The United States of America (U.S.) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to constitute a federal cabinet that would bridge perceived political divisions in the country as regards to the violent protests that travailed Nigeria’s presidential polls in some regions of the Northern States in the country,.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon in Washington DC, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, said while the Americans could not say what kind of cabinet or government.
President Jonathan would put in place in his new term in office, “I hope that he will act in both a responsible and inclusive manner in the selection of those individuals for his cabinet and that in doing so, he will be reaching out to heal the political divisions that were uncovered during the election process.”
Carson observed that already Vice President Namadi Sambo “is in fact, a former northern governor and that the Nigerian Constitution does call for the President of the country to select from individual states various cabinet members.”
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Nigerian News: Post Election Religious Crisis
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The Christians in the Northern region of Nigeria were victims of mourning on Saturday, April 30, amid reports that hundreds of people were killed in sectarian violence triggered by opposition protesters against President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in recent elections.
Over 500 people were killed in Kaduna state, Shehu Sani, executive director of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress, said in published remarks.
“We keep discovering more details of massacres that have been carried out in the hinterland.” Sani said.
The violence came after Jonathan, a southern Christian, beat northern rival Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election on April 16.
Mainly Muslim supporters of Buhari, a former military ruler in Africa’s top oil producer and candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, attacked churches, homes and police stations, sparking reprisal attacks by Christians.
Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari said that vote was rigged. Nigerian President Jonathan said he would be forced to impose a state of emergency in two northern states, if they were not able to complete elections this week.
President Jonathan said declaring a state of emergency in Kaduna and Bauchi is an option of last resort, if there is not sufficient security to hold statewide elections there.
Voters in most states chose their governors earlier this week, but polls in Kaduna and Bauchi were delayed because of violence that followed the president's election.
President Jonathan was expected to be sworn-in on May 29.
A major rights group has expressed concern about the future.“We also ask the federal government to ensure that the security forces to take concerted and immediate action to halt the violence," said Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The Christians in the Northern region of Nigeria were victims of mourning on Saturday, April 30, amid reports that hundreds of people were killed in sectarian violence triggered by opposition protesters against President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in recent elections.
Over 500 people were killed in Kaduna state, Shehu Sani, executive director of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress, said in published remarks.
“We keep discovering more details of massacres that have been carried out in the hinterland.” Sani said.
The violence came after Jonathan, a southern Christian, beat northern rival Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election on April 16.
Mainly Muslim supporters of Buhari, a former military ruler in Africa’s top oil producer and candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, attacked churches, homes and police stations, sparking reprisal attacks by Christians.
Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari said that vote was rigged. Nigerian President Jonathan said he would be forced to impose a state of emergency in two northern states, if they were not able to complete elections this week.
President Jonathan said declaring a state of emergency in Kaduna and Bauchi is an option of last resort, if there is not sufficient security to hold statewide elections there.
Voters in most states chose their governors earlier this week, but polls in Kaduna and Bauchi were delayed because of violence that followed the president's election.
President Jonathan was expected to be sworn-in on May 29.
A major rights group has expressed concern about the future.“We also ask the federal government to ensure that the security forces to take concerted and immediate action to halt the violence," said Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
We Want Curfew To Be Lifted In Bauchi - ACN
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called for the lifting of the curfew imposed in the state as a result of the violence which accompanied the April 16 presidential election.
Alhaji Isa Matori, the party’s Director of Campaign, who made the call at a news conference, said it had become necessary because calm had returned to the state.
He said the authorities should immediately lift the curfew to allow people to vote in Tuesday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Matori accused the police of indiscriminate arrest and detention of people, saying that the move was aimed at intimidating the people. “We are certain that these arrests are intended to intimidate the good people of Bauchi State but we urge our supporters not to be deterred.
“You should come out en masse to perform your civic duty to choose your leaders,” Matori said.
He also urged the security agents to avoid being used by anyone as they were meant to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations
Matori called on INEC to ensure fairness and a level playing ground for all contestants in the elections.
Alhaji Isa Matori, the party’s Director of Campaign, who made the call at a news conference, said it had become necessary because calm had returned to the state.
He said the authorities should immediately lift the curfew to allow people to vote in Tuesday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Matori accused the police of indiscriminate arrest and detention of people, saying that the move was aimed at intimidating the people. “We are certain that these arrests are intended to intimidate the good people of Bauchi State but we urge our supporters not to be deterred.
“You should come out en masse to perform your civic duty to choose your leaders,” Matori said.
He also urged the security agents to avoid being used by anyone as they were meant to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations
Matori called on INEC to ensure fairness and a level playing ground for all contestants in the elections.
Riots In Wake of Elections In Nigeria
hree bomb blasts hit the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, an area long plagued by violence blamed on an Islamist sect, but no casualties were reported, police said.
