What kind of society do we want to build? The country needs an ambition, a vision of its future. The specificity of a country is understood as the set of physical, human, social, political, cultural and other data whose relationships and dynamics determine the unique character of a country as well as its internal evolution--all the more so when they condition it’s gaining of increased presence in both the immediate and long-term contexts. In this belt, oil palm, which prior to the petronaira era was the main foreign exchange earners, abound. The soil in the Western part of the country is conducive to the growth of cocoa. North of the tropical forest is savannah with dense forests in the river valleys. This vegetation is largely grassland dotted with trees. The savannah zone provides excellent grazing lands for animal husbandry and the bulk of the country's meat comes from this region.

Restrictions on development stemming from a set of obvious structural constraints (unknown expertise about  natural resources, extensive geographical size, insularity, territorial continuity, prolonged pollution, scarcity of  clean water resources, shortage of farming fund, mass illiteracy, geographical location outside the principal currents of international trade, and a high rate of demographic growth) are very evident in Nigeria

A country’s vision or image of a desirable future rests on the collective aspirations of that society and the real possibilities and constraints pertaining to it. This vision is the succinct and qualitative expression of a series of objectives to be achieved in the long run. It is a projection of the state of the nation, a translation of the future desired by the various components of the society, and an anticipated materialization of those aspirations.

THE MAJOR OPTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT (2002-2005)

The key strategic options for the National Development Plan (NDP) flow from the national vision of development that was presented here, from the principles pointed here, and from the priority objective of job creation. The development priorities for the current legislature appear in the Government Program approved by the National Assembly. The purpose of the Major Options is to furnish a frame of reference for the execution of this Program and to define the structure of the foundation of the National Development Plan, thereby establishing the strategic agenda for convergent action by the various areas of governance.

Therefore, the MAJOR OPTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT provide the frame of orientation of the NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN that is a medium term plan. The National Development plan is but one stage in the materialization of the national development strategy and encompasses a set of public policies and programs that reinforce each other. It attempts to permit genuine “takeoff” by the national economy and improved quality of life for the nation’s citizens.

1st Option: Promote good governance as a development factor, thereby reforming the State, strengthening democracy and citizenship

In an interdependent and highly competitive world in which we live, a fragile and small country such ours has to be able to produce, manage and capitalize internal energies that will sustain our credibility and performance as a State In this regard, the role of the Government, as responsible for the implementation of the national public policies, is crucial. The Government should be able to govern and govern well, keeping in mind the need for a sustainable development that benefits all Nigerians, promotes and improves the national community.

We are aware that good governance is not the sole duty of the Government, but by saying that we are referring to a fundamental principle that needs to guide the global action of the Government at national and local levels.. For Nigeria, good governance cannot and must not be a mere intention. In the contrary, it is the Rules of the Law of a Democratic State, through the dynamic exigency of its principles and rules that make the democratic governance, good governance. Clearly, good governance is a strategic resource for Nigeria. It is necessary to take advantage from it, keeping in mind our aspiration to become a developed country, modern, of social solidarity and of the full realization of personal dignity.

Obvious limitations in the action of the Government result from this perspective. The Government is tied to the Constitution and to the Law, to which it is subordinated all through the governance decisions. The Government respects the Constitution and the Law from the formulation and the adoption of policies to the implementation of internal and external plans, and actions of its agents who have to respect and promote human dignity.

From the precedence of the Fundamental Law, it is naturally understood that the Government obeys to the rules of constitutional loyalty, promoting the political deontology that supports institutional cooperation, mutual respect when dealing with other sovereign parties. These values enable the good performance of the governance system. Moreover, this implies that the Government carries on the role model of a good person, since democratic governance must be ethically consent. It is important to state that the Democracy takes its strength from its capacity to allow, at any time, the representation of the people. This is both its departure and its arrival point. Since the people do not represent a fixed reality, but instead a reality with the sense of time and the “memory of the future,” the democracy results necessarily as a process. A process that is, overcoming and beneficial, of constant rejuvenation and deepening. There is a fundamental ethical assumption underlying this process: exist a permanent congruence between, on one hand, the references of content such as values, principles and rules inherent to Democracy, and on the other hand, the policies of the State. It is not sufficient to call the State a democratic State; this would just be a theoretical statement. It is necessary that the content prevails over the form, and acts as a limit, a parameter and as a guarantee during the entire period of functioning of the State. This is why a Democratic State guided by the Rule of the Law is a State of responsibility. If everything is done for the sake of the people, those who are elected to represent them receive a mandate to act in favor of this “community of destiny;” not a license for adjudication nor impunity. This means a mandate for Democracy, keeping in mind its objectives: more and enhanced liberty, more and enhanced equality, more and enhanced justice and more and enhanced solidarity.

