10 things Nigeria could do with Niger Republic’s 1.2 km sq of landmass if we gobbled her up

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Organise a grand slam tennis tournament on sand. If we have clay, grass and hard court tournaments, why not have sand too

[2] Organise a Lagos to Algiers motor rally. Make it the best car rally in the world

[3] Build the world’s largest solar farm in the desert. With 80% of Niger Republic being desert, this will be easy

[4] Tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigeria’s Igbos by letting them build purpose-built cities in Niger Republic. I take it you all know that this is how San Diego came about

[5] Build the world’s longest railway line, linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea

[6] Open the world’s largest uranium processing plant in somewhere like Agadez

[7] Open a dedicated “solar city” where millions of panels and other forms of ancillary equipment are manufactured

[8] Given the emphasis on clean energy, I would also open a purpose-built city to manufacture electric cars

[9] I would launch the world’s most ambitious irrigation project, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean

[10] I would build Africa’s largest military base in somewhere like Niamey given the constant threat of terrorism in the Sahel!