THE DEVELOPMENT! BBC Africa asked Nigerians and other Africans to share their views on the prospect of Nigeria becoming the leader of the Dark Continent.

BBC Africa asked Nigerians and other Africans to share their views on the prospect of Nigeria becoming the leader of the Dark Continent.

With its fast developing economy which recently overtook that of South Africa, abundant natural resources, can it overcome the Boko Haram menace, poverty, corruption, ethnic conflicts?

Simi Fajemirokun, an Abuja-based management consultant, said our country is already at the top of her game, leading by the "sheer size of its population" and influencing the world through technological advancement, music and film industry. He reminds that it has historically been a peacekeeper in West Africa, citing its role in bringing stability to the region and quelling the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Although he acknowledges that Nigerian leaders, due to lack of "sense of awareness and purpose," have imposed confused policies and initiated blunders ("such as the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, the passing of an anti-gay law" were mentioned by Mr. Fajemirokun), he is quick to add that old will fast give way and the "new Nigeria" is to be unveiled soon.

Elnathan John is a lawyer and writer also based in Abuja. Responding to the question by BBC Africa, he asked his own: whether Africa is going anywhere, and if Nigeria is ready to rise from the chaos she’s currently engulfed in. All across Africa, he notes, "countries still work at cross purposes, travel within the continent is prohibitively expensive, major powers antagonize each other, … and poverty and conflict is on the increase." Similarly, much of Nigeria’s growth "has had nothing to do with government planning, policy or promotion," benefiting only from Nigeria’s dysfunctional infrastructure, political and social systems. Worse still he notes, Nigeria refuses to acknowledge that multiple crises are threatening its relative stability ahead of the 2015 elections.

Chibundu Onuzo, a Nigerian writer studying in the United Kingdom, said Nigeria needs not only to focus on her achievements and worldwide acknowledgement, but also on primary and essential sectors such as education, health, security, electricity and roads. While hooking the rest of Africa on Nollywood movies and Nigerian music, our country still lags behind Rwanda or Mauritius in addressing basic needs of its indigenes. He stresses the need for a "visionary leadership" that would help transform Nigeria.