The principle of transparency is a logical outcome of this responsibility. Transparency, as a driving force of the State, is propitious to an enable environment for the permanent exercise of control within the framework of a normal institutional delivery of services. The affirmation of the Rule of the Law in a Democratic State entails the implementation and/or the valorization of the control of the governmental action. The country itself, since it is vulnerable, requires an ethical way of governance. It is in this perspective that some objectives emerged:

a) Build a large consensus on key national issues, and guarantee the efficient empowerment of all capacities existing in the Nigerian nation, in an environment of tolerance, harmony and respect of differences;

b) Ensure in practice the rights of he citizens, not only at the political level but also for their economic, social and cultural achievements;

c) Promote, because of their pedagogical example in the struggle for national cause, the dignify of political actors and their affirmation as a positive social subject. However, the definition of a legislative framework that regulates the rights and privileges and also the incompatibilities, the constraints and a clear regime of responsibility needs to be set.

d) Assert a sensitive governance, open to social pluralism and consequently geared towards the promotion of an agreement framework and synergy, which endorses diversity as a social value-added factor and which defends tolerance and the mutual respect as strong values;

e) Develop a framework of integration and promotion of all the capacities existing in the society as a necessary contribution for the affirmation of a modern and participatory citizenship. This policy is in harmony with the gains resulting from progress and modernity, and it has the means to assure a suitable relationship with the political power.

In addition, it is imperative to set up an information service for citizens, which will give true and objective information about matters of public life. This service will help citizens to better exercise their political rights by participating in public management and controlling the governance and administrative actions. For Nigeria, the corner stones of good governance should be the guarantee of the macro-economic stability and the good management of public finances, which are crucial conditions for the development of the country.

The macro-economic stability is vital for the rapid growth of the economy and consequently for the significant improvement of the standard of living of the Nigerians, and for the fight against poverty and social exclusion.

Warrant the macro-economic equilibrium is also essential to maintain the external competitiveness of the country and to achieve our strategic goals. This will guarantee the external credibility of the economy, the stability of the prices and revenues and the confidence of the private sector. Especially, the sustainability of public finances is a permanent requirement of the economic regime. It requires the adoption of rigorous fiscal and budgetary policies and the completion of structural reforms that can help make fiscal administration and the entire government apparatus, effective. The implementation of a healthy and balanced budget policy must be the central element of the macro-economic policy for the next several years. We must reinforce the idea that budget and fiscal policy will be a central element of macroeconomic policy during the coming years, because only a prudent fiscal policy will achieve the stabilization necessary to the foreign credibility of the economy and to gain confidence of the private sector. In this situation, the coordination between the monetary and the budget policies will be vital to macro-economic stabilization. The autonomy of the Central Bank is also a crucial requirement. Only when stability and rigor are attained, can the Government take actions against social inequalities, promote social justice and guarantee the equitable distribution of national community wealth for every citizen. The reduction of inequalities is one of the major requirements for social cohesion in the country.

