Tweets for Change

Amara Nwankpa, a young internet-savvy Nigerian, has been traveling between polling stations in the past few weeks to encourage people to come out and vote. Despite the cancellation of the election for the National Assembly last Saturday, Nwankpa continued to travel and promote activism as well as to ask people to keep an eye out for potential corruption or flaws in the system so that Nigeria could have a clean vote in order to keep moving in their journey towards democracy. Amaru would best have been identified by his t-shirt that read "Light Up Nigeria" and the cell-phone that never left his hand. At one polling station, Amaru took a moment to speak to the crowd saying, "What we're doing essentially is encouraging young people to participate and to do the right thing. This election in Nigeria -- the vote, it's all of us -- government is us too." After the European Union characterized Nigeria's last election that occurred in 2007 as the worst ever witnessed in the world Amaru became determined to make change in his country and cleanse the election process riddled with fraud, crime, and violence. Amaru uses the internet to reach as many people as possible (which is a promising strategy given that Nigeria has some 43 million internet users). One of his tweets read, "In the end, it is not the bodyguards of the guns, or the aircrafts or bombs that give you power. It is the people". After the voting delay last weekend Amaru tweeted, "Saturday was an #epicfail. We won't lower our standards for credible elections tho". At the very least, Nwankpa has stimulated discussion in his country and others; "It makes me feel we can make a change. We can move things in the right direction. It's not perfect yet. Our democracy is still young but there's only one way to grow it and that's participation."

Amaru Nwankpa is a fantastic example of positive, respectful, peaceful, and progressive political participation in Nigeria. In the past few months it seems that the only stories being published about Nigeria have been related to some form of violence in coalition with the election process; bombings, shooting, threats, exc. This demonstrates how the future of Nigeria and it's democracy rests in the hands of the youth and that technology represents a good way to get the message out about participation in coming elections. Hopefully this symbolizes some type of political reform within Nigeria, or at least in some of the members of the rising generations.

Election Season. Does this have to mean violence?

This past weekend Nigerians voted for their 360 House of Representatives and their 109 Senators. Of course this means violence amongst the people. Two separate bombs exploded in a polling station and a collation center in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday. The first bombing was at a voting station in the city of Maiduguri; no deaths have been reported but their has been a number of injuries. The second explosion was in the same city, but at a collation center. It was not immediately clear how many people died. Many are worried that this is only the beginning of the violence as we move further along in the election process. Also in Maiduguri, a group of young people set a government building on fire. A new election chief promised "free and fair" elections this year, but this years election has already been affected by bombings, assassinations, and other problems which have delayed the vote. Many people are beginning to worry that the government may just take away voting all together.

This shows the possibility of the military possibly stepping up and the Nigerians having some of their democratic rights being taken away. Like we talked about this previous week in class, Nigeria has shown a cycle of military then democratic leader. Could this be in the near future for Nigeria? If the government does decide to get rid of the election all together, what happens next? Nigeria has worked hard for the democratic rights they have now, if they get them taken away haw are the Nigerian people going to react? A whole bunch of questions with answers we will just have to wait to be answered.

PDP losses ground in parliamentary elections

Opposition parties gained ground against the current ruling party, the People's Democratic Party, in the parliamentary elections held Saturday. The speaker of the House of Representatives, a PDP member, Dimeji Bankole, lost his seat to Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. 

While Action Congress of Nigeria swept most states in the southwest region of the county, the PDP did manage to win some seats. In the southeast, the PDP gained three senatorial seats, but lost a seat in the northern region of the country to the Congress for Progress Change. 

All results are not yet in, as it takes 48 hours after voting closes to receive final totals. The country is still waiting for results from some of the more rural regions of the country. 

“The pattern we have seen is the confirmation of the PDP’s strength in the southeast and the expansion of the Action Congress in the southwest,” Jibrin Ibrahim said. “In the north the CPC is showing strength.”

The voting for the 109 seat Senate and the 360 seat Horse of representatives is a prelude to the presidential election on April 16. The election will see President Goodluck Jonathan face 18 rivals, including former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. On April 26, voters will chose the governors and legislatures in the 36 states.

