My Nigeria

Product Description

His nineteenth century cousin was paddled ashore by slaves, & twisted the arms of tribal chiefs to sign away their territorial rights in the oil rich Niger Delta. Sixty years later, his grandfather helped craft Nigeria`s constitution & negotiate its independence, the first of its kind in Africa. Four decades later, journalist Peter Cunliffe-Jones arrived as a journalist in the capital, Lagos, just as military rule ended, to face the country his family had a hand in shaping. Part family memoir, part history, My Nigeria is a piercing look at the colonial legacy in an emerging power in Africa. Marshalling his deep knowledge of the economic, political, & historic forces, Cunliffe-Jones surveys the country`s colonial past & explains why British rule led to collapse at independence. He also takes an unflinching look at the complicated country today: from email hoaxes & political corruption to the vast natural resources that make it one of the most powerful African nations; from life in Lagos`s virtually unknown & exclusive neighborhoods to the violent conflicts between the numerous tribes that make up this populous African nation. As Nigeria celebrates its five decades of independence, this is a timely & personal look at a captivating country that is still due to achieve its great potential.