Okey Ndibe

In addition to sheer amazement, many of us following the argument that a comatose Umaru Yar’Adua is fit to run Nigeria must have a sense of déjà vu. Nigeria is not the only country that falls into the hands of inept, clueless leadership. But it may well be one of the rare countries where seemingly sane people argue that inept leaders are indispensable. Cast a backward glance at Nigeria’s woeful past and you’ll see examples galore of shameless apologists who told the world that Nigeria’s fate was bound up with that of some certified mediocrity in power.

Read more: Yar’Adua to live forever; Nigeria may die

In eleven days – February 6 – Anambra voters will go to the polls to (attempt to) elect the state’s governor for the next four years. They have a full field of candidates to choose from, and they certainly have a hard task discerning the wheat from the chaff. The election, by every measure, is a profoundly significant contest. There’s no question in my mind that Nigeria’s deeply entrenched anti-democratic forces will seek, yet again, to thwart the popular will. Will they succeed in their sick mission? Will Nigerians awake on February 7 to realize that the hijackers of power had plied their trade once again, and imposed a candidate the people did not elect? And if so, what are the likely consequences?

Read more: Anambra and Nigeria’s burden

Exactly a week ago, Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that reduced much of that misfortunate nation to a colossal ruin. The quake’s epicenter was a mere 16 miles offshore on the western side of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s heavily populated capital. Earthquakes are hardly ever innocuous; but this one was particularly catastrophic. Its proximity to the capital – home to more than three million people – proved disastrous. As I write, Haitian authorities were estimating that 140,000 had perished from the devastating quake.

Read more: UPDATED: Haiti’s tragedy, Biafran memories

It's never been easy to be a Nigerian immigrant in the U.S. Thanks to some Nigerians who send out scam letters and e-mails around the world, there's the perception that Nigerians are financial predators prowling the cyber world for gullible victims. When I first arrived in the U.S. in 1988, I found it difficult to open a bank account. The FBI and other agencies had sent out bulletins to banks, credit card companies and other financial services firms to beware of Nigerians. In the end, a bank opened an account only after I had lined up several longtime customers to vouch for me.

Read more: OVERREACTION: Nigerians Are Not The Enemy