These results show that the people of Nigeria are getting tired of the nonstop violence and corruption of their country. The parliamentary results also show that the country is becoming even more divided, as certain regions of the state lean even more heavily to one side or the other. The existing cleavages in the country and the current elections create an even more volatile situation that should be closely monitored. 

Mass Car Crash Kills Many

As Nigeria closes in on one of the most important elections the nation has ever undergone, much violence, and voting issues have caused many setbacks and deaths in the past few weeks. According to witnesses, at least twenty people died as the result of a car crash in which a fuel tanker rammed into the back of multiple cars waiting in line at a police checkpoint in Narabi located in central Nigeria. The crash occurred last Friday as people were waiting between the borders of the Plateau and Bauchi states in the "middle belt", an incredibly fertile region of Nigeria. Some twenty cars exploded into flames as a result of the crash within the two lane highway. The crash could have been prevented had it not been for the upcoming elections. The roadblock was only set up temporarily as part of heightened security measures taken in the previous week and the next two weeks. According to officials Nigeria is prone to lethal car crashes because of the poor quality and maintenance of roads and because many people often ignore traffic regulations and speed limits.

This horrific car crash is a testament to many issues currently occurring in Nigeria. At it's most basic, it is a reflection of common policy issues as many people completely neglect traffic regulations which are implemented to make the roads safer for drivers. In addition it is a reflection of a combination of common policy issues and faltering economic status and how the state distributes it's capital. The state needs to do a more effective job distributing it's money to lesser developed regions to improve road conditions to prevent mass casualties as a result of car crashes like this one. Lastly, this example is a reflection of political participation in Nigeria. While most countries do take extra precautions in times of elections, had it not been for the ensuing violence as a result of the presidential elections, the country would not have needed to set up police checkpoints such as this one.

Nigeria's Economic Growth in 2011

Within the next three year, many are thinking Nigeria could lead Africa with the largest economy due to their growth potential. Some are even saying that by 2013, Nigeria could even overtake South Africa in becoming the continent's largest economy. According to the Regional Head of Research in Africa for Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, many signs are pointing to Nigeria having no problem doing this. For example, the population of Nigeria is nearly three times as large as South Africa's population, and nearly 42 percent of the population of Nigeria is under the age of 14 versus the 31 percent in South America. This means they are a young population and not only have many people working now, but also, many young people who will be ready or are working now and can work for a while. According to Khan, "the capacity of the Nigerian economy to absorb a rapidly growing working-age population will be key to achieving the 2013 growth projection." Nigeria's GDP is projected to grow about 7 per cent this year. Also, the large amount of natural resources has attracted many private investors. Although, there are many natural resources, many non-oil sectors of the economy are expected to remain the major drivers of growth, especially agriculture, wholesale and retail trade. The only thing which cold keep Nigeria of achieving this goal, is if they are not careful with how they handle their economic growth.

This shows that even with all the violence and crime, Nigeria as a country is growing more economically. It also shows that even though Nigeria is blessed with such a wanted commodity, they have not been plagued with "dutch disease" and are still focused on many other sectors of the economy instead of oil and natural gas.

Voting delayed in Nigeria

"Missing materials" is the cause for the reason of the voting delay for parliamentary elections in Nigeria, officials say. Polls opened on Saturday, but were suddenly postponed for another two days, as not all areas of the country, including the capital city, had received the necessary items. This is a major blow to the country, which already has a history of electoral chaos and fraud.

A spokesperson for Muhammadu Buhari, the major opponent to Goodluck Jonathan, thinks sabotage was involved. He claims that Jonathan's party is afraid to have people come and vote. Others believe the delay was caused by materials not arriving from outside of the country in time. A statement has been realized claiming there will be no problem proceeding with elections on Monday.

Lines of people in the country's two largest cities became distraught. Gunshots were fired in the volatile Niger Delta raised worries of violence.

