Outside the Abuja bubble

Yesterday, we took a trip to Karu, one of the so-called "satellite towns" of Abuja, to mark the opening of a small children's community library project. As the party crammed into the library and excited children slipped in and out, I stood outside to observe the scene.

Here, just a few minutes drive from the grand opulence of Maitama and Asokoro, where mansions cost more than their equivalent in London or New York, you can see how the vast majority of Nigerians live. The streets are made of earth, the building materials inadequate, with no electricity and no tap water in sight. A life lived in public, with little opportunity either for privacy or advancement. Meanwhile, Nigeria still has over US$40 billion in foreign reserves...