The stony road to reform
Article Abstract:
There is a need for political and economic reforms in Nigeria, and President Olusegun Obasanjo is making progress in tackling the problem. Bureaucrats need adequate pay in order to lessen temptations to take bribes, and the state needs to withdraw from some economic activities. Government employees are often paid late, or simply receive no pay, and audited accounts are lacking for many departments. The number of civil servants should be reduced, especially since many have been invented so that salaries can be received. There is also a need for the governmentto withdraw from economic activity.
Publication Name: The Economist (UK)
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0013-0613
Year: 2000
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Cold comfort farm
Article Abstract:
Poverty is a serious problem in Nigeria, and has worsened during the 1990s. The countryside is fertile, but rural poverty means that people migrate to the cities. Cocoa, rubber and palm oil production could be increased, but petroleum revenues were spent on urban prestige projects, and rural dwellers were attracted to the cities. Agricultural marketing boards set low prices, and uncertainties over government prices added to fluctuations in world commodity prices. Rural infrastructure could be improved, and there is a need for greater certainty over government policy.
Publication Name: The Economist (UK)
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0013-0613
Year: 2000
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