Interesting to read magisterial comments on Gowon's recent (auto?)biography by folks who couldn't have read through all of the 800+ pages. Worse are the ones who insult him on this basis. Surely, we were brought up way better than this?

Birds of Lagos (Common Bulbul - Pycnonotus barbatus). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (Woodland Kingfisher - Halcyon senegalensis). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (African Thrush - Turdus pelios). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (juvenile Broad-billed Roller - Eurystomus glaucurus). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (Common Bulbul - Pycnonotus barbatus). #BirdsOfLagos

The only change Nigerian politicians want is that which is left over in their pockets after chousing the rest of us.

From The Economist's Espresso.

"Mr Erdogan has already squeezed much of the life out of Turkey’s democracy, but Turks could still hold out hope of removing him through the ballot box. At this rate, they may soon have no genuine opposition to vote for." | The Economist

What to make of the fact that almost three decades after embarking on this iteration of democratic rule (and in the teeth of tech advances in identifying persons), our political parties still cannot organise proper primary elections?

The Nigerian governance paradox describes an elite that defines itself in terms of its inability to be on time (irrespective of function or place) yet strives to hold its political leaders to sterner standards.

From The Economist's Espresso.

Birds of Lagos (Common Bulbul - Pycnonotus barbatus). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus). #BirdsOfLagos

Birds of Lagos (Broad-billed Roller - Eurystomus glaucurus). #BirdsOfLagos

When the bottom falls out of private demand, Keynes argued that governments should pick up the slack; but what is the therapy when the collapse of consumer spending is the direct result of fiscally reckless governments?

The beauty of Donald Trump's competing messages on the progress of the (non)war with Iran is that it guarantees that any outcome will be both what the U.S. President intended and desired.

From The Economist's Espresso.

From the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, as of May 19, 2026.

From The Economist's Espresso.

"It may seem counterintuitive to ease monetary policy when inflation is rising. But that may be the only way to ensure that China doesn’t slump back into deflation when the energy shock passes." | The Economist

Birds of Lagos (Woodland Kingfisher - Halcyon senegalensis). #BirdsOfLagos

"Donald Trump claimed Iran is 'begging' to make a deal to end the war with America, but threatened 'another big hit' within days if it is not forthcoming." | The Economist

"Todd Blanche, America’s acting attorney-general, said that the Department of Justice was 'FOREVER BARRED' from pursuing cases against the Trump family related to a settlement the president reached with the Internal Revenue Service on Monday." | The Economist

The weekly cartoon www.economist.com/the-world-th... From The Economist

"Mr Prabowo is not a kleptocratic despot like his late father-in-law, but he is chipping away at the progress his country has made since the bad old days." | The Economist

"Prime ministers need authority and clarity. Sir Keir, it turns out, has neither. He cannot articulate a vision. Nor is he grounded in one." | The Economist

Birds of Lagos (African Thrush - Turdus pelios). #BirdsOfLagos

The red-headed rock agama (Agama agama).

From The Economist's Espresso.

"Demographic studies point to a positive correlation between fertility rates and husbands’ participation in housework and child care: both are relatively high in Nordic countries, and relatively low in Japan and South Korea." | Shirakawa Masaaki

Looks like Kai Lukas Havertz avoided an early bath by the breadth of the hair on his chinny-chin-chin.

Leandro Trossard has blood rushing to his head, when his team would be better served by more of that going to his feet.

Oops!

What hurdles will a would-be investor in Nigeria (think local investors first; the foreign variant will follow soon after) face today, and what do we have to do to remove them all? This is the main assignment before a reform-minded government here.

A national grid (in Nigeria) isn't the downside to electricity supply that some commentators often make it out to be. Decentralised supply would still require a grid that allows cost-effective producers to sell surplus output. Grid flexibility (and governance) is the problem.

The instinctive defence of the final consumer (including forcing SOEs to absorb cost increases and government subsidies) is a noble sentiment. It's poor economics, though. The resulting supply response (a shrinkage) and profligate demand crimp long-term output growth prospects.

I used to worry that cracked walls in some of the more bourgeois postcodes in Lagos State were simply additional evidence of our poor workmanship. I'm learning that it's also a telltale sign of a worse possibility - subsidence.

(After the rain) Birds of Lagos (Broad-billed Roller - Eurystomus glaucurus). #BirdsOfLagos

Visions of the impending tech "aipocalypse" differ from previous episodes in one key respect. Today's Luddites were once at the bleeding edge of new tech innovations.

From The Economist's Espresso.

Solitude is not the quietude that makes good thinking and writing possible; it is the quiescence that allows one to do nothing easily.

"Put your microphone where your mouth is" comes across as a thinking interviewer's take on "Put your money where your mouth is." The problem with puns and idioms, alas, is that one's auditors must be on the same mental plane.

"Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex." | Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde

"With Labour floundering in the polls much will depend on whether a new prime minister could provide a more inspiring vision of Britain that encourages those who have abandoned the party in the past two years to come back." | The Economist

"Steroids clearly work. But powerful drugs have powerful downsides—a lesson that competitors in the Enhanced Games would do well to bear in mind." | The Economist

"America is reportedly preparing to indict Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former leader, over the downing of two planes three decades ago. The move would further strain relations between the two countries, which are already at a low point." | The Economist

From The Economist's Espresso.

John McGinn's sublime finish is a fitting nightcap for Liverpool's dismal performance this season.