"Nigeria is a prime example of a developing country with ill-defined property rights. However, people still manage to save, mostly through traditional and informal means, facilitated by strong family and community institutions. This paper argues that the government should concentrate on...

Nigeria is a prime example of a developing country with ill-defined property rights. However, people still manage to save, mostly through traditional and informal means, facilitated by strong family and community institutions. This paper argues that the government should concentrate on...

Introduction -- Dramatis personae -- The Potemkin market -- The Sisyphus savings system -- La Grande illusion -- A kind of magic -- The economy's helminths -- Collateral damage -- On value and values -- A financial renaissance? -- Epilogue: twilight of the gods of finance