Here’s an amazing piece from a 1960  Time Magazine about Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, O.B.E., K.B.E., C.B.E., LL.D. A bit dated, to be sure, but also really well written and fascinating when looked at from the Nigeria of 2008.

‘Along with its echoes of Britain’s Westminster, the legislature over which Sir Abubakar presided last week had some of the flavor of a Pan-African Congress. On its benches tall, haughty Hausas, splendidly robed in green and scarlet, sat amongst volatile Ibos draped in white and azure gowns. Across the aisle were Yoruba tribesmen wrapped in gold, yellow and orange with little porkpie beanies on their heads. Between them, they constituted one of the world’s noisiest Parliaments. Each speaker was greeted with cries of “Heah, heah” from his friends and derisory shouts of “Sit down, you wretched fool” from his foes; from the rostrum came the perennial plea for “Odah, odah!” But somehow, through the din, the nation’s problems got discussed and decided.’

…is apparently more difficult to do than anywhere else in the world. In private and with proper sanitation, anyway. In neighboring Ethiopia, I once had to use a facility in the back of a restaurant, which turned out to be a brothel. The ladies were displeased that I used their bathroom but not any of the other services offered.

There’s been plenty written about this topic, one of the better being this piece. I thought I’d add some photographic evidence from a recent trip around Lagos harbor. Just in case anyone needed convincing.

In Port Harcourt,  Nigeria’s once kicking, now wilting oil town, I found an outstanding hotel. Besides having a very tasteful name, they also promise that Your Satisfaction is Their Pleasure, and that they can Make Real Your Fantasy in Hospitality.

The Ilasan Housing Estate, Lekki Peninsula, Lagos. Construction of the complex was begun by the government two decades ago, never completed, and since it’s surrounded by multi-million dollar properties, probably never will be.

LAGOS, Nigeria — After fifteen years of political debate and periodic violence, the Nigerian government officially handed over the potentially oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon on Thursday, in a ceremony overseen by senior politicians, United Nations officials and a heavy military presence.

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Forget this.

Remember this.

Here’s a piece that was, admittedly, pretty fun to write (NYTimes).

LAGOS, Nigeria — The governor’s son sits hunched at the bar, contemplating his nearly empty bottle of Hennessy. On the dance floor, the airline director’s daughter sways back and forth to a hip-hop beat. Nearby, the star soccer player, just in from London, tries to squeeze past his growing circle of fans and hangers-on. In the center of the club, the oil magnate’s son gets on top of a table and takes a swig from a bottle of Dom Pérignon.

At the match between Portsmouth and Manchester United in Abuja two weeks ago, which allegedly netted each player a multi-million dollar bonus, some fans were (justifiably) angry about $20 tickets. So they started to throw rocks. Some policemen threw rocks back. Tear gas was used. A mini stampede began and a tall, somewhat gangly British reporter scaled a fence as if he were Jason Bourne. One civil defense guard was hit in the head with a rock and may have died. Then all the miscreants were inside the stadium, the frenzy was over, and the surprisingly small crowd sat back and enjoyed a poorly played match between two teams looking to collect their cash and get the hell out of there.