Nigeria’s Unfinished Quest for Economic Independence​

In the 70s, Nigeria tried to achieve economic independence by launching Africa’s most comprehensive industrial indigenization programme. Why didn’t it work? More importantly, what did we learn?

On 1 October 1960, Nigeria officially gained independence, shedding the mantle of British colonial rule to achieve political autonomy. This independence, however, was merely the beginning of a complex journey toward true sovereignty. As Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Tafawa Balewa respectively assumed office as the newly independent country’s first president and prime minister, Nigeria faced the daunting task of achieving not just political independence, but also economic and administrative self-sufficiency...