What the travails of a reformist governor say about Nigeria

STANDING AT ABOUT five-foot-four, Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Nigeria’s northern state of Kaduna, says he models himself on Deng Xiaoping, who put China on a path to growth after the misery of rule by Mao Zedong. Mr El-Rufai sees a new path for Kaduna and, some say, for Nigeria itself.Mr El-Rufai prizes education: he has a law degree from London, a master’s in public administration from Harvard and is writing a doctorate at Maastricht university. He is usually addressed by the title “Mallam”, out of respect for his erudition, particularly in Koranic studies. So it may seem odd that one of his early acts as governor was to fire almost 22,000 primary-school teachers. Yet he had cause. Those he booted out had failed a test designed for nine-year-olds. Some couldn’t complete a comprehension test. Others couldn’t name a rectangle. Mr El-Rufai has sacked thousands more workers. And he is not done.