Nigeria, March 17 -- I once wrote a quip on social media that humility is perhaps the first - or at least a very important - attribute that a people should possess if they wish to begin to climb the ladder of development. Some Nigerians disputed me. But I still wait to see how arrogance can pave the way for socioeconomic development. Nigerians are known to be a proud people, and we have become even louder lately because of social media. Everyone is now a broadcaster, an analyst, and in fact, the title 'Economist' is freely gifted to anyone who can hold their sanity for five minutes on any of our TV stations.

This thought about humility as a sine qua none for achieving economic and social progress has not left me and I believe it is an id...