I have been one of those in favour of the removal of fuel subsidies. However for most Nigerians the problem is not that they don’t understand the logic of spending wisely. The problem is they don’t trust the government to do so. The government has used these tricks in the past and there really is no reason to believe they [...]

When you look at the issue of fuel subsidy in Nigeria against the indeterminate cost and the proliferation of refineries everywhere but in Nigeria where the petroleum is produced, it raises a number of pertinent questions about the honest brokerage of our government.

I recently attended an event at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on Change and Governance in Africa. One thing is clear: Africa is changing. The landscape of the continent is changing at a rapid pace, in some sectors, maybe a bit too rapidly but that is the topic of another write-up. The change is exciting. People are [...]

Through the aspirations of the day of independence in 1960 we look beyond 2010 for a new Nigeria.

I don’t know which to pick between May 29 and June 12 as the worst date to look forward to in our political calendar. I don’t know which is, to me, emptier of meaning as far as democracy is the issue. Perhaps, I hold a generally jaundiced view of Nigeria’s political history and career. But I truly pity the optimists [...]

This documentary was more about promoting Walter than about the brain gain of Nigerians returning home to help build the country.

Some Nigerians are complaining about the BBC documentary Welcome to Lagos because, they say, it is not balanced. I have not seen the second in the series so I can’t really say much about that. The first, though, in my opinion, does not leave any gap that needs to be filled by any fair and balanced reporting. It is a [...]

Part II of Welcome to Lagos takes us to Makoko, built on a lagoon and bustling with activity.

Welcome to Lagos, a BBC documentary of people who trump the dump with a story of life and ability beyond the settings that would have others deem them caught in a poverty trap.

Among other things, I can understand why so many Nigerians should think that ‘District 9′ shows how deeply some South Africans detest us. The lumpen elements in the film are called ‘Nigerians’ – and the loathing is heaped much heavily on them. Throughout the story, there is not one moment in which they are invested with anything humane in their [...]