CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRDUCTION

According to annual report of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria economy has performed less well in the 1980’s than the 1970’s. Much of the growth in both periods was based on performance of the oil sector. By 1970 oil output stood at 558 million barrels and increased to 823 million barrels by 1973. Between 1975 – 1985, oil output per day averaged between 1.8 and 2.3 million barrels respectively. With the dramatic rise in oil price in 1973 and 1974 oil came to account for 31.9% of growth in real gross domestic products and has since continued to dominate economic performance in Niger sector. Although the aim of the policy was to translate oil revenue into directly productive structures and promote long-term development prospects, the imperatives and political pressure to spend led to consolable waste and to oil boom in construction activities.

The oil include rise in the exchange rate also gave negative protection to agriculture and eroded it’s significance in the economy from about 40% of the gross domestic product I the early 1970’s to 1980’s. According, food imports which were only 200,000 lorus the 1960’s has increase tremendously to 399,000 tones in 1974, reaching a pear level of 2,441,000 lorus in 1981.

By 1985 capacity utilization of most industries was below 20% owing to lack of foreign exchanges raw materials and sparse parts. Inflation had also attained an intolerable level. When therefore, the past administration in Nigeria came to power (the Babangida Administration) in August 1985, it looks a critical look at the magnititude of the economic problems facing the nation and in July 1986, it adopted a programme known as Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) as a means of tackling these preambles.