Nigeria: The Widening Gap

24 April 2006
opinion

The president of China visits Nigeria this week. President Hu Jintao's visit is part of a global tour that has taken him to notable countries like the United States, Saudi Arabia, etc.

The fact that this historic visit has not captured the imagination of the media dominated in recent times by transition politics once again shows how development discourse is fast taking the backstage. Notwithstanding the distance and geography, Nigeria and China share significant traits worthy of acknowledgement. In terms of population, the two are giants in their own rights. With a population of 1.5 billion (official 1.3 billion), China is the largest in the world. Conversely, Nigeria, with an estimated population of 150 million people (before the last census) is the largest concentration of black people in the world. In fact, one of every two Asians is a Chinese; while the expected census figure may reveal that one in every three persons in Africa is a Nigerian. Nigeria's population is a s diverse as China's in terms of languages, cultures and religions. The two countries also boast of remarkable resource endowment and whatever the parameters, the two are regional powers, with China an actual power no less than Nigeria still more of a potential power.

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