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Reno Omokri, a Nigerian author and social media influencer, argues that Nigeria is actually an “oil poor country” despite its reputation as an oil-rich nation. He compares Nigeria’s oil production capacity to that of other countries, such as Ghana, Angola, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, emphasizing that Nigeria’s production is relatively low compared to its large population. Omokri states that Nigeria has a “humongous population of entitled people” and calls for both the government and citizens to focus on production and waste management. Some critics argue that comparing cost of governance and addressing systemic issues are also important.
Reno Omokri, a US based Nigerian author and social media influencer, has claimed that Nigeria is an “oil poor country,” contradicting the popular belief that the country is rich in oil. Omokri, who was a former Special Adviser to Nigeria’s ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, made this declaration while comparing Nigeria’s oil production capacity to that of other countries around the world.
In a tweet on Thursday, the former Special Adviser compared Nigeria to African countries like Ghana, Angola, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. He also included countries from other continents such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in his comparison.
According to Omokri, Nigeria’s oil production capacity is significantly smaller compared to its population, leading him to state that “by a ratio of resources to population, Nigeria is one of the lesser resourced nations in the world.” He emphasized that the only major advantage Nigeria has over other nations is its “humongous population of ENTITLED people.” Omokri called on both the government and ordinary citizens to focus on production and waste management.
In his full statement, Omokri provided facts and figures about the oil production and population of various countries:
– Nigeria produces less than 2 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 200 million people.
– Ghana produces 200,000 barrels of oil daily for a population of 35 million people.
– Angola produces 1.1 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 34.5 million people.
– Libya produces 1.2 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 6.7 million people.
– Saudi Arabia produces 12.5 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 35 million people.
– Qatar produces 2 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 2.6 million people.
– The UAE produces 3.7 million barrels of oil daily for a population of 9.6 million people.
Omokri concluded that Nigeria is not oil-rich but instead oil-poor, with its oil resources being only a small fraction compared to its population. He urged people to avoid comparing Nigeria to countries like Ghana, Angola, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the UAE since they have more resources per capita. He highlighted the importance of production and waste reduction in order to avoid deeper poverty in Nigeria.
In response, a netizen named Sam Madox criticized Omokri for not comparing Nigerian cost of governance to that of oil-rich countries, questioning the salaries of Nigerian House Members or Senators and project budgets in comparison. Another netizen, Mohammed Aliyu, stated that Nigeria has abundant natural resources but fails to tap into them due to a centralized system of governance. Aliyu believes that power should be decentralized and given to the states to utilize their resources for development, but acknowledges that misuse of power by some states is a hindrance. Aliyu concludes that prompt action is needed to ensure a more equitable and prosperous nation.
