IF we savour the little blessings, we may find the patience to await the bigger ones. Our democracy challenges our patience and perspectives. Are we in a democracy? Some still ask that question 12 years into civil rule – as others would prefer in references to the civilian annexation of Nigerian politics. Few will find any significance in the fact that at 12 years of uninterrupted civil rule, Nigerians born after May 29, 1999 have enjoyed 12 years of civil rule, the longest stretch of sustained democracy since independence in 1960.
NIGERIA’s economic potential is well known. The country’s considerable resource endowment and coastal location ordinarily should allow the emergence of a strong growth pole for sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years, Nigeria has realised very little of this potential. Instead, its history has been marked by economic stagnation and associated with declining welfare and social instability.
