Neo-Nigerionics

Nigeria's late poet-laureate was once asked in an interview for his opinion on the possibility of developing tourism in Nigeria. He replied:

"Only a masochist with an exuberant sense of self-destruction would choose Nigeria as a holiday destination"

. Not exactly an encouraging advertisement, but unfortunately it's true. Try telling 10 people that you're going to Nigeria, and their responses will give you a sense of the Herculean task to repair its battered reputation (a process the government rather injudiciously calls 'image-laundering'). But the changes required run deeper than mere cosmetics. Nigeria faces a raft of endemic problems, which will not be easily unravelled. Against a backdrop of stubbornly institutionalised corruption, some of the toughest questions are these:

1. How can a government be persuaded to view the population as a resource worth investing in, when it has negligible tax collection capability and a plentiful supply of revenue from natural resources? And, with a growing population and declining reserves, what will be the consequences of failing to make this investment?
2. Is it possible to legitimately win an election in a corrupt system? And, if it is not, should we forgive the victor if he uses his power to fix the faults which he exploited to win it in the first place (as the current President seems to be doing)?
3. If the government is a majority shareholder in the operations of foreign investors (multinational oil companies, in this case), who should be responsible for repairing the negative impact of those operations on people and the environment?

Food for thought.