• Text

The Trouble After Empire

In "My Nigeria," Peter Cunliffe-Jones traces Nigeria's history since independence and tries to measure the legacy of British rule, in which his family played a part.

What's wrong with Nigeria? A theme of high hope and crushing disappointment runs through "My Nigeria," a chronicle of Africa's most populous country from the moment of its independence from Britain in 1960 to its troubles today. Peter Cunliffe-Jones, a veteran newsman and foreign correspondent, is especially concerned to assess the weight of the British colonial legacy in Nigeria, in part because his own family played a role there.

Hope was indeed high in 1960. The British colonial administration, Mr. Cunliffe-Jones...