Nigeria, Sept. 28 -- A Prefatory Note

The title of this series is borrowed from Jimmy Cannon, the late American sportswriter and newspaper columnist whose "Nobody Asked Me, But." pieces turned unsolicited observations into a distinctive form of newspaper writing.

Every now and again, I notice something that makes me pause: a word we use without thinking, a habit we have somehow decided is perfectly normal, a type of Nigerian behaviour that strikes me as funny, or something that irritates me enough to wonder about it.

That's the general idea here.

The subjects will wander: language, manners, politics, culture, business, society, art, leadership, relationships, fashion, religion, parties, traditions and the small absurdities of Nigerian...