• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Security
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Legal
  • Technology and Science
  • Opinion
  • Columns
  • Exposé
  • World
  • Lifestyle
Joe Biden Trusts a Nigerian to Run His Economy – So Why Don’t Nigerians?

Joe Biden Trusts a Nigerian to Run His Economy – So Why Don’t Nigerians?

5 years ago
Cameroon: President Biya Returns Home After 42 Days Absence

Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

12 hours ago
Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

14 hours ago
Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

14 hours ago
Morocco Rescues 310 Europe-Bound Migrants

Illegal Migration: Senegalese Navy Intercepts 201 Migrants On Treacherous Atlantic Route To Europe

15 hours ago
Ghana Prepared To Fund Ukrainian Drone Manufacturing, Zelensky Claims

Ghana Prepared To Fund Ukrainian Drone Manufacturing, Zelensky Claims

15 hours ago
Saturday, July 12, 2025
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
Heritage Times
No Result
View All Result
Translate |
  • Login
  • Politics
    Cameroon: President Biya Returns Home After 42 Days Absence

    Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

    Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

    Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

    Mali: Junta Leader Signs Law Allowing Him To Remain In Power Without Election

    Tunisia: 84-Year-Old Opposition Leader Slammed 14 Years Jail Term

    Tunisia: 84-Year-Old Opposition Leader Slammed 14 Years Jail Term

    Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With 10% Tariff Over “Anti-American Policies”

    Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With 10% Tariff Over “Anti-American Policies”

    Gabon’s Coup Leader and President Nguema Launches New Political Party

    Gabon’s Coup Leader And President Nguema Launches New Political Party

    Trump Demands Probe Of Subsidies Offered To Musk’s Firms

    After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Considers Floating Political Party

    Russia, China’s Presidents Absent As BRICS Summit Starts In Brazil

    Russia, China’s Presidents Absent As BRICS Summit Starts In Brazil

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

  • Economy
    Lesotho Declares State of Disaster Over Uncertainty Around US Tariffs

    Lesotho Declares State Of Disaster Over Uncertainty Around US Tariffs

    Goldman Sachs Appoints Former UK PM Rishi Sunak As Senior Adviser

    Goldman Sachs Appoints Former UK PM Rishi Sunak As Senior Adviser

    Social Media Posts To Determine Eligibility Of Immigrants To Get Visas — US

    US Embassy Mandates Nigerian Visa Applicants To Remove Privacy Settings On Social Media

    Ghana: Parliament Passes Provisional Budget To Avert Government Shutdown

    IMF Commends Ghana’s Economic Reforms, Debt Restructuring

    Namibia Suspends State Funerals Following Criticism Over High Costs

    Namibia Suspends State Funerals Following Criticism Over High Costs

    SA: Mineral Council Says Proposed Tax On Chrome Export Threatens Jobs

    SA: Mineral Council Says Proposed Tax On Chrome Export Threatens Jobs

    Senegal Moves To Reduce Reliance On Foreign Lenders, Targets Improved IGR

    Senegal Promises To Clear Undeclared Debt Incurred By Past Administration

    Nigerian Govt Set To Launch ‘Africans For Africa’ Mining Sector Fund

    Nigerian Govt Set To Launch ‘Africans For Africa’ Mining Sector Fund

    Kenya Mulls Privatisation Of Key Government Assets To Attract Investment

    Kenya Mulls Privatisation Of Key Government Assets To Attract Investment

  • Security
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Metro
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Legal
  • Tech & Science
  • Opinion
  • Exposé
  • Exclusive Videos
  • Niger Delta
  • World
  • Politics
    Cameroon: President Biya Returns Home After 42 Days Absence

    Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

    Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

    Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

    Mali: Junta Leader Signs Law Allowing Him To Remain In Power Without Election

    Tunisia: 84-Year-Old Opposition Leader Slammed 14 Years Jail Term

    Tunisia: 84-Year-Old Opposition Leader Slammed 14 Years Jail Term

    Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With 10% Tariff Over “Anti-American Policies”

    Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With 10% Tariff Over “Anti-American Policies”

    Gabon’s Coup Leader and President Nguema Launches New Political Party

    Gabon’s Coup Leader And President Nguema Launches New Political Party

    Trump Demands Probe Of Subsidies Offered To Musk’s Firms

    After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Considers Floating Political Party

    Russia, China’s Presidents Absent As BRICS Summit Starts In Brazil

    Russia, China’s Presidents Absent As BRICS Summit Starts In Brazil

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

    Mali: Parliament Grants Coup Leader 5-Year Renewable Presidential Term Without Election

