I visited Nigeria in 2003 and found most of the people friendly, engaging and entrepreneurial in spirit. But I was very disappointed in the conditions of the country. So many incomplete and dilapidated buildings, old rusted cars, bad roads, lack of standards, bad utilities, low quality food in public eating paces and the list just goes on. The biggest problem it appears to me is a lack of real interest and national leadership or the ability to do effective nation building. There appears to be no effort, interest or ability of the so-called leaders of Nigeria (national, state and local) to conduct extensive reviews of all area of government, economic, infrastructure, etc and come up with a long term national plan to improve the country, using all the income from oil revenue. It appears the national leaders of Nigeria are afraid of and allow themselves to be taken by foreign companies and governments to sell them stuff and things they don’t need and that don’t fit within any national plan. With all the oil money, why can't they at least purchase a few large CAT or other road graders and tractors to care for roads. Even if the roads are not paved at least they should be made level and without pot holes and other dangers. Why can’t a team of educated Nigerians get together and come up with a serious national plan to address all the problems of Nigeria, instead of taking their knowledge and leaving the country. It appears everyone (so called leaders and scholars) is waiting on someone else to solve the problems of Nigeria. So much of what I saw in Lagos and southeastern Nigeria was just out right despicable and heart breaking. At the main airport in Lagos, huge crowds of people (thugs, money exchangers, beggars, etc) were hanging around, hoping for any chance to rip some one off or to leave to country or get a handout. Even the a member of the army tried to take my camera out on a country road, because as he say "I didn't have receipt"!  I wonder how any Nigerian can be proud of their country in such conditions. Maybe the whole country was not this way, but I saw quite a bit and every thing I saw from service stations to drainage ditches, to huge piles of trash was beyond amazing. Nigerians, how can you live this way? I love Africa and Africans, but there is no excuse for the conditions of many places in Nigeria. I don’t blame the average Nigerian who don't have vast resources, but I do wonder why Nigerians don’t get together and get rid of the so-called leaders who seem to only want official positions for power and money, with no concern what so ever for the conditions of the country.

Bottom line, Nigeria is a basket case of a country and it appears her best and brightest citizens all leave to go live in other places. Those who remain are over whelmed or just frustrated with trying to cut through all the corruption, greed, etc., of trying to work with the government, so the country just wallow in filt and failure. It’s a real shame. I seriously hope what I say anger Nigerians—not at me for stating the facts, but at their governments and their other leaders. And I hope this will help motivate them to do something. Yes I applaud efforts like “Light Up Nigeria” but I wonder if this effort has the backing in terms of funds, skills, etc to make a real difference. And don’t stop there, start a “Clean up Nigeria” campaign too.