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North Nigeria
Nigeria has a relatively hot climate. North Nigeria has less intense rainfalls than the South, with an annual precipitation of 500mm, as compared to the South’s, which is in the thousands. Nigeria benefits from a tropical climate with lush vegetation and a diverse range of crops that grow all year round, thus it thrives on agriculture. Agriculture provides most of the jobs for the poverty stricken people in North Nigeria. It engages about 70% of the labour force (Nations Encyclopedia, 2007). Its farms are usually small and scattered, and farming is using done with simple tools. These farms produce about 80% the country’s total food (Yakubu, 2007; Akanegbu, 2007). The farmers earn from crops such as rubber, timber groundnut and palm produce, which shows that not only do they produce food crops, but they also produce raw materials for the industries. However, due to the thrive on agriculture, it has resulted in the Northerners relying on agriculture for generations and not developing their other industries. This has caused them to be poorer in terms of their income and being less developed as compared to the South.
However, the infrastructure in North Nigeria is very poor. Since North Nigeria is mostly rural, the Nigerian government has, for very long, neglected the development in this region. Investments in health, education and water supply have been focussed largely on the cities. The neglect of rural infrastructure affects the profitability of agriculture produce. The lack of rural roads hinders the marketing of agricultural goods, which prevents farmers from selling their produce at reasonable prices, leading to spoilage. Limited accessibility also cuts small-scale farmers off from sources of inputs, equipment and new technology, and this keeps yields low. For example, many of these small-scale farmers rely on rainfall to cultivate their crops rather than irrigation systems (Rural Poverty Portal, 2014).
However, the infrastructure in North Nigeria is very poor. Since North Nigeria is mostly rural, the Nigerian government has, for very long, neglected the development in this region. Investments in health, education and water supply have been focussed largely on the cities. The neglect of rural infrastructure affects the profitability of agriculture produce. The lack of rural roads hinders the marketing of agricultural goods, which prevents farmers from selling their produce at reasonable prices, leading to spoilage. Limited accessibility also cuts small-scale farmers off from sources of inputs, equipment and new technology, and this keeps yields low. For example, many of these small-scale farmers rely on rainfall to cultivate their crops rather than irrigation systems (Rural Poverty Portal, 2014).
South Nigeria
South Nigeria is the one that provides the economic mainstay of the economy, oil. Upon the discovery of crude oil and its subsequent exportation, there was a boom in the economy of Nigeria as it accounted for over 80% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Petroleum, a product made from oil plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, it contributes to 40% of the country's GDP as well as 80% of government earnings and hence it's a major factor in its economic status. As a result, Nigeria has the biggest economy in South Africa.
The economy of South Nigeria has been increasing at an average of 7% a year for the past decade. Its extensive oil reserves are located in South Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. (Campbell, 2011)
The economy of South Nigeria has been increasing at an average of 7% a year for the past decade. Its extensive oil reserves are located in South Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. (Campbell, 2011)
The upstream oil industry is the single most important sector in Nigeria’s economy. According to the 2012 BP Statistical Energy Survey, Nigeria had oil reserves amounting 37.2 billion barrels at the end of 2011, equivalent to 41.4 years of current production. The country produced an average of 2457.3 thousand barrels of crude oil per day in 2011, making up 2.93% of the world’s production. This is also a 0.1 % from 2010. As mentioned, most of this is produced from the prolific Niger River Delta (MBendi, 2016). South Nigeria also has natural resources such as oil and gas which the North Nigeria does not have Thus, it has an economic advantage geographically as oil brings a lot more profit than the agriculture in the North.
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