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This would be my second time traveling to Nigeria. The first, being four or five years ago, was a culture shock at many levels, least of which was being separated from my young family for a significant period of time. Therefore, the decision to go again was not a light one. I was intent on looking for a purpose worthy enough to subject myself to what was to be a mentally and physically challenging venture.
The written purpose was to aid in capacity building within the African continent - specifically human capacity, to train eager minds that were otherwise caught in a form of scientific passion sadly restricted by lack of resources and isolated by an often selfish academic community. I was there as a teacher proficient in the ways of molecular biology, and adept at sharing that knowledge to diverse audiences. Truth be told, the first time I went, it all seemed rather pointless - the pursuit of scientific respect just didn't seem like a proper priority in a country such as Nigeria.
However, Nash, our host would disagree. There was an oft repeated argument that Nigeria is perhaps one of the better places to start rebuilding science in Africa, this being a testament to its nickname as that of Africa's "slumbering giant." In fact, this week's issue of the Economist so much as said so:
"THERE must be few other countries on earth with such a glaring mismatch between their actual state and their extraordinary potential. ...With 140m people, Africa's most populous country is the world's eighth-largest oil exporter. That has earned Nigeria about $223 billion in revenues over the past eight years alone. Yet so wasted has this windfall been that most Nigerians continue to live in squalor and poverty. The country ranks 159th out of 177 on the UN's human-development index."
In other words, there was potential to be seen within these borders, albeit a potential often fraught with corruption and mismanagement at various levels of government. Still, the country had recently went through a tumultuous election, and one where the individuals who were awarded the top positions of President and Vice-President, had former lives as scientists.
To this, Nash would lament, "We can only hope, we can only hope."
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