The fact that the country cannot coordinate it's own elections effectively is a testament to the current state Nigeria is in. In other countries we have studied, we haven't seen such mass chaos and unorganization from the highest levels of government. It would be very interesting to look at Mexico during their next election, to see how their government handles elections during a time of turmoil. I think that the two countries are comparable in terms of violence and unrest, but it's hard to believe that Mexico wouldn't be able to carry out an election. Hopefully Nigeria can pull itself together enough for the presidential elections next week.

Nigerian leader promises transformation

President Goodluck Jonathan addressed thousands of supporters Saturday, just two weeks before polls open for the presidential election. The leader pledged change for the continents most populous nation, which is also Africa's leading oil producer. This rally, held at the capitol of the country, is the conclusion of a nation-wide tour begun in February

In the speech, the candidate commended the recent violence that has rocked the country; numbers bombing and killings over the last few months. He also vowed to fight corruption, as well as improve infrastructure and education in Nigeria.


The rally was held at Eagle Square in Abuja; heavy security was in place. At the same location in October, two car bombs went off killing 12 as the county celebrated it's 50th year of independence. 


Jonathan is the clear-front runner for the election, which will take place on April 9. He rules the People's Democratic Party, which has won every election since 1999. His major contender is ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. Jonathan sits at 60%, compared to Buhari's 22%.


This rally shows that the Nigerian presidential campaigning system appears very similar to ours. The promises made by candidates also parallels what ours tend to do. It will be interesting to see if the winner, likely Jonathan, follows through on at least some of the pledges he's made. Exploring the campaigning process and how people come to power is a crucial part of our class, and an interesting transformation to observe in many different countries. 

President Goodluck Jonathan Discusses New Plan to Raise Minimum Wage

Recently the Minister of Labor, Emeka Wogu, told the public that President Goodluck Jonathan is in full support of the plan to raise minimum wage. He explained that the reason their has been a delay in signing the bill is due to various administrative processes. Although President Goodluck Jonathan is saying this is the only reason behind the bill not being passed yet, many are beginning to believe that he is just waiting to be re-elected in the election coming up on April 2nd. By letting the public know about the makings of this new bill, President Goodluck Jonathan is more likely to win over support and votes from those in trade and labor unions. This also proves to these unions that he is listening to what they want, and is trying to make positive changes not only to Nigeria's economy, but also for the people of Nigeria. By passing this New Minimum Wage Bill, Jonathan and his administrators are hoping it will begin to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

This relates back to class using the systems theory. The inputs would be the trade and labor unions asking for a raise in minimum wage. The process would be the bill being formed. The outputs would be the actual bill. Finally the feedback would be all the extra support President Goodluck Jonathan is receiving from the fact that he is showing the people that he is actually listening to them.

Two Dead After Bombing

This past Sunday, two people were killed near a church in Jos, Nigeria, after an attempted bombing that went awry. The bombing comes at a critical juncture in the history of Nigeria; two weeks prior to the presidential elections that could potential cause great upheaval in an already divided country. The bombing also coincided with a discovery by Nigerian soldiers who some time earlier found a truck loaded with explosives, detonators, and 33,000 pounds of ammunition which are believed to be part of a plan for more bombings. Officials say that the bomb detonated while two people were passing by on a motorcycle and that there were no other casualties in the surrounding area although several nearby shops and businesses were destroyed or damaged. Police commissioner Abdurrahman Akanu said that, "the two of them died and burned down beyond recognition." The commissioner said that they would continue to investigate the attack but that, at the moment, they have no plausible attempted target for the attack. After the attack, people began grabbing possessions and fleeing the area. Journalists were blocked from the scene.

At its root, this event illustrates the volatile cleavages present in Nigeria between the Muslim North and Christian South. The two groups who have historically butted heads in this region and elsewhere seem to be becoming even more enraged as the upcoming elections draw near. Furthermore, it shows a distinct type of political participation wrought with violence. People are engaging in political violence on both sides of the party lines, evident in the fact that some 200 people have, according the Human Rights Watch, died in the city of Jos since December alone. It will be interesting to see what effect the outcome of the election in April has on the intensity of the cleavages in Nigeria and whether political violence will increase as rapidly as one would expect it to.

