- LSE to host launch of economist’s new book
- How can Nigeria escape ‘fragility trap’ and unlock its potential – Fasan
By Clifford Ndujihe
THE debate over Nigeria’s political, economic and social transformation will shift to the global stage next week as the London School of Economics, LSE, hosts the London launch of Dr Olu Fasan’s latest book, In the National Interest: The Road to Nigeria’s Political, Economic and Social Transformation.
The event, scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, will bring together members of the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom, academics, business leaders, diplomats and other friends of Nigeria to examine the country’s development trajectory and prospects for transformation.
Fasan, a columnist with Vanguard and BusinessDay newspapers and a former teacher at LSE, will deliver a keynote presentation titled: “66 Years On: How Can Nigeria Escape the Fragility Trap and Unlock Its Potential?”
The presentation is expected to place Nigeria’s post-independence experience under scrutiny, with particular attention to the political, economic and social challenges that have continued to constrain the country’s development.
The event will also feature a fireside chat with Fasan. Aanu Adeoye, a Financial Times journalist and former West Africa correspondent of the newspaper in Lagos, will respond to Fasan’s presentation and share insights from his experience covering Nigeria.
Professor Milli Lake of LSE’s Department of International Relations will chair the event.
Lake’s academic interests include state-building, the rule of law, governance and Sub-Saharan Africa — issues central to the debate about Nigeria’s capacity to build stronger institutions and achieve sustainable development.
The London event comes at a significant moment for Nigeria, coinciding with the country’s 66th independence anniversary and taking place only a few months before the next presidential election.
Beyond the formal launch of the book, the gathering is expected to provide a platform for a broader conversation about Nigeria’s future, particularly its ability to overcome longstanding institutional, political, economic and social constraints.
Nigeria’s transformation
Fasan’s book, In the National Interest, examines the road Nigeria needs to travel to achieve political, economic and social transformation.
The book was first launched in Nigeria in November last year at an event hosted by Vanguard newspaper and supported by BusinessDay.
Veteran journalist, Dr Reuben Abati, anchored the Nigerian launch, while Professor Anya O. Anya, former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, chaired the occasion.
A former Minister of Finance, Dr Segun Aganga, delivered the keynote address.
The Lagos event attracted a cross-section of prominent Nigerians from politics, business, the media and professional circles.
Among those present were Vanguard Publisher, Uncle Sam Amuka; former Minister of Industry, Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande; former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi; and Erelu Abiola Dosunmu.
Others included Yemi Akeju, Chief Administrator of the Nigeria Media Merit Awards; Frank Aigbogu, publisher of BusinessDay; and Eze Anaba, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and editor of Vanguard newspapers.
The book is now being taken to London, where its author hopes to broaden the conversation beyond Nigeria and engage an international audience in discussions about the country’s future.
Fasan said the book was written with the conviction that Nigeria’s transformation is not merely a domestic concern but one with implications for Nigerians in the diaspora and the international community.
“In the National Interest is a path-charting book for Nigeria,” Fasan said, adding: “But it is not only of interest to Nigerians at home; it is also relevant to Nigerians in the diaspora and members of the international community who want Nigeria to succeed.”
According to him, the London launch represents an opportunity to extend the conversation that began with the Nigerian launch.
“Following the successful launch of the book in Nigeria last year, I am grateful to LSE, a highly reputable global university, for hosting the London launch and helping to introduce the book to an international audience,” he said.
A national conversation
The choice of LSE as venue gives the book launch an added international dimension.
The institution is one of the world’s leading centres for the study of economics, politics, international relations and social sciences, while Fasan himself has an academic connection with the university, where he obtained his PhD and taught.
The participation of Adeoye, a journalist with extensive experience reporting Nigeria and West Africa for the Financial Times, is also expected to bring a practitioner’s perspective to the discussion.
The issues likely to dominate the conversation include the quality of governance, institutional development, economic transformation, political stability, the rule of law and the ability of the Nigerian state to translate its enormous human and material resources into improved living standards.
Fasan’s central question — how Nigeria can escape what he calls the “fragility trap” — comes against the backdrop of decades of debate over why Africa’s most populous country has struggled to convert its considerable potential into sustained and broadly shared development.
Nigeria has enormous natural resources, a large domestic market, a youthful population and significant human capital. Yet questions surrounding governance, institutional effectiveness, economic diversification, insecurity, infrastructure and social development have remained prominent in national discourse.
The London discussion is therefore expected to go beyond the conventional celebration of Nigeria’s independence anniversary and focus on the more difficult question of what must change for the country to fulfil its potential.
From Lagos to London
The London launch will effectively extend the conversation generated by the Nigerian launch of In the National Interest last year.
That event brought together some of the country’s leading voices in public life, with speakers and participants reflecting different dimensions of Nigeria’s political and economic experience.
The presence of former ministers, business leaders, academics and senior journalists underscored the broad interest in the issues addressed by the book.
The LSE event is expected to similarly attract a diverse audience, particularly Nigerians living in Britain who remain closely connected to developments at home.
With a large Nigerian diaspora in the UK and strong links between Britain and Nigeria in education, business, diplomacy and professional services, the London launch provides an opportunity to examine Nigeria’s challenges from both domestic and international perspectives.
It will also provide a platform for discussion on the role of Nigerians in the diaspora in the country’s development.
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