This way only, should the democratic governance be able to identify itself to the concept of continuity in the projection and the implementation of public policies. This governance follows certain ethics in the allocation of public resources, not only in the correct identification of priorities but also in strong social investment commitments. Concerning the reform of the State and of the Public Administration, one of the major challenges is the definition of a rational, efficient structure that is trusted by the citizens and that enhances the commitment of the entire society. The reinforcement of the public administration and of the institutional capacity of the State, geared towards a favorable institutional environment for private investment and the achievement by the State of its role as regulator and efficient management of public services functions, are essential requirements. The reform of the State and of the Public Administration focused on efficiency and including its ability to manage economic and social issues is therefore, a vital element of good governance. The reinforcement of the local power and of the economic management capacity of the State, the rationalization of the structures, the valorization of human resources and the monitoring of the reduction of the State expenses, are the key objectives of this reform. It is necessary to boost the use of information technologies as a mean to increase efficiency of the Public Administration at the central and local levels. The building of a national system of information for development is also part of this agenda.

The essential factors to improve the regional balance and equity are the decentralization, the fortification of the democratic local power, the endorsement of the efficient modernization of the public administration at the local level and the enhancement of the regional development. They also facilitate the production of “localizations” in the islands and regions known as “peripheral” and they create “externalities” according to the “economic vocation” of each island Particular attention is given to the reform of the Justice sector, not only by seeking its independence and the dignifying of magistrates, but also by reviving its credibility within the society, focusing on its modernization and its ability to respond on time to the requirements of development and its affirmation as a foundation of a democratic society. This positioning implies the reinforcement of the institutional frame that guarantees the rights of the citizens and that ensures the access to justice. The re-definition of the role of the Armed Forces, within the framework of the formulation of a national defense and security strategy, represents yet another challenge, in view of the new international environment. Such re-definition includes elements such as the surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the commitment of Nigeria to the international agenda outlined by the United Nations such as the fight against terrorism and against transnational organized crime.

The development and strengthening of the civil society would allow the intensification of the democratic experience, reinforcing the free expression outside the political or party’s sphere thereby creating true pluralism and equilibrium among the spheres of democratic action or expression. One should not forget the importance of a public opinion, which benefits from a free press heading by values of independence, exemption and rigor of its professionals. Only with such development of the civil society can each citizen have the conditions to impose his/her criticism and control.

2nd Option: Promote entrepreneurship, competitiveness and growth; expand the productive base.

Nigeria is an economy of earth-produce mineral resources. The expansion of the productive base is of crucial importance to Nigerians, since it will be possible to improve their living standard only by expanding the economic base and producing internationally competitive goods and services. This necessity is accentuated by the fact that Public Assistance to the Development of Nigeria (PAD-N) is declining, a trend likely to continue. A sustainable macro-economic stability can only be attained through measures of economic development policies that enlarge the productive base of the country and significantly increase competitiveness and exports of goods and services. It is necessary to define broad sectorial policies that are consensual, consistent and adequate to the proposed development strategy. The development of productive sectors requires governmental programs that support its promotion as well as efficient micro and macro-economic policies that stimulate national production based on permanent innovation as a factor to gain and guarantee markets. The integration of markets, the intensification of intra and inter sectorial, national, regional and international exchanges as well as the access of micro and small enterprises to public markets are a number of conditions for the expansion of the internal productive base. The improvement of competitiveness, in which the infrastructure is a significant conditioning factor that must be overcome, will bring with it the expansion of the productive base, whether that base is oriented to supplying the internal market or to exports..

The opening to the outside world that necessarily characterizes the development process in Nigeria has as an immediate corollary in terms of strategy the conception of policies oriented toward an increase in the productivity and competitiveness of those sectors that most directly face competition on international markets. These include tourism, transportation and telecommunications, light industry, and fishing. This strategic orientation is absolutely essential to success in enhancing this country’s presence in the globalized international economy. Some of the major movements that have characterized globalization, such as expansion of the world tourism market, delocalization of services and industries, economic integration, the open skies, open ports policies, constitute so many new prospects that are opening up for the expansion of the productive base and competitiveness of the Nigeria’s economy.

Interesting niches of competitiveness can be exploited in agriculture, fishing, and industry, particularly light industry and services (selective quality tourism; provision of various services including tele-services; music and culture in general; internationalization of Nigeria construction and shipping companies toward Africa). Tourism is one of the sectors that is thriving and so surely offers a potential that we must continue to develop.