No one was allowed on the streets there except to vote.
The vote comes after April 16 presidential elections led to widespread rioting across the mainly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous nation, leaving more than 500 dead, according to a local rights group.
Unrest broke out despite what some observers said appeared to be Nigeria’s cleanest vote for head of state since a return to civilian rule in 1999, with the country seeking to break from a history of deeply flawed polls.
The election won by President Goodluck Jonathan exposed deep divisions in Nigeria, particularly between the country’s economically marginalised north and predominately Christian south, home to the oil industry.
There were reports of election workers - recent university graduates who are members of the national youth service corps - refusing to turn up for duty yesterday out of fear of more attacks, with some having been previously targeted.
Some of the estimated 74 000 displaced by the riots, many of whom are living at increasingly squalid military and police barracks, expressed fears of voting.
“I can’t risk my life to go and vote,” said Emmanuel Idahosa, a 42-year-old mechanic who has been living at a barracks in the main northern city of Kano.
“We’ve lost our homes, our businesses, our loved ones to post-election violence, and you expect me to stick my neck out for a second time to go and vote?”
Turnout so far appeared far below that of the April 16 presidential election in various polling stations in Kano and other cities, but strong in some areas, such as the tense central city of Jos.
Most of Nigeria’s 36 states were holding governorship and state assembly polls.
Security was tight, with curfews and military patrols having largely brought calm to the continent’s largest oil producer.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party was projected to lose a number of states and many races were expected to be closely fought, raising concerns that desperate politicians may seek to rig.
No one was allowed on the streets there except to vote.
The vote comes after April 16 presidential elections led to widespread rioting across the mainly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous nation, leaving more than 500 dead, according to a local rights group.
Unrest broke out despite what some observers said appeared to be Nigeria’s cleanest vote for head of state since a return to civilian rule in 1999, with the country seeking to break from a history of deeply flawed polls.
The election won by President Goodluck Jonathan exposed deep divisions in Nigeria, particularly between the country’s economically marginalised north and predominately Christian south, home to the oil industry.
There were reports of election workers - recent university graduates who are members of the national youth service corps - refusing to turn up for duty yesterday out of fear of more attacks, with some having been previously targeted.
Some of the estimated 74 000 displaced by the riots, many of whom are living at increasingly squalid military and police barracks, expressed fears of voting.
“I can’t risk my life to go and vote,” said Emmanuel Idahosa, a 42-year-old mechanic who has been living at a barracks in the main northern city of Kano.
“We’ve lost our homes, our businesses, our loved ones to post-election violence, and you expect me to stick my neck out for a second time to go and vote?”
Turnout so far appeared far below that of the April 16 presidential election in various polling stations in Kano and other cities, but strong in some areas, such as the tense central city of Jos.
Most of Nigeria’s 36 states were holding governorship and state assembly polls.
Security was tight, with curfews and military patrols having largely brought calm to the continent’s largest oil producer.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party was projected to lose a number of states and many races were expected to be closely fought, raising concerns that desperate politicians may seek to rig.
Election Drops Oil Price In Nigeria
Oil prices fell to about $112 a barrel on Tuesday as traders looked forward to the outcome of elections into government houses in the Niger Delta and other states in Nigeria.
The fall was buoyed by a Federal Reserve meeting in the United States (U.S), consumer of over 1 million barrels of oil from Nigeria.
Benchmark crude for June delivery was down 20 cents at $112.08 a barrel by midday European time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost a penny to settle at $112.28 on Monday.
In London, Brent crude for June delivery was up 21 cents to $123.87 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Traders are mulling how the Federal Reserve may ease a programme of buying Treasuries known as quantitative easing that has helped keep the U.S. economy flush with cash.
"The likely transition of the Fed's monetary policy, albeit gradual, will begin to remove some of the more speculative fervor from the market, bringing prices slowly down."
A weaker dollar and violent political uprising in the Middle East and North Africa have helped push prices up about 33 percent since mid-February. The euro rose to $1.4620 on Tuesday from $1.4579 late Monday.
Investors are also closely watching escalating violence in Syria. On Monday, thousands of soldiers backed by tanks and snipers attacked suspected anti-government protesters in the southern city of Daraa and other areas, killing at least 11 people.
The crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 350 people throughout the country, with 120 alone dying over the weekend.
"While Syria is not an actual oil producer, it has broader ramifications on other countries in the region and could keep oil well bid in the short term," IG Markets in Melbourne said in a report.
In other Nymex trading in May contracts, heating oil fell 1.0 cent to $3.21 a gallon and gasoline slid 1.0 cent to $3.29 a gallon. Natural gas futures were down 1.0 cent at $4.39 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The fall was buoyed by a Federal Reserve meeting in the United States (U.S), consumer of over 1 million barrels of oil from Nigeria.