Army Steps in to Shut Down Illegal Refineries

Nigerian soldiers were sent in under government order to shut down nearly 500 illegal oil refineries in the Niger Delta region. Gun-boats and helicopters were sent in to stop the smuggling of oil refined in make-shift equipment; old metal drums connected by pipes and heated for days to create either petrol or diesel. The military commander in charge of the mission, Jafaru Ibrahim, said that no arrests were made during the raid but that, "this exercise is going to continue as often as possible so that [the bunkerers] do not have freedom of action to continues [these] illegal activities" which account for some 300,00 stolen barrels of crude oil every day. As oil prices rise not only in the United States, but also globally, smuggling of oil has increased (the price of oil per liter in Nigeria has increased by $0.98 over the past three months) the demand on the black market for oil in Nigeria has increased substantially. These actions in combination with the horrible environmental degradation have led to what is known as the "resource curse" of the Gulf of Guinea in which officials from such companies as the Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, and Agip claim almost the entirety of the wealth leaving little of the money to spread out to the surrounding communities where most people live on $2 a day or less. The smuggled oil is used primarily to heat homes in the surrounding region and because of the high petrol content of the gas there have been many explosions. President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to aid the Niger Delta region (where he is from) if he wins the upcoming election. In addition, the oil minister has said that their are reforms developing in parliament that, if passed, would supply some $600 million in dividends annually to the region to help protect and develop.

We talk frequently about how America and other democracies expect lesser developed countries to develop democratic institutions in two years rather than two centuries. Although it is apparent that Nigeria, a country that developed "democracy" only twelve years ago, has a long list of issues to deal with including regional cleavages, violence caused by religion, and the "resource curse" it is also encouraging to see the government take action to step in to protect it's citizens from the possible consequences of the selling of illegal oil and stop the prevalent smuggling in the oil industry. It also is a testament to the government of Nigeria's (possible) willingness to set aside millions in order to develop some of their most desperate regions. Yet again (sorry) much of the outcome of this issue will only be seen after the presidential elections in April because, according to Jonathan, he will take efforts to protect the Niger Delta which demonstrates the link between economic and political change.

Majority of drug traffickers in West Africa Nigerian

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report stating that Nigeria serves as the hub for heroin and cocaine trafficking in Western Africa. This report also stated that 95% of arrests made by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency were related to the transportation and sale of these two drugs. These Nigeriaan traffickers account for 57% of all West African drug traffickers, and their numbers are rapidly increasing.


The UNODC of Nigeria is currently working with the European Union and the NDLEA to help prevent and control the drug situation, and increase law enforcement capacity. Meanwhile, the International Narcotics Control Boar has stated that drug smuggling in Africa is increasing. After two years of slowing growth of the industry, in 2010 illicit trade shot up.


A section of the report included:
"Corruption is one of the underlying factors that makes drug trafficking possible. The vast profits generated in the drug markets often exceed the financial resources of state institutions," it said, adding that "Police and justice officials often face tremendous pressure from organized crime when working to stop drug trafficking. Preventing corruption must be a higher priority." 


This situation shows how weak and ineffective the government of Nigeria is in regards to controlling this problem. Corruption is rampant in the country, as the above quote shows. Nigeria has no hope of reform and peace until some of the underling issues of the country can be addressed, such as drug trafficking. It is no surprise that the nation can not hold a non-violent election when more than half of the drug trade for a portion of the continent is based there.

