Nigeria+Briefing

Country Briefing March 23rd, 2011 media type="custom" key="8802774"

** Nigeria Briefing February 1, 2011 ** **[|Nigerian police: Gubernatorial candidate assassinated] ** **[|Jeffrey Tesler court bid to block extradition fails] ** **[|UK to double aid to fight polio for the next two years] ** **[|Rights group urges Nigerian government to act on sectarian bloodshed] ** **[|Nigerian president wins party primary] ** **[|Billiards dispute triggers deadly Nigeria clashes] ** media type="custom" key="8206030"

** Nigeria Briefing November 2nd, 2010 **

__ Domestic Issues Articles __

President Jonathan’s Pre-Election Troubles

The 2011 election races draw near in Nigeria, and the chances for Goodluck Jonathan’s party are not looking good. He has been accused of being the cause for the lack of a good education system, as well as for the increase in kidnappings in Nigeria. Adding to this, his administration has been shadowy at times, which has given critics more and more ammunition to use in the coming elections against him. Also, there is debate over if Jonathan will be allowed to run at all.



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The NAFEST Begins Today

On November 2nd, the National Festival of Arts and Culture was formally convened and initiated by President Jonathan in the Akwa Ibom state. Its theme this year is Culture Industries and Economic Empowerment. Many things are taking place at this annual event that has been going on since 1986, from wrestling to traditional dancing to viewing documentaries. This is an initiative by the state not only to inspire tourism, but also to inspire national unity among a people who are many times divided across ethnic and religious lines.

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Nigeria’s Economy in a Catch-22 Situation

Last week, President Jonathan told a conference of people in Abuja that in order for Nigeria to become one of the top twenty economies in the world, it needed to move away from its dependence on oil towards manufacturing. However, he said in order to do this the country would need to use resources from the oil sector. His speech was put on by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, a group that strongly supports the same ideas that the President spoke about. At the conference, he gave an award for the best exporter to Olam Nigeria, ironically one of his strongest electoral supporters.

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Wigs are All the Rage

In a surprisingly western trend, wigs, weaves, and braids have become the fashion in Nigeria. A huge economy has sprung up around these products, with the streets being full of designers, and even competitions between said designers. The majority of the weaves are based on hairstyles from movies; however, some are distinctly Nigerian.



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__ Foreign Issues Articles __

Weapons from Iran Seized in Nigeria

A few days ago, cargo crates filled with weapons was intercepted in Nigeria from Iran. The owner of the shipping company has claimed that it was lied to about the contents of the crate, but Nigerian authorities are still investigating. The containers were headed for Gambia, for reasons unknown at the moment. Over 260 wooden crates had been siezed by Monday, and authorities are still searching for more. There are speculations as to if these weapons were part of a preparation for the 2011 elections, which are predicted to be the most violent elections in Nigeria’s history.



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Foreign Minister Visits Egypt

Odein Ajumogobia, the foreign minister of Nigeria, visited with Egypt’s foreign minister in hopes of boosting relations between the two nations. His main focus was on improving economic relations, with Egypt historically being a major partner with Nigeria. These two countries’ relations go back fifty years, so part of the visit was also to celebrate this traditional union between the nations. Ajumogobia also noted other relations between the nations, such as flights between the two and student and information exchanges between them.

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Foreign Minister Claims UN Undemocratic

The foreign minister of Nigeria has once again made waves internationally, with his declaration that the United Nations Security Council is undemocratic. He cites that South America and Africa have over 25% of the world’s population, yet still do not have one permanent member of the Security Council. However, he says that Nigeria will still support the UN and its international decisions, because of Nigeria’s belief in the charter. He just wishes that the United Nations would stop being so hypocritical in its promotion of global democracy without itself actually being democratic.

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Nigeria Briefing October 5th, 2010
__ Domestic Issue Articles __

Explosion in Abuja kill 12 and injures more

In the Nigerian capital of Abuja, two car bombs went off on October 1st, the 50th anniversary of the country's independence. The blasts killed 12 people, and credit for the attacks was taken by MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. However, the militants claim that they gave the government a week's warning, which it refused to heed. This is an unfortunate set back in what was starting to become a stable truce between rebels and the government. President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attacks, mentioning also that steps were being taken to hold whoever did this responsible.

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Quit Presidential Race now, El-Rufai tells Buhari, IBB

El-Rufai recently submitted a plea to General Babangida and General Buhari to not run for election in 2011. He believes that the future of Nigeria is with the next generation, and that these two men (who have run Nigeria for over two decades) would best serve Nigeria by not serving, ironically enough. He gave examples of how old Obama and Cameron are, and noted that these two men were also in power when he (El-Rufai) was a child.

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Children Kidnapped from Abai have been rescued

Last Monday, fifteen children were kidnapped from a bus on the way to an international school by four masked men. The bus driver and teachers on board all were let out, and immediately contacted police. Luckily, the Nigerian police were able to find the children and rescue them on Thursday; however, the four kidnappers got away. This is not an unusual occurance, as kidnappings in Abai happen almost weekly, giving Abai the pleasant nickname of "The Capital of Kidnapping." The kidnappers wanted $120,000 but were not granted this request.

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__ Foreign Issue Articles __

The Pope, Benedict XVI, congratulates Nigeria on its 50 year independence day

The Pope showed his congratulations in a personal letter to Goodluck Jonathan on October 1st. In the letter Benedict showed his concern for the “continued well-being, growth and prosperity of Nigeria and its citizens.” In response Jonathan announced his appreciation and intention to continue good relations with the Vatican.

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Nigeria and U.S. unite to combat organized crime

Nigeria and the United States signed an agreement promising to cooperate in fighting international drug trafficking. The U.S. complimented Nigeria for its anti-narcotic efforts, aided by U.S.-donated airport body scanners. Nigeria was removed from America’s list of ‘Major Illicit Drug Producing and Drug Trafficking Countries’ because of their progress.

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FIFA suspends Nigeria for governmental interference

The Nigerian Football Association has been suspended by FIFA because of interference by the Nigerian government, in violation of FIFA rules. Nigeria had taken court actions against NFF officials and interfered with the Nigerian Premier League. The country will not be able to participate in qualifying for the African Cup of Nations this weekend.

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