The oil rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria had hitherto been plunged by armed struggle and militancy, which were said to be a result of arming of youths and political thugs during the 2003 elections.
In London, Brent crude for June delivery was up 21 cents to $123.87 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Traders are mulling how the Federal Reserve may ease a programme of buying Treasuries known as quantitative easing that has helped keep the U.S. economy flush with cash.
"There can be little doubt that the Federal Reserve's hyper-accommodative monetary policy has caused commodity and asset inflation around the world," said Richard Soultanian of NUS Consulting.
A weaker dollar and violent political uprising in the Middle East and North Africa have helped push prices up about 33 percent since mid-February. The euro rose to $1.4620 on Tuesday from $1.4579 late Monday.
The crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 350 people throughout the country, with 120 alone dying over the weekend.
"While Syria is not an actual oil producer, it has broader ramifications on other countries in the region and could keep oil well bid in the short term," IG Markets in Melbourne said in a report.
In other Nymex trading in May contracts, heating oil fell 1.0 cent to $3.21 a gallon and gasoline slid 1.0 cent to $3.29 a gallon. Natural gas futures were down 1.0 cent at $4.39 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Elections Marred by Violence In Nigeria
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The Stete Election held across the Federation of Nigeria yesterday has been reported tio have been marred by snatching of ballot box and thuggery.
Although there was little of the orchestrated mob violence which has undermined similar votes in the past.
The state governorship races are the last stage of an election process so far deemed by observers and many Nigerians to have been the fairest in decades, but which has also seen some of the country's worst political violence for years.
Rioting left hundreds dead in the mostly Muslim north last week after President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, beat northern rival Muhammadu Buhari in presidential polls.
There were localised problems on Tuesday but nothing on a similar scale.
Soldiers arrested people stealing ballot boxes in several states around the country, including parts of the oil-producing Niger Delta in the south and Kano in the north.
Security forces shot dead one man accused of trying to steal a ballot box in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, while witnesses reported gunfire as ballot boxes were snatched in at least one polling unit in the southern state of Akwa Ibom.
"There have been some disturbances and abuses across the country which are a concern ... voter turnout has been quite low in a lot of areas," said Clement Nwankwo, head of Nigeria's Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre.
The opposition candidate in Akwa Ibom, one of the fiercest races, said there had been widespread rigging there.
"This is not an election, this is not the voice of the people, it doesn't represent anything other than criminality," said James Akpanudoedehe of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), calling for a partial cancellation of the vote.
The Stete Election held across the Federation of Nigeria yesterday has been reported tio have been marred by snatching of ballot box and thuggery.
Although there was little of the orchestrated mob violence which has undermined similar votes in the past.
The state governorship races are the last stage of an election process so far deemed by observers and many Nigerians to have been the fairest in decades, but which has also seen some of the country's worst political violence for years.
Rioting left hundreds dead in the mostly Muslim north last week after President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, beat northern rival Muhammadu Buhari in presidential polls.
There were localised problems on Tuesday but nothing on a similar scale.
Soldiers arrested people stealing ballot boxes in several states around the country, including parts of the oil-producing Niger Delta in the south and Kano in the north.
Security forces shot dead one man accused of trying to steal a ballot box in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, while witnesses reported gunfire as ballot boxes were snatched in at least one polling unit in the southern state of Akwa Ibom.
"There have been some disturbances and abuses across the country which are a concern ... voter turnout has been quite low in a lot of areas," said Clement Nwankwo, head of Nigeria's Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre.
The opposition candidate in Akwa Ibom, one of the fiercest races, said there had been widespread rigging there.
"This is not an election, this is not the voice of the people, it doesn't represent anything other than criminality," said James Akpanudoedehe of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), calling for a partial cancellation of the vote.
Amosun Emerges Ogun State Governor
The State Governorship election held across the thirth six states of the Federation in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Teritory (FCT) has witnessed a great boar of lost seats to the formal ruling party of the country, People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Ogun State of Nigeria is not an exception as Governorship aspirant for the state acclaimed to have won the previous electrion but outrightly denied of the position by the ruling party in 2007 now have it all as he has been announced to have won the governorship election held in the state on tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with our corespondent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun reiterated that the reality of democracy is about to be actualised as all hand is on deck to rescorcitate the state economy. We are the voice of the voiceless...
Ogun State of Nigeria is not an exception as Governorship aspirant for the state acclaimed to have won the previous electrion but outrightly denied of the position by the ruling party in 2007 now have it all as he has been announced to have won the governorship election held in the state on tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with our corespondent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun reiterated that the reality of democracy is about to be actualised as all hand is on deck to rescorcitate the state economy. We are the voice of the voiceless...
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