The sea is a huge space in which Nigeria can operate. Its various resources, particularly fishery resources, must be rationally developed according to plans and the perspective of the valorization and integration of the maritime vocation of Nigeria.

The policy of attracting foreign investment must be pursued in a framework of macroeconomic equilibrium that can ensure the external credibility of our economy, as well as the competitiveness of the goods and services being marketed. The convertibility of the Nigeria escudo and a control over public spending are essential in this respect. Therefore, improvements need to be made in our ability to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. The development of the financial system is also essential in order to stimulate economic development. Public investments policy will seek to promote sustained development. A genuine and effective national system of quality control, especially product quality, needs to be implemented in this country, with special emphasis on foodstuffs.

3rd Option: Develop human capital and orient the education and training system to the priority development areas.

Human resources are developed and enhanced in the course of an expansion and reinforcement of human abilities, when they are put to best use in all fields of activity—economic, social, cultural and political—in order to improve the quality of life. The cultural dimension of human resource development must not be neglected. We must foster a good level of general culture among citizens and adapt the educational system to the realities and preeminent needs of this country, promoting not only the transmission of knowledge, but an integrated and comprehensive training. In this context, one of the chief challenges the country now faces is the definition of a holistically-conceived human resources development policy that meets the needs of each individual citizen and the society and country as a whole, and that takes into account the financial capacity needed to achieve this.

The strategic nature of education for the development of this country and the strengthening of a civic spirit and socio-cultural integration demands modernization of the educational system. The search for a better balance between society’s expectations, technical ambitions, and objectives on the one hand and budget constraints on the other certainly constitutes the greatest challenge facing Nigerian society in the realm of education/training in the near future. A revision of course content and a reinforcement of coordination within the educational/training system must be on the agenda if the country is to be able to count on quality and competitive instruction as it prepares to face future challenges. The human resources development strategy must be anchored in the lines of force of the development of this country and in a framework of shared responsibilities and the creation of a strategic partnership between the State, the private sector, and civil society. Then we will be able to reinforce the principle that education and training should be everyone’s responsibility on the one hand and, on the other, reduce the costs to the State. And so, definition of the human resources development policy, which must necessarily cut across other lines, demands a definition of the key areas of the country’s economic development and the mounting of a funding structure to support it. To define a policy that, over the mid-term and long-term, can make these resources a strategic factor and a competitive advantage for Nigeria on the external plane, addressing the problem of Nigerian human resources can be necessarily means of emphasizing a model oriented and adapted to the national market. In this way we will be able to guarantee a greater capacity for job creation and, consistent with the national development strategies, continually update the prospective studies so as to guide the demand for higher-level training as a means of harmonizing and guaranteeing equilibriums between the various instructional sensitivities and the economic and social needs.

In an effort to correct disparities in the access to compulsory education, the unequal regional distribution of educational and training resources needs to be reviewed so as to guarantee de facto equality of opportunity, with particular attention to regions known as “peripheral” and to the poor and disadvantaged communities. This will require additional school construction and a new human resources management policy. Endowing the country with highly skilled executives who can respond to development needs means, requires conditions necessary to globalize public universities in Nigeria. These institution’s activities should involve instruction, research, discovery and university extension courses. It is also essential to clearly define a policy for an advanced training of teachers and researchers for higher education. Within higher education, the biggest challenge is financing, particularly the funding of scholarships and grants. Solving this problem requires implementing a means for repayment of student loans, providing incentives to private financing, and setting up a workable system of co-financing for students from the poorer and more vulnerable strata of society. We must build an integrated system of education and training, and it must feature points of intersection with the elementary level that make it possible to work on contents that develop an appreciation for technical and vocational training. The occupational outlets currently provided for in education legislation must be made available. This requires effective implementation of the vocational training system, both as regards legal and institutional provisions and the revival of proposals for public, private and/or cooperative centers of vocational training.

