This story is about an African American businessman who embarked on what he thought would be a promising business trip to Nigeria in 1978. Although that first business trip was unsuccessful, he would eventually make four more trips, with the hope that the next trip would bring him that elusive financial success. I am that African American businessman, and in the process of making these trips, I lived in the country for more than fourteen years. My experiences included living under military rule, a strained union, corruption, and other social problems. Despite these difficulties, I had the opportunity of sharing the warm and friendly relationships with members of the three major ethnic groups (Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba) and some of the over 250 minorities.

After witnessing Nigeria’s problems for more than fourteen years, it left me with a strong urge to write about their situation in a constructive way. My journey touched on various levels of the Nigerian society, and I would like to share these experiences with you in It’s Time for A Country Called Nigeria.