10 Nigerian states have bigger GDPs than some African nations —Osinbajo

In order to alter perceptions of Nigeria, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has advocated for greater engagement with foreign nations.

In a statement released on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo claimed that he made the call on Friday when a delegation of Harvard Business School students paid him a visit at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The students, who were travelling across numerous African nations, had a conversation with the vice president on leadership, spirituality, and religion as well as about governmental policies regarding public perception, health, and the economy.

In response to inquiries regarding the unfavourable perceptions of Nigeria in the worldwide community, Osinbajo stated: “It is important to constantly interact with the global community to demonstrate how we feel about the stereotypes.

He insisted that news coming out of Nigeria did not really reflect the true situation of things in the country.

The vice president argued that it was inappropriate to compare the economic reality in Nigeria with other smaller African nations.

He added: “First, there is a need to appreciate the size of the country, which is crucial to understanding what the issues are.

“For instance, Borno State is about the size of the whole of the United Kingdom plus Sweden or Denmark. So, when it is reported that there is violence in Nigeria, it is probably an incident in one remote area of the country, and many people in Abuja and Lagos may hear about it on social media, such is the size of this country.

“When they talk about the economy, we are often compared with smaller African countries, but there are 10 states in Nigeria that have bigger Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) than those countries. It is a huge target market.”