The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Segun Runsewe, has been on my mind lately, and not with admiration. He represents the typical policy dysfunction that is a trademark of our political system: one where people with the least understanding of a nuanced issue are given the task of directing it. Incompetent … Continue reading
In the years leading up to and after 2015, corruption was the dominant issue in Nigerian public debates. The idea that Nigeria’s main challenge was tackling corruption was so widespread that it propelled Buhari into office. However, in the last couple of years, the issue of insecurity has taken centre stage. This is not because … Continue reading
Nigeria is not progressing in any meaningful way. Except that modern technological advances continue to insulate us from the worst effects of bad governance, we are deteriorating rapidly in several ways. In particular, the last few years have seen a rapid decline in Nigeria’s indicators. Between 2016 and now, Nigeria has been ranked as having … Continue reading
Sometime in 2016, a security officer at a Lagos immigration office spoke to me discreetly, suggesting that I advice a fellow visitor not to wear ‘that type of dress’ next time, or he may embarrass her. A few weeks later, at a bar in Lagos, a friend laughed nervously about the risks in leaving her … Continue reading
