Reporting News and opinions
When Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for a cross-party "consensus" on social care, you could practically hear the collective sigh of relief from Westminster’s pundit class. “Ah, marvelous,” they purred. “The grown-ups are finally taking their seats.”
On the surface, it sounds like great news for infrastructure. But listen closely to the phrasing: "The Governor has told me that he’s going to construct so many roads… The Governor has even approved the construction… Another road that the Governor has said he will also do…"
The uncomfortable reality is that kidnapping in Nigeria increasingly resembles a functioning market. In this market, fear is the currency, human beings are the commodities, and safety has become a product available only to those who can afford to buy it.
The flight from London had arrived. I was waiting for the Chief Judge of Kwara state. An elderly man wheezed past me imperiously like he owned Ottawa Airport. Like he personally appointed the Mayor of Ottawa. The unmistakable trade mark of the Nigerian. I was going to hail him and ask if he was my guest.
The performance requires a villain. Africa has been performing that role for free, and at some cost to itself for considerably longer than it should have.
