What can make Nigeria Africa’s Japan?

As we all know Japan is a country that has none or limited natural resources, but its has boosted her image globally through inventions of technologies and other scientific and biometric research. Even America respects the Japan’s technological innovations.
Nigeria is a country blessed with a lot of talents, natural resources and good climate,
but due to lack of visionary leadership, the country has refused to join the growing economies of the world.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit and the World Bank, Nigerian GDP at purchasing power parity was only at $170.7 billion as of FY 2005. The GDP per head is at $692.
The discovery of oil in 1970s leads to the neglect of the agricultural sector, of which its 60% citizens are employed in and which its a formerly famous for the biggest exporter of agricultural products which includes groundnuts, palm oil cocoa, coconut, citrus fruits, maize, pearl millet, cassava, yams and sugar cane. It also has a booming leather and textile industry, with industries located in Kano, Abeokuta, Onitsha, and Lagos.
But is opposite now, because of the mass gains of oil
But now petroleum plays a very crucial role in the Nigerian economy and its accounts for 40% of her GDP. Listed as the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter and the 10th largest proven reserves and also a member of the founders of OPEC. But her image is badly destroyed by a crumbling infrastructure, corruption and ongoing civil strife in the Niger Delta, its major oil producing state.
Nigeria used part of its oil windfall to pay the residual 40%, freeing up at least $1.15 billion annually for poverty reduction programmes. As of April 2006, Nigeria became the first African Country to fully pay off her debt (estimated $30billion) owed to the Paris Club.
Nigeria also has significant production and manufacturing facilities such as factories for the French car manufacturer Peugeot, the English truck manufacturer Bedford, now a subsidiary of General Motors. Nigeria also manufactures t-shirts and processed food.
Unexploited mineral resources like coal, tin, limestone, iron ore, niobum, lead, zinc and arable lands which can be used for mass agriculture.
But what are the potentials that can make Nigeria a Japan of Africa? With all these significant historical improvements.
For this so-called largest economy in West Africa, to be great in Africa again, Governments should turn its eyes, desire away from Oil, and look into other sectors like agriculture and see a way to encourage rural and urban farming and cattle rearing.
Focused should made on educational sector, because it’s the hope of any dying nation. Education in Nigeria has been in a state of neglect, but the attendance rate for secondary education is only 29% (average male 32%/female 27%). The education system has been described as "dysfunctional" largely due to decaying institutional infrastructure. 68% of the population is literate, and the rate for men (75.7%) is higher than that for women (60.6%).
The recent re-capitalization of banks to the 25 billion naira minimum (some have even gone as high as 60-93 billion!). This has strengthened the country’s financial backbone to support development, and to attract global financial players
To ensure that all the available funding does not flow only to big projects, the government has quickly followed up with the Micro finance policy, and already Micro finance banks are sprouting up, though their impact is not yet felt. There are also now, a number of specific funds in the Agricultural sector, among others.
Now is the time to focus on agriculture, because of the looming global food crisis,
The Yar –Adua’s government should look into the areas of agriculture and see a way to improve the agricultural produce of every state in Nigeria. There is every possibility of Nigeria returning back to its past glory if its leaders seat down and talk and walk their their talks, plan and visions.
Governments should encourage and provide small scale farmers with capital and enough agricultural machinery to enable them become productive and also the area of power should be dealt with by look for an alternatives to Power like Solar energy which is been used in south Africa and other developing Asian countries.
Focus on research and developments should be done on agriculture, fishing and husbandry.
And then untapped mineral resources should be looked into and foreign experts should be invited into the country to train local workers or even the unemployed graduates on how to extract raw materials from untapped natural resources.
High tariffs should be placed on importations of ready made goods so as to encourage local manufactures of such goods.
Develop small business; develop the nation. A popular word of wisdow, so when small small businesses or farmers are given bigger priorities and more financial incentives are made available for them, then the nation begins to develop in all every sector of its economy.
Developing Latin American countries that include Brazil, Russia, India and China should be given full access to come and invest in the agricultural sectors of each state in the country.
Nigeria will be great again, if we go back to our old paths of success and let us all learn from our mistakes