The term Export means shipping the goods and services out of
the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred
to as an "exporter" and is based in the country of export whereas the
overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer". In International
Trade, "exports" refers to selling goods and services produced in the
home country to other markets.
Export of commercial quantities of goods normally requires
involvement of the customs authorities in both the country of export and
the country of import. The advent of small trades over the internet
such as through Amazon and E-bay have largely bypassed the involvement of Customs in many countries because of the low individual values of these trades.Nonetheless, these small exports are still subject to legal
restrictions applied by the country of export. An export's counterpart
is an import.
The theory of international trade and commercial policy is one of the
oldest branches of economic thought. Exporting is a major component of
international trade, and the macroeconomic risks and benefits of
exporting are regularly discussed and disputed by economists and others.
Two views concerning international trade present different
perspectives. The first recognizes the benefits of international trade.
The second concerns itself with the possibility that certain domestic
industries (or laborers, or culture) could be harmed by foreign
competition.
Oil and natural gas are the most important export products for
Nigerian trade. The country exports approximately 2.327 million barrels
per day, according to the 2007 figures. In terms of total oil exports,
Nigeria ranks 8th in the world. As of 2009, Nigeria has
approximately 36.2 billion barrel oil reserves. Despite large scale
liberalization efforts, this sector is under close check of the
government agencies. Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC) is the
regulatory body for the oil and natural gas sector.
Prior to oil production, which surged after the 1970s, agricultural
production was the largest export sector for Nigeria. After the country
became a largely oil-intensive economy, the agriculture sector took a
back seat. However, it still provides employment to almost 70% of the
total working population.The largely subsistence agricultural sector has not kept up with rapid
population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now
imports a large quantity of its food products, though there is a
resurgence in manufacturing and exporting of food products. In 2006,
Nigeria successfully convinced the paris club to let it buy back the bulk of its debts owed to the Paris Club for a cash payment of roughly $12 billion (USD).
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NIGERIAN YOUTHS UNDERDEVELOPMENT
Investigations and various specialized studies tend to emphasize the
following factors as contributing to the problem namely: lack of
adequate educational formation, the home (unsatisfactory parental
affection), economic condition, political instability, and youth's
vulnerability to choose between what is morally good and evil. Many have
justifiably argued that the seed of today's underdevelopment in Nigeria
was sown some decades ago, when General Yakubu Gowon, a one time
President of the Federation, thought he was trying to be kind to the
nation, when his government heartlessly and impolitely seized and took
over schools belonging to the missionaries. Due to this seizure, what do
we see around the world of youths today? Indiscipline, moral decadence,
social unrest, social vices and above all we have illiterates, who are
not given qualitative education, and hence lack the rudiments required
for developing both themselves and the community. Samuel Okorie writes
that any society, which may in any way neglect the education of the
youths, simply is building a large edifice on sandy soil, it will
without doubt crumble at the end. In building a developed society
tomorrow, we must begin by inculcating and caring for the youth of
today. In building a crime free society, Africans and in essence
Nigerians should focus more on education, because it is an urgent need
capable of freeing her youths from ignorance and poverty. When some
youths are deprived of one or both parents, they become more susceptible
to underdevelopment than those living in homes with both parents: Also
lack of positive description within the home, conflict between the
parents or other disturbing interfamilial relationships, such as serious
poverty, deprivation or illness may mar the general well being of the
youths. Underdevelopment is fundamentally the result of society's
failure to provide a decent life for most youths and to develop a sense
of social responsibility in its citizen. As members of a society, the
conditions of the youths are largely dependent on those of the society.
Izibili and Enegho write thus: The most fundamental obstacle to
development... of the crucial ingredients of social changes and human
development in Africa are, social-political.... In addition, the
economic bondage in which African nations have been placed over time is
yet another force fighting against African developmental moves. This is
true in the case of Nigeria, where the economic conditions have-made
many youths to become street traders, hawkers, prostitutes, almajirai in
the Northern parts of Nigeria and area boys in the south. More so,
unbalanced political system could also be a factor where those in power
today would not like to step down for the other man tomorrow. And we
find a state whereby the rich begs to become richer and the poor becomes
poorer daily without balanced employment. Hence our government offices
today are most times occupied by dictators, monoliths and
authoritarians. According to The World Book, it is not easy' to say just
why certain youths become problematic and others grow-up and develop as
so-called "sane" and "normal" individuals. Every case can be traced to a
lack of adjustment between the youth and society. Youths belong to a
particular society. His growth or "mal-development" depends chiefly on
the two factors enumerated above: the society and himself. RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NIGERIAN YOUTHS AND THE WAY FORWARD Although,
youths are referred to as spoilers, political thugs and social deviants,
they still have some rights and responsibilities, which are not always
recognized by the society. Festus Alenkhe rightly puts it that the
youths of the nation have lots of important and pivotal roles to play in
ensuring the unity, development, progress and peace in the country. He
enumerates some rights and responsibilities of the Nigerian youths to
include: promotion and defence of democracy and civility in the
governance of the country and interpersonal relations in fellow
citizens; eschewing ethnic and religions bigotry; eschewing all acts of
violence and crimes, such as cultism, armed robbery, street violence,
alcoholism, substance abuse, prostitution; promotion of self-¬help,
self-respectability, co-operation and community development; good
ambassadors of Africa (Nigeria) both at home and abroad; a striving to
be actively involved in decision making on matters that affect them
(youths). This shows that we do not need to wait for non-Nigerians to
help us develop our youths and society, we must make efforts within our
little capacity to see how we could be helpful in creating an atmosphere
free of struggles for power and insecurity in the lives of our African
youths. At this juncture a vicious cycle is readily identified: on the
one hand, the youths, as their rights and responsibilities, are called
to eschew non-desirable elements in the society such as crimes and acts
of violence. On the other hand, they are caught up in the web of such
acts. A true representation of the situation therefore must affirm that
to be responsible, the youths must be liberated from this vicious cycle;
it is a fundamental right of theirs that this is not only achieved but
also that they are offered means to better living conditions. This is a
collective responsibility of all. After all, the "fact remains that for
Africans to break from the chains of underdevelopment is the arduous
responsibility of Africans themselves.
CONCLUSION
The Nigerian youths today have actually for various reasons neglected the prospects of exportation in the Nigerian economy today he impact of exports on growth has for a long time enmeshed in
controversy partly due to both positive and negative effects empirically
established in the literature. Still, most studies in developing
countries have left detailed examination of exports' components and
domestic institutions unexplored in the export-growth nexus.The youths of today should start looking at the export market as viable as working in the banking industry or telecommunications and take it as importantly as possible.
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