GENERALS are, by experience and training, men of courage.  They are hardy perennials; men who have distinguished themselves over the years in the field of battle. They are military tacticians who devise the ways and means for defeating the enemy. Great generals fear no foe, even those battle-ready and well-equipped.

The message Chris Ngige delivered to ExxonMobil loud and clear is that it does not have to be subject to Nigerian laws. It can operate here in Nigeria as a law unto itself.

IF you were to visit the Lagos headquarters of ExxonMobil (Nigeria) in Victoria Island, Lagos today, you would immediately notice that something strange is going on. You will find a number of people camped outside the building; sometimes chanting, sometimes dancing, sometimes shouting slogans. They are there 24/7; day and night. Surely, this is anomalous to the activities of an international oil company.

MANY years ago, as a member of the Nigerian delegation to the Non-aligned Conference, I engaged a Nigerian vice-president in discussion on Nigerian politics.  I cannot recall now the exact subject-matter, but I remember saying at some juncture: “Nigerians won’t stand for that, Sir.”  The vice-president became visibly irritated: “What are they going to do?” he asked pointedly.  “What can they do about it?”

IN 2005, Goldman Sachs Investment Bank forecast that Nigeria will be the 20th largest economy in the world by 2025 and the 12th largest by 2050; ahead of Italy, Canada and South Korea.  Having identified Brazil, Russia, India and China as four emergent powerhouses of the world economy referred to as the BRICS; it included Nigeria among “the Next Eleven” countries, which are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam.