"Who's running Nigeria?" blared a headline in this week's The Economist, aptly summarizing the state of affairs in beleaguered Nigeria — a major oil producer and African economic powerhouse whose economy appears to be as stricken as its ailing leader. With Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in absentia suffering from an undisclosed illness, the country's National Bureau of Statistics reported this week that the economy contracted 1.5 percent last year for the first time in nearly 25 years. Although Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is handling day-to-day management of the country, analysts say Nigeria's mounting woes require steady leadership.

Selected by SPTEC Advisory from CNBC, March 05