Power in Nigeria—political power—is impatient. And arrogant. In September 2011, Amhad Ali, who owned the British luxury goods firm, Gold and Co, disclosed to a reporter a stunning order from the Nigerian government of Mr.
Goodluck Jonathan: 53 customized gold iPhones. They were for the celebration of Nigeria’s 53rd independence anniversary that year. The orderrequired the phones to be engraved with Nigeria’s coat of arms, a shield and two horses.
The deal was going to set Nigeria back between £3000 and £50,000 per phone (or about N662 million at the time ). It was a wonderful idea until Mr. Ali spoke to Simon Usborne for The Independent newspaper.
The Nigerian government denied and denounced the report, compelling Mr. Ali to say that the order had come from an individual. Scandal is not new to Nigerian governance: Also inSeptember 2011, following a meeting in Abuja between President Jonathan and Mr.
Jai-Seong Lee, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea, the government announced that Hyundai Heavy would establish a multi-billion-dollar shipyard in Bayelsa state. Mr. Jonathan was widely quoted as telling Mr.
Lee: “Hyundai has a long-standing relationship with Nigeria. You have always played a key role in our economy, especially our oil industry. We appreciate what you have done and are elated by your latest investment in the shipyard at Brass.
” Within hours, however, much to the embarrassment of Nigeria, Hyundai Heavy .