Nigeria, April 17 -- In April, the World Bank repeated a familiar prescription, one of many that have never guided any developing nation toward genuine success. The pattern is predictable: a prescription, followed by confusion, and ultimately chaos. This time, it urged Nigeria to reopen petrol imports to moderate inflation. The argument was wrapped in technocratic language, but the message was unmistakable. Nigeria is being asked to return to the very trap that weakened its economy for decades. This recommendation is not reform; it is regression. It is unacceptable and should not even be entertained by Nigeria.

Nigeria must be especially cautious about the World Bank's longstanding neoliberal globalization doctrines, which dominated the ...