Nigeria:
Date
1960
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Great Britain: Charles Jrchall and Sons Ltd, Liverpool
Abstract
A visitor’s Nigeria; Background; The way people live; Politics and politicians; Maps;
Description
Nigeria is the nearest a British African country has yet
come to being a success story. In striking contrast to
Central and East Africa, Nigeria, with independence due
in October, I960, is a peaceful and comparatively prosperouscountry. Instead of being in prison or exile, Nigerian
political leaders are ministers in regional or national parliaments heading departments staffed by Nigerian and
British civil servants, Federal police officers, again of both
races, are generally trusted, and their presence is thought
to be a guarantee of peaceful political assembly. European
visitors who are spat at in remote Kikuyu villages in Kenya,
are instead laughed at, given beer and generally welcomed
to equally remote Nigerian villages. Murder, cannibalism,
slavery, and pagan oaths celebrated with blood sacrifices
occur in Nigeria, as they must in any African country
trying to span several hundred years in a few generations.
But they are condemned by Nigerian leaders, often in
stronger terms than British officials would dare to use.
Compared to its neighbour, Ghana, Nigeria is politically
divided. But, just because there are three big political parties and three obvious political leaders instead of one leader
and one party, parliamentary democracy and the right of
individuals to criticise their government in speech and
writing may well survive better in Nigeria than they have
in Ghana.