Nigeria, Aug. 18 -- Abdul Oroh is an unlikely avatar of the Nigerian dream. An Afenmai from Ivbiaro in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State in the south-south of Nigeria, Abdul had the privilege of seeing Nigeria's promise at independence and its descent to the edge of the proverbial precipice. Born in August 1960, he was less than two months old at the celebrations when the country attained independence on 1 October 1960.

Six and a half decades later, Abdul has worked his way through many careers, managing not to quit any. After a decade as a senior journalist and editor in some Nigeria's leading newspapers (including the Guardian and Vanguard), Abdul spent the next decade leading Nigeria's best known human rights organization, ...