Once technical and vocational instruction has been made a priority, then by increasing vocational training it will become possible to respond simultaneously to the needs of the economy and the labor market, and to reduce unemployment. Lastly, an essential objective of human capital development policy is implementation of a National Youth Policy that is simultaneously all-encompassing and coherent, transverse and pragmatic, making it possible for Nigerian youth to occupy the space reserved to them as a force and the future mainstay of our society

4th Option: Promote a comprehensive policy of social development for a war against poverty and reinforce social cohesion and solidarity.

The construction of a social model that, gradually, and in agreement with the resources, will permit to face the key social issues and guaranteeing the rights of the citizens and the exercise of the citizenship, entangles the rethinking of the role of all social agents, implicated directly or indirectly in the social development of Nigeria. This will also implies the reorganization and the restructuring  the services responsible for the application of the policies of social development and intervention, while encouraging at the same time, the development of strategies of cooperation among various stakeholders who pursue ways of social solidarity and promote equitable social development.

Poverty is the deprivation of the fundamental rights of man. The battle against poverty, exclusion, and social marginality continues to pose serious challenges. Fighting poverty entails simultaneously creation of wealth and assisting the poor through social programs. When we talk about creating and distributing wealth, we are talking about jobs. The war on poverty requires an enable environment that is undergoing accelerated economic growth, decentralization of interventions, and a participatory approach. Reducing poverty is not only a moral imperative; it is an imperative of economic and social development, one to which all societies must respond. The strategic objective is the eradication of absolute poverty and the mitigation of poverty as a feature of Nigeria, by giving special attention to comprehensively-defined policies that attack the causes of poverty. The battle against poverty and the maintenance of social cohesion thus require the definition and implementation of policies in all sectors of economic and social life that give priority to equality of opportunity among individuals. The development of skills among the poor through education and training is a determinant for their participation in the development and their ability to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by that same development.

In this context, Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities must be conducted in order to mobilize the society. Any strategy for the war on poverty can have the desired impact and diminish poverty only if the environment is one of dynamic economic growth that inspires the poor to behave like entrepreneurs. Nigeria therefore needs strong growth that enables it to distribute income and obtain funds to finance the foundation of long-term development in which education, health, and the social infrastructures will be the principal pillars. The focus of the strategy in the battle against poverty is global, combining effective economic policies, coordinated sectoral policies, and specific programs for sustainable growth and the reduction of the incidence and extent of the poverty. This focus is based on the multi-sectoral nature of the interventions, and on empowering decentralization for the sake of greater success of policies and programs that have a direct impact on the target groups and pockets of poverty. These efforts attempt to make visible and measurable impacts in terms of an improvement in living standards in both urban and rural areas, as well as increasing the public’s participation in the development process, in the direction of a permanent exit from poverty. In this context, the Government will develop, holistically and comprehensively, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The following are priority objectives:

- Improving society’s access (especially because of the volume of needs) to health care, education, housing, and potable water supply;

- Improving access by the poor to financial resources;

- Promoting activities that generate sustainable incomes; developing the skills of the poor and encouraging them to participate in food security and the war against poverty. The reform of the public works system as a source of jobs, as well as the reform of the social protection system, thereby ensuring the broadening and sustainability of the different regimes and an effective social security system is also priority objectives.

Food security is, obviously, a mainstay of any program intended to reduce poverty. Guaranteeing a foundation for internal, autonomous, food security is a challenge that requires an effort beyond the short and medium terms. Therefore, maintaining and strengthening the framework of food-related cooperation will be another major challenge.

The implementation of an information system that enables the intervening parties and the general public to obtain regular reports on the activities and the trend in the indicators is a central necessity. The use of strict eligibility criteria in the selection of actions in the battle against poverty must also be implemented.

In the realm of social policies, it is essential to review the social protection and safety systems, especially for the most vulnerable members of society, as well as to promote an active policy with regard to the family, in order to reinforce social cohesion and socioeconomic integration. We must also encourage studies of social ills such as alcoholism, prostitution, and delinquency; so that they are recognized as social pathologies and steps can be taken to combat them. Such measures should be implemented at the sectored level.

