The following is an excerpt from my latest article published on the Huffington Post:

When a leader is ill and absent, a country cannot function, and for Nigeria, the costs have been very high. Yar’Adua’s illness has prevented him from attending the United Nations General Assembly, where he would have had the opportunity to privately meet with President Barack Obama. His approval of the state budget has been repeatedly delayed because of health issues, while infighting and disobedience within state ministries has proliferated. Worst of all, the president’s low profile has allowed for widespread abuses of power for personal enrichment and settling of scores.

Long before this current hospital visit, the president’s illness had become Nigeria’s illness. Since coming into power in May 2007 following the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, the basic administration of public affairs has faltered, while the reform movement has been stamped out. Record high oil prices haven’t made a dent in the poverty level, nor helped complete any significant public project of improvement. Numerous infrastructure projects for railroads and electricity generation were bungled and canceled, while discretionary spending was returned to the regional authorities (under Obasanjo, a centralized stabilization fund had been created to handle budget shortfalls).