Charting Nigeria’s Economic Curse and the Sustainability Agenda through Education

The role of education in supporting the development of professionals and the business sector in the context of sustainability in Nigeria’s geo-economic and geopolitical context is considered in this chapter. The significance of education to support the sustainability of the economic growth of a country, especially a developing nation like Nigeria, cannot be over-emphasised. An initial clarification that is needed relates to our understanding of the economic impact of a country’s real output increase during a particular period. On the other hand, economic development is considered the production level increase of an economy as it is closely linked to living standards and technological advancement. In essence, enhancing the distribution of growth is termed economic development. Nigeria is a developing nation endowed with several mineral resources that initially defined the country as an agrarian system from its creation in 1914 until the discovery of oil in 1956. Oil had a significant impact on the country’s economy, as since its discovery, the government shifted its focus from other mineral resources to oil, and Nigeria became a monolithic economy. In line with the Dutch Disease Theory, the discovery of oil that should initially be considered a blessing and positively impact the economy led to weaker economic development and it has become a resource curse for the nation. With the proceeds from oil exploration came corruption, where only a few people enjoyed the gains of the country’s wealth. Corruption began to breed poor education, lack of infrastructure, poverty, and environmental pollution, which hindered the economic growth and development of the country, highlighting the need to explore to what extent education might contribute to supporting Nigeria’s economic growth and development. With the relationship between education and economic growth, this chapter explores how education, in the area of e-learning, can be used in an oil and gas company to support professionals and the business sector for inclusive growth.