At present the regional front-runners are all ex-ministers: Malam Adamu Ciroma from the north, Alex Ekwueme from the south-east, and Bola Ige and Olu Falae from the south-west.

ECONOMIST: Nigeria

The course, which includes six summit finishes in eight mountain stages, is expected to favour the climbers and could be decided on the penultimate stage, atop the 2, 250-metre Bola del Mundo.

BBC: Cavendish in red

They include Theophilus Danjuma, who was once chief of army staff and is now expected to be defence minister, Bola Ige (a former state governor), Adamu Ciroma (an ex-governor of the Central Bank) and Jerry Gana (a former information minister).

ECONOMIST: Nigeria��s new broom