Nigeria desperately needs a new kind of leadership

Nigeria has been cursed with bad rulers. A military regime gave way to democracy in 1999, but since then elections have offered voters an ugly selection of the ancient, the incompetent and, most recently, a former military dictator. Parties have stoked ethnic divisions, intimidated their opponents and bought votes. Many candidates—federal, state and local—seek power to grab a share of the country’s oil wealth. Successive governments have been deeply corrupt. Turnout has steadily fallen. But as Nigerians go to the polls on February 25th, , a third-party presidential candidate, offers a measure of hope.Africa’s most populous country is in desperate need of it. The economy, the continent’s biggest, bursts with youthful potential—half the country is 18 years old or younger. A flourishing would boost the whole of Africa. Instead it is dragging it down. Nigerians are poorer now than they were in 2015, when the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, took over. At least 60m (and rising) survive on less than the equivalent of $2.15 per day. Mr Buhari’s protectionist policies have made things worse.