters in Ghana rather than Nigeria.

(8) VEHICLE MANUFACTURING / ASSEMBLY PLANTS
While Ghana :
(a) Volkswagen commissioned it’s manufacturing/assembly plant in August 2020,
(b) Toyota company commissioned some of its brand vehicles assembly plants on 29th June, 2021,
Nigeria is busy looking for grazing reserves and grazing routes for Cattle.
Worst still, while Ghana is busy creating jobs for her 34 million population, Nigeria is busy employing the fulani heardsmen / cattle policy to decimate her 200 million population.

(9) FREE TRADE H/Q
Ghana again is the headquarters (H/Q) for the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA).
Nigeria again lost out.

(10) POVERTY
Nigeria is rated as the poverty capital of the world despite being the 7th Oil producer in the world (OPEC)
According to data from research findings from world reputable organizations including Research Gate (2020), World Poverty Clock (2021), and the SEATTLE based group (2020), more than 50% of Nigeria’s population live in severe poverty.
Interestingly, these research findings are further corroborated by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its own Nigeria’s Living Standard Survey (NLSS) findings released in 2019.
In their findings, 50% of the country’s population live below the poverty line of #137,430 ($381.75) per year.
Reasons advanced for the poverty in Nigeria include corruption, unemployment, inequality, and illiteracy.
Ghana is rated with a better performance because the country has a good level of employment, less corruption, relative equality, and a high level of literacy.

(11) CRIPTO CURRENCY
Nigeria banned the use of Cripto currency in February 2021 despite being Africa’s largest Bitcoin market by trading volume.
This financial policy decision made Nigeria to lose capital inflow that would have provided opportunities and jobs to some of Nigeria’s 200 million population.
On the other hand, Ghana is opening wide its business doors to a rather free market economy in order to boost capital inflow, generate income, and provide jobs for her 31 million population.

(12) EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
In 2019 Ghana ranked 13 places higher than Nigeria in the World Bank Index for ease of doing Business. According to that world bank report, ease of doing business of Ghana increased from 57.0 score in 2016 to 60.0 score in 2020, growing at an average annual rate of 1.29%.
This ranking is from 1 – 190, and it starts from the best country which is ranked as no. one (1) while the worst country is ranked as no. 190.
In this findings New Zealand is ranked no. one (1), Singapore is no.2, USA = 6, UK = 8, Rwanda = 38, Uganda = 116, Ghana = 118, Nigeria = 131, Libya = 186, and Somalia = 190.

(13) INTERNATIONAL TECH GIANTS
Google (HOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Huawei are among international Tech Giants that have expanded their operations in Ghana.
This they do by targeting software developers and young creative minds.
Nigeria is no where near this at all.

(14) GLOBAL PEACE INDEX
Global Peace Index in its 2020 survey ranked Ghana as the 43rd most peaceful country in the world, while Nigeria was ranked at 147th position.

(15) GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX
Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the 3rd most terrorised country in the world in 2020.
This is because of the activities of Boko Haram, Fulani heardsmen, and Banditry.
Afghanistan is no.1, Iraq = 2, Nigeria = 3, Syria = 4, Pakistan = 5, Somalia = 6, India = 7, Yemen = 8, Philippines = 9, and DR Congo = 10.
Ghana is reputed to be the most peaceful country in Africa.

Peace 🙏
10/12/2024