Topic > Managing Nigeria's Resources: The Road to Development

A long-term effect of the resource curse is the reduction in the quality of institutions and government itself. Boschini, Pettersson, and Roine argue that for the resource curse theory to be true, there must first be a shortage of strong institutions capable of counteracting any negative effects associated with the abundance of natural resources. Consequently, resource-rich countries are not cursed as long as strong institutions exist that can direct actions and manage resources adequately. Abundance of resources becomes a curse only in the absence of institutional quality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Another unfortunate effect of the resource curse is the widening of the income gap. In the absence of strong institutions, the government stops caring about unfair and unequal income distribution. It is precisely this attribute of the resource curse that encourages rent-seeking and crime and ultimately generates conflict. Indeed, the resource curse appears to be a vicious cycle. Nigeria and non-oil growth: is there any hope? Nigeria's abundant natural resources can represent a viable path to development. But development does not mean the absence of poverty, it rather means that there are better standards of living for all, that the quality of life has improved, that there is more to life and that its expectancy has improved. Indeed, development means many things and connotes different expectations. The key for Nigeria is diversification. The need to shift focus becomes even more evident after Nigeria slipped into recession in 2015 simply due to shocks and declining oil revenues. Aside from oil, a significant portion of Nigeria's resources remain untapped. This is directly attributable to Nigeria's unhealthy dependence on oil. It must be said that the contribution of non-oil resources to GDP depends primarily on their exploitation. The mining and quarrying sub-sector contributed 33.13% in 1971 compared to 36.0% for agriculture and allied sectors. Its share increased from 39.3% in 1971/1972 to 43.4% in 1972/1973 and 45.5% in 1974/1975. In the period 1975-1976, however, there was a dramatic decline in the share of GDP to 21.9% compared to the agricultural sector's 26.9%. From 1976 to 1977, quarrying and mining regained the lead in contributing to GDP and maintained that status until the second decade of Nigeria's independence. Furthermore, solid mineral production in Nigeria is increasing. For example, solid mineral production was 763,511 tons in 1970, but increased to 2,069,233 tons in 1973, representing an increase of 171.1%. will increase. If resources are not used wisely, an “unsustainable situation” could be created in which natural capital (the sum total of nature's resources) is depleted faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability therefore requires that resources be used at such a rate that they can be replenished naturally. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Today, there is a realization that the dependence on natural resources for economic growth, along with how those resources are obtained, have had a negative impact on the environment. Indeed, there is abundant literature on the numerous effects that resource exploitation and management have had on the climate, such as forest depletion, water scarcity and.