5th Option: Develop basic and economic infrastructures and promote rational land use policies in order to achieve balanced development

Nigeria’s development must be balanced as regards the group of islands, based on each political state’s identified vocation. Hence the importance of a land uses policy that facilitates a balanced and equitable development of the states, guiding the important and positive trend to urbanization, but mitigating internal conflict. The Nigerian territory needs to be given new impetus, as a factor in the welfare of its citizens and the competitiveness of the economy. The rational organization of space is an important basic condition for the development of internal economic activities and the competitiveness of the economy, as well as the improvement in the quality of life. It furnishes the framework that enables the State, the economic operators, and the citizens to optimize the uniqueness of their efforts and investments.

Geographically integrated actions need to be designed with a view to raising the standard of living of our people and supporting the tourism business in the context of the integration of the internal market. The achievement of the grand objectives of development—whether economic, social, or cultural—requires an intense effort at building the country’s infrastructure (electricity, water, sanitation, ports and airports, highways, ocean and air transportation, etc.), a sector that, in cooperation with the operators, needs to be properly regulated and would benefit from an investment and modernization program. Decisions must be made on strategies for developing human settlements, particularly on the coastlines, in an effort to curb the exodus from rural areas. The ocean must come to be seen as a source of development resources and a factor in locating and guiding our development efforts toward an orderly and sustained occupation of the coastlines. These areas offer the potential for alternative activities that could absorb the surplus labor that is released from agriculture. It is also urgent to improve the management of the rural space and the hydrographic basins. The establishment of equilibrium between the countryside and the urban areas in terms of living conditions demands a concerted rural development policy that enables us to avoid transferring poverty into the cities. The incentive of a solid alliance between agriculture and the sustainable development of rural territories in environmental, economic, and social terms is a necessary condition for the welfare of people living in the countryside. Certain rural centers, once they have an appropriate physical and institutional infrastructure, should become the base for development of the rural regions, thereby permitting the development of an economy based on a new kind of agriculture and the diversification of production and services activities, giving rise to the densification of a fabric of small- and medium-size (d) enterprises in various fields. Agriculture will have to be modernized, services better distributed, and institutions that support production established in order to encourage people to settle in secondary urban centers. The broadening and diversification of the production base in the rural environment is a pre-eminent necessity, and strategies must be designed to achieve this.

The decline in the active farming population should help relieve the pressure on our lands. These people can be used to good advantage in a different kind of agriculture in Nigeria. In most of the ecological zones, agriculture must be reformed to achieve a better rezoning and, consequently, better use of the rural space. Likewise, we must face the problem of increasing the value of farm products, implementing ecotourism, etc.

No satisfactory policy that suits the rural world will be viable unless it outlines a strategy that gives priority to the optimization of economic resources, since one cannot speak of agricultural production in the broad sense (crops, forestry, and livestock) if upstream there is no coherent policy regarding water other resources. The productivity of irrigation water and animal husbandry needs to be increased. It has, then, become urgent to develop a consistent program for use of surface waters. As a measure to counter the rural exodus, we suggest reinforcement of the national urban system by the study, and gradual creation, of a systemic network of hierarchized urban centers in the context of proper land use policy and sustainable distribution of population among the various settlements, including rural ones, and supported by a new administrative division of this country. In the urban zones, especially in the nation’s capital, we must reverse the degradation of the quality of life. Strategic actions need to be taken to create open green space for leisure and recreation, construct buildings for social activities, provide public restrooms, and intensify intervention in the realm of basic sanitation. A sustainable development that does not consider the ecological dimension is unthinkable, since it is inherent in the sustainable human development that stamps the development projects with the necessary durability. Environmental programs must be coordinated with other programs and projects intended to create jobs and income in the rural areas.

Lastly, we need to evaluate and revise national population policy and its plan of action in order to have a frame of reference and convergence that integrates the generic approach and the regional specificities, thus better adapting the sectoral strategies of development to demographic parameters (migration, spatial distribution, structure by sex and age, etc.) The assembly of a system to follow up on the evolution of the Nigerian population and project the socio-demographic indicators to improve the integration of the population variable into development planning, particularly in education and health, and to reinforce policies for integrating the socially-marginalized populations shows itself to be a necessity in the context of the implementation of the Major Options.