Nigerian economy better under British colonists than Tinubu, others – Analyst, Kalu Aja

Financial analyst Kalu Aja has sparked reactions online after claiming that Nigeria’s economy performed better in the 1950s under British colonial rule than it has since independence in 1960.

Aja made the statement in a post shared on his X account on Saturday, lamenting the decline of Nigeria’s once-thriving agricultural exports. He pointed to commodities such as groundnuts, cocoa, palm oil and others, which he said helped drive prosperity before independence but gradually weakened in the years that followed.

According to him, Nigeria’s agriculture and other key sectors were stronger in the pre-independence era due to what he described as more effective leadership by the colonial administrators. He argued that Nigeria’s post-independence leadership, including the current administration, failed to sustain the country’s economic strengths

He said; “It’s uncomfortable to hear because it’s true.

“Everyone knows Nigeria was an agricultural powerhouse in the 1950s, not just for yams, but for foreign currency cash crops like groundnuts (top 2 globally), palm oil (top 3 globally), and cocoa (top 3 globally).

“What happened after independence? Where are the pyramids of groundnuts or palm plantations today?

“The truth is those sectors prospered because of oyibo; when oyibo left, everything decayed,” he wrote on X.