In April, Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 girls from a school in north-eastern Nigeria. Amid a global wave of outrage at the jihadists and sympathy for the families of the 219 girls who remain missing, the Nigerian government seemed strangely unmoved.
Six months later, the Nigerian security forces appear to have made no progress towards freeing the girls, though the authorities last week announced a “ceasefire” with Boko Haram. The worldwide coverage of the girls’ plight has served to reinforce the impression of Nigeria as a dysfunctional state where politicians care for nothing but looting its vast oil wealth.
This week a different Nigeria appeared. While the Ebola virus rages in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, it was contained in Nigeria. The World Health Organisation has declared Nigeria Ebola-free thanks to what it called “world-class epidemiological detective work”.
The virus was brought to Nigeria by a traveller, the Liberian American Patrick Sawyer, who arrived at Lagos airport in July very sick. He was taken to a private hospital where he claimed to be suffering from malaria. The true cause was quickly discovered and he was kept in the hospital. A doctor at the clinic, Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, and its director, Benjamin Ohiaeri, have been praised for detaining the patient, despite legal threats from the Liberian government to let him go free. Dr Adadevoh was one of nine people in Nigeria to die of the disease.
The health authorities tracked 894 people who had been in contact with Sawyer, carrying out 18,500 interviews to identify people who might have been exposed to the virus. A “war room” was set up to mobilise resources. A first-class virology laboratory at the University of Lagos teaching hospital processed tests within 24 hours.
Had things been done otherwise, the 21 million inhabitants of the teeming city of Lagos could have been home to what the US consul-general, Jeffrey Hawkins, described as an “apocalyptic urban outbreak”. So what went right?
It was fortunate that the Ebola carrier arrived in Lagos, a city that is more efficiently run by its governor Babatunde Raji Fashola than the country as a whole.
It is true also that Lagos was prepared. Three Ebola outbreaks since 2000 have been quickly contained. The polio eradication programme supported by the Gates Foundation and others has provided a template – teams equipped with GPS systems who have experience in tracking down every child that needs vaccination. Nigeria has had only six recorded cases of polio this year, and intends to become polio-free.
Lagos is now a place where young people who have studied abroad can hope to find suitable jobs in their speciality. Unlike in the years of military rule, salaries are more likely to be paid on time and telephones are more likely to be functioning. With a vibrant media culture, there was no difficulty in getting out the message that hand hygiene was the key to preventing the spread of Ebola.
All this is very different from Liberia and Sierra Leone, both ravaged by long years of civil war, and Guinea, held back by decades of one-party rule. With weak health systems, it took these governments four months to announce that Ebola had arrived in their border regions, an area where the local populations are distrustful of central authority and unused to receiving any medical assistance.
Nigeria’s success is part of the “Africa rising” narrative. In West Africa, the idea was that Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, would pull the region towards prosperity. With growing populations of consumers and valuable resources, Africa was going to fully integrate into the world economy. In April, Nigeria was declared Africa’s biggest economy, overtaking South Africa.
But the global economic crisis, combined with Nigeria’s security problems and the difficulties of middle-income countries such as Ghana in rising up the ladder, have undercut the Africa boosters. Cynics say that the only thing rising in Africa is income inequality. The truth is that in technical fields such as public health, progress in countries such as Nigeria is rapid.
What is surprising is the note of amazement in some commentators that the administration functioned so effectively with elections for president, national assembly and state governors looming in February. The assumption is that politics will ruin everything.
There is a clear opposition in the minds of commentators between progress and politics: the subtext is that members of the political class will stop at nothing to boost their share of the spoils of oil wealth. To be fair, holding a country as vast and diverse as Nigeria together is a near impossible task, and these days it seems to be achieved by off-budget oil money sloshing into the pockets of the powerful.
The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, wrote to president Goodluck Jonathan in February to complain that more than $1 billion a month in oil revenues went unaccounted for during a 19-month period. Mr Sanusi was suspended by the president for “financial recklessness and misconduct”. The state oil firm said the claim, which is under investigation, was unsubstantiated.
Mr Sanusi had touched a taboo topic. The appointment of globally respected figures to senior positions, such as the former managing director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as finance minister, has boosted confidence that endemic corruption can be curtailed. But how long will that take?
There is no desire for a return of the military: General Sani Abacha is said to have stolen $4.3 billion during his five-year rule in the 1990s. But the political class is still seen as a threat to the progress earnestly desired by technical elites. It seems Nigeria can cope with Ebola but politics is a bigger challenge.
Alan Philps is a commentator on global affair
Twitter: @aphilps
Oppenheimer
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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HEY%20MERCEDES%2C%20WHAT%20CAN%20YOU%20DO%20FOR%20ME%3F
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners