All change in Nigeria?

Nigerians are used to everyone assuming that their government is fundamentally corrupt, that government servants routinely supplement their pay with bribes and that all ordinary citizens are out to cheat them.

Of course, none of the above are true - well, not entirely. As with all broad statements, there is no smoke without fire and Nigeria is without doubt a very difficult place.

It's an oil country with a terrifying lack of investment in infrastructure. In central Lagos, the good roads are rubbish - the bad ones are not roads at all; bridges are in disrepair; Lagos airport is little more than a concrete shed in an untended field; the electricity supply is uncertain or not working at all; telecommunications are hopeless - both landline and mobile; the internet is so slow, this site was unusable on an admin level.

There are millions living in shanty towns in Lagos and there is precious little evidence of foreign direct investment in the primary commercial district of the city. And seemingly even less of domestic investment. Where the road is of an acceptable standard, it has usually been built by a bank or some such under it social investment programme.

Believe it or not, this is better than eight years ago. Since then, the commercial infrastructure has been improved dramatically.

Obusanjo has been the subject of much criticism with widespread allegations of cronyism as government assets have been sold of to his connections in the last days of his presidency. And certainly, the haste of the deals does invite many questions. But government servants are now paid much more than previously and corruption is, traders say, less than before. Financial Services businesses have undergone a radical shakeup and forced amalgamation process - which resulted in the closure of a number of banks whose books did not stand up to scrutiny, in particular in relation to potentially fraudulent loans. But surprisingly, most of those banks have, in the 18 months since the amalgamation process was completed have been liquidated and depositors have received 100% of their money back.

Nigeria has spent a lot of money on its new capital, Abuja. There is a north / south divide with the north being mainly Muslim and the south being mainly Christian. Obusanjo's government was substantially Muslim and the investment has taken money to a previously deprived region. But it has left a sour taste in Lagos where investment in infrastructure has ground to a halt. Even main roads are so cratered that cars often drive at speeds too low to register on their speedometers.

Violent crime is a massive problem. Guns are commonly used in a wide range of offences. But marauding gangs are a bigger threat - one gang of 50, displaced from its hunting ground alongside a main road, moved to a residential area and stormed from house to house for an hour before police arrived. Frankly, if it only took an hour to get anywhere in Lagos traffic, the police did pretty well.

The public transport system is non-existent. Dangerously un-maintained minibuses and taxis ply the streets, often overloaded and often simply giving up the ghost, only to be stripped before the driver can bring back help. Burned out buses are a common sight at the roadside - the seats, wheels, tyres and other workings all having been removed.

Obusanjo has increased the numbers of police, and increased their pay. But they come under heavy attack from armed criminals and are frequently killed: they do a brave job in disturbing circumstances. Short of putting the military on the streets (not an option, Abacha's government tarnished the reputation of the armed forces) there is little more he could have done.

So what will his successor do? Before being sworn in, the Vice President Goodluck Johnson saw his house bombed. At the same time, in the Niger Delta oilfields, governments were telling their citizens to stay away. That's where the construction and oil boom is so it's where the foreign companies are going.

So the new government has three primary challenges: security, infrastructure and economy (which is tied in with corruption).

It's not going to be easy - but they should think themselves lucky. At least they are following Obusanjo - their task would be as impossible as his has been if they were following Abacha.