Nigeria, Feb. 14 -- The Cargo Cult of Nigerian Democracy

When cargo first arrived on remote Pacific islands during the Second World War, it came suddenly and in abundance. Aircraft landed with supplies. Ships docked with food, tools, clothing and medicines. Local inhabitants benefited directly, enjoying a standard of living they had never experienced before.

What they did not understand was where the cargo came from, why it came, or the vast industrial, military and logistical systems that produced and delivered it. When the war ended, the soldiers left and the cargo stopped coming.

Faced with the loss of a life that had briefly seemed normal, some tried to recreate the conditions they thought had produced the abundance. They built woo...