  • Economy
    Lesotho Declares State of Disaster Over Uncertainty Around US Tariffs

    Lesotho Declares State Of Disaster Over Uncertainty Around US Tariffs

    Goldman Sachs Appoints Former UK PM Rishi Sunak As Senior Adviser

    Goldman Sachs Appoints Former UK PM Rishi Sunak As Senior Adviser

    Social Media Posts To Determine Eligibility Of Immigrants To Get Visas — US

    US Embassy Mandates Nigerian Visa Applicants To Remove Privacy Settings On Social Media

    Ghana: Parliament Passes Provisional Budget To Avert Government Shutdown

    IMF Commends Ghana’s Economic Reforms, Debt Restructuring

    Namibia Suspends State Funerals Following Criticism Over High Costs

    Namibia Suspends State Funerals Following Criticism Over High Costs

    SA: Mineral Council Says Proposed Tax On Chrome Export Threatens Jobs

    SA: Mineral Council Says Proposed Tax On Chrome Export Threatens Jobs

    Senegal Moves To Reduce Reliance On Foreign Lenders, Targets Improved IGR

    Senegal Promises To Clear Undeclared Debt Incurred By Past Administration

    Nigerian Govt Set To Launch ‘Africans For Africa’ Mining Sector Fund

    Nigerian Govt Set To Launch ‘Africans For Africa’ Mining Sector Fund

    Kenya Mulls Privatisation Of Key Government Assets To Attract Investment

    Kenya Mulls Privatisation Of Key Government Assets To Attract Investment

  • Security
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Metro
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Legal
  • Tech & Science
  • Opinion
  • Exposé
  • Exclusive Videos
  • Niger Delta
  • World
No Result
View All Result
First with the News

Joe Biden Trusts a Nigerian to Run His Economy – So Why Don’t Nigerians?

..."foreign governments trust Nigerian politicians more than we do! Joe Biden may trust a Nigerian to run his economy, but most Nigerians wouldn’t."

December 8, 2020
in Opinion, Top Stories
0
Adewale 'Wally' Adeyemo

Adewale 'Wally' Adeyemo

0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Whatsapp

United States President-elect Joe Biden’s appointment of Nigerian-born Adewale Adeyemo as his Deputy Treasury Secretary should be a huge matter of pride for Naija.

But, to me, it demonstrates yet again how and where we are failing as a nation.

Relatedreading

Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

That a Nigerian in his thirties will soon have such a critical role in the American economy – and the economy of the entire world as a result- is a testament to the intelligence and the industry of our young people.

But it is also a sign, not just that too many of our best and brightest young Nigerians continue to believe that they will have better opportunities overseas, but that they are probably right to do so.

On some level, we should be thrilled at the international success of the Nigerian Diaspora – with the recent promotion of Lagos-born Pearlena Igbokwe at NBC Universal and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s role at the World Bank – Nigerians will soon be in charge of both the economy and the entertainment industry in the United States – but we should also be devastated that it is other nations that are benefiting from our resilience, ambition and talent.

It is also proof that foreign governments trust Nigerian politicians more than we do! Joe Biden may trust a Nigerian to run his economy, but most Nigerians wouldn’t.

As research from the influential Pew Research Centre has shown, more than seven-in-ten Nigerians (72 per cent) believe the statement “most politicians are corrupt” describes our country well.

What is worse, six-in-ten say it describes Nigeria “very well.”

Almost six-in-ten Nigerians say the statement “elected officials care what ordinary people think” is not accurate. Fifty-seven per cent believe that things will not change for the people of Nigeria “no matter who wins an election”. And who can blame them?

Just this past week, we saw the extradition and arrest of Abdulrasheed Maina, the fugitive former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team.

The influential intergovernmental economic organisation the OECD recently scored Nigeria 28/100 for corruption placing us in 136th position out of 176 countries surveyed.

When the former head of the President’s own taskforce on cleaning up pensions stands charged with 12 counts of money laundering you have to ask yourself if the OECD has been too charitable in its assessment.

In fact, when it comes to research into Nigerian’s opinion of politicians, the most positive figure I can find is from a 2017 survey which concluded 54 per cent of Nigerians think ordinary people “can make a difference” politically.

What that survey – and those surveyed for that matter – forget, however, is that politicians are ordinary people.

The problem is that in Nigeria, we have fallen into the habit of viewing politicians as some discrete class, completely removed from the rest of us – almost as if they were a different species!

At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we want to change that. We have created a free app called Rate Your Leader, which is designed to stop local politicians from seeming remote and out-of-touch and to make them feel like real people.

