Nigerian Elections 2011:Embracing an historic opportunity for democracy

On April 9, 2011, Nigeria held the first of a series of elections that will impact the direction of Africas most populous country and second-largest economy, and set the course for the future of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa.  What we have seen so far in West Africa this year is promisingpeaceful and credible elections in Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger, and the triumph of democracy over dictatorship in Cote dIvoire.  Some forty years ago, I began my first tour as a newly-minted Foreign Service Officer in Lagos.  Arriving just seven years after its independence, the Nigeria I found was one locked in a brutal civil war with an uncertain future.  I am proud of Nigerias achievements over the last decades, and its role as a leader in Africa and the world.
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