Can humility save Africa's giant?

Nigeria's new leader brings a quality of character that can fix corrupt voting and delta violence.

from the June 1, 2007 edition

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After one of the most rigged and violent elections in African history, the new president of Nigeria struck the right tone in his inaugural address on Tuesday: "I will be a listener," said Umaru Yar Adua, "and serve with humility."

He'll need that modesty if he is to repair a corrupted democracy and gain legitimacy in leading the continent's most populous country.

Mr. Yar Adua does not appear to be like a typical "big man" who often rules in sub-Saharan Africa. As a Muslim, he prayed under a tree for years. As a former chemistry professor, he is Nigeria's first university-educated leader. When he was governor of Katsina State in the north, he declared all his assets, drove a plain car, and apparently ran a clean and effective government. He often visited poor villages to empathize with the victims when tragedy struck.

"When people talk about power, I don't see where the power lies," he recently told reporters. "If you are honest with yourself, the power lies with the law."

Whether his humble style means he will simply be a puppet of the ruling People's Democratic Party's elite remains to be seen. He was picked from relative obscurity by the outgoing president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to run for president.

Yar Adua will need to display his law-based brand of power soon. Nigeria is Africa's second-wealthiest nation because of its huge oil exports. Yet its 140 million people remain largely impoverished. Nigeria is twice the size of California, and its politics are twisted around the diverse interests of more than 200 ethnic groups and a split between Muslims and Christians.

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