The app does this by putting electors and elected into a direct person to person contact. Instead of party political broadcasts, decision-makers and the people who put them in power can have direct, one-on-one conversations – building relationships, building trust and working together to make our communities better.

Nigerians need to feel that anyone can make it – whether in entertainment, business or politics. To feel it, they need to see it – and to see it they need to be in better contact with people who have made it.

And thanks to apps like Rate Your Leader – which also makes abusive communications impossible – this can be done using technology that almost all of us are carrying in our pockets at all times.

Our hope is that along with improved democratic accountability and transparency we can inspire people to consider political careers themselves, and to stay in Nigeria to do it.

No-one begrudges Nigerians having success overseas – far from it. It is also a huge symbol of national pride that no less than eight players with Nigerian heritage were picked by the top American basketball teams in last month’s NBA draft and nobody is going to claim that the Nigerian basketball leagues are a better place to show off their talents to a global audience than the National Basketball Association!

But if we are to advance as a nation, we need to prove to our most talented young people that Nigeria is somewhere they can thrive.

Joel Popoola is a Nigerian technology entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the Rate Your Leader app. He can be reached on Twitter at @JOPopoola.

 

ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

Why United States Added Nigeria To Blacklist On Religious Freedom

Next Post

UCL: Solskjaer issues stark warning to Manchester United ahead of crucial Leipzig tie

Related Posts

Cameroon: President Biya Returns Home After 42 Days Absence

Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

July 11, 2025
Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

July 11, 2025

Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

Illegal Migration: Senegalese Navy Intercepts 201 Migrants On Treacherous Atlantic Route To Europe

Ghana Prepared To Fund Ukrainian Drone Manufacturing, Zelensky Claims

Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

Next Post
Solskjaer blames defeat on poor defensive show, says it’s ‘unforgivable’

UCL: Solskjaer issues stark warning to Manchester United ahead of crucial Leipzig tie

Please login to join discussion
AfriHeritage Magazine Issue 2 AfriHeritage Magazine Issue 2 AfriHeritage Magazine Issue 2

Updates

Plugin Install : Widget Tab Post needs JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Cameroon: President Biya Returns Home After 42 Days Absence

Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

July 11, 2025
Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

July 11, 2025
Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

July 11, 2025
Morocco Rescues 310 Europe-Bound Migrants

Illegal Migration: Senegalese Navy Intercepts 201 Migrants On Treacherous Atlantic Route To Europe

July 11, 2025
JESIN GAMES - AfriTrivia JESIN GAMES - AfriTrivia JESIN GAMES - AfriTrivia
ADVERTISEMENT

Most Recent

Cameroon: Aged Biya Fixes October 12 For Presidential Election

July 11, 2025

Bangladesh Cancels The Use Of “Sir” To Address Female Office Holders

July 11, 2025

Kenya: Opposition Demands Ruto’s Resignation Over Police Order To “Shoot Legs” Of Protesters

July 11, 2025

Illegal Migration: Senegalese Navy Intercepts 201 Migrants On Treacherous Atlantic Route To Europe

July 11, 2025

Ghana Prepared To Fund Ukrainian Drone Manufacturing, Zelensky Claims

July 11, 2025

Kenya: Ruto Appoints New Head Of Electoral Commission

July 11, 2025

Ronaldo’s YouTube Channel Topples Global Music Stars In Subscriber Rankings

July 11, 2025

2024 WAFCON: CAF Probe Algeria, Nigeria Reach Quarter-final, Mali, Ghana In Fierce Derby

July 11, 2025

About

Heritage Times HT stands as a beacon of pan-African journalism, dedicated to amplyfing the rich tapestry of voices and narratives across the continent. With unwavering commitment, we illuminate the evocative essence of Africa, offering a fresh perspective that captivates our global audience.

Featured

From Hope To Fear: Kenya Joins East Africa’s Crackdown On Free Expression

AfDB Set For A New President, As Ould Tah Gains Continental Endorsement

How Dangote Is Turning Trump’s Trade War Into Africa’s Opportunity

Connect

Connect with us on social media and receive timely updates on the go.

Get Updates

  • About
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Heritage Times (HT) Media.

No Result
View All Result
  • Welcome
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Security
  • Exposé
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Legal
  • Technology and Science
  • Columns
    • Opinion
  • World
  • __________________
  • Make a Donation
  • Photo Speaks
  • Videos
  • You-Report
  • Whistleblower
  • Advertise
  • HT Events
  • About HT
  • Contact us

© 2024 Heritage Times (HT) Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In