Nigeria, Feb. 21 -- I read with rapt attention Jibrin Ibrahim's essay published in PREMIUM TIMES on 13th February, titled "Nigeria on the brink", as we hand over sovereignty to America. It is vintage Professor Ibrahim: elegant, historically grounded, morally alert. For years, he and I have shared space in the PREMIUM TIMES WhatsApp forum, a conclave of public intellectuals and policy wonks whose weekly interventions have become a ritual of sorts. His essays, usually featured on Fridays, are followed closely by mine and that of Owei Lakemfa. Though we have never met in person, that steady intellectual encounter creates the familiarity of long companionship. He is not merely a wise counsel; he is a formidable authority on international affa...