Shell Seeks Buyer for Nigerian Oil Properties

With the violence in Nigeria progressively getting worse and worse since 2006, Royal Dutch Shell has slowly been selling their oil blocks away. This past week Shell announced they are ready to sell another four oil blocks, and they would like to do this as soon as possible. Each of these oil blocks are expected to sell for $1 billion, and are expected to close within a few days. Shells decision to sell these four oil blocks was influenced by all the recent violence in the country, which has cut the company's output since 2006. With the oil industry suffering the way it is right now, many companies are eager to try to purchase these oil blocks because many are saying this is their best time to buy. For one of the first times ever, there is a chance that a local Nigerian company could possibly buy and take control of one of the oil blocks. Also in the group of bidders is the Chinese owned company, Addax Petroleum. Each of these oil blocks are located in the western swamps of the Niger Delta, and have been slowly producing less and less barrels of oil daily. Everyone is hoping that when these new companies step in, they can bring production back up to where it used to be.

This relates to class discussion because it demonstrates how Nigeria's internal problems, with religious cleavages and other things, are beginning to affect their global economy. With Shell slowly beginning to move out of Nigeria and establish different oil blocks in other locations, shows the different chances being taken away from Nigeria. Also, with China being one of the top competitors for these oil blocks, shows what we have been discussing in class about the way China does business in Africa. It proves that they do not care about the violence and are taking no actions to stop the violence, but instead go about their own business.

Sudden Attack Leaves Five Dead

A woman in Jos says five of her relatives were shot and killed in their homes this past Sunday night. She survived, along with her husband and her son by hiding behind a metal door. Gloria Dagut told The Associated Press that the gunman attacked her home late Sunday night, and killed her husband's mother, their three adult brothers and three adult sisters. She also said there were as many as then men dressed in all black who attacked her home. These men shot at the metal door she, her husband, and their son were hiding behind, but none of these bullets pierced through the door. In the article she does not state any possible motivation behind the attack, but she does explain that her home is just on the outskirts of the city Jos, which is also know as the hot spot or "middle belt" of the conflicts in Nigeria. Therefore, the attack could have been based on any number of things.

This story shows the danger the cleavages have on the lives of the Nigerian people. The fact that people cannot even feel safe in their own homes, shows the affect the cleavages have on them. The cleavages, along with the upcoming elections, have created so much tension in the people of Nigeria that clearly anything can happen. These types of incidences also prove that as tensions grow higher, that the civil liberties of the people of Nigeria are slowly being taken away. Hopefully soon, the government will begin to take control of these situations and maybe place more restrictions on the Nigerian people to help keep them safe. When this does happen, the Nigerian people may lose the types of freedoms they are used to, but hopefully in the end it will have a positive result.

Northern Nigeria Carries Weight in Upcoming Elections

Recent voter registry for the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria revealed that the predominantly Muslim north has a hold on the outcome. Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, who took the presidency last year after the death of the elected Muslim leader, faces increasing opposition from not only the north but also from smaller minority parties. Jonathan also will have to overcome the fraud and corruption that has been prevalent in elections ever since Nigeria became an official democracy back in 1999. Jonathan's chances of victory are further impeded by the fact that some 6.2 million votes in Lagos have been taken away by the Action Congress of Nigeria party. A recent report by the Independent National Electoral Commission revealed that the Muslim north has some 36 million registered voters, whereas the Christian south only accounts for approximately 31.6 million of the country's eligible voters. Kayode Idowu, the commission's spokesperson, has released a statement that the findings from the study are indeed accurate but refused to add any further "analysis" because of how difficult ethnic and religious divisions make numerical counts in Nigeria. In fact, census numbers are kept a secret. Therefore, the UN's recorded population of Nigeria at 150 million is largely an estimate. The country fears that the release of this data will only stimulate more issues and violence between the two clashing religions. In addition, in the 50 years since Nigeria became an independent country, Muslim leaders have ruled for 39 years, leaving a southerner in power for only 11 years.

These statistics show clearly the polarizing cleavages in Nigeria. These cleavages are represented not only regionally, between the North and the South, but also, obviously, religiously between the two very distinct and opposing religious groups; the Christians and the Muslims. These cleavages are not only dividing the nation into two separate entities but they are also forcing the government to take extreme precautionary measures in an attempt to prevent violence, such as the withholding of census reports. The country also shoes the trends in political participation and how these upcoming elections in April in particular are drawing huge numbers of people to register to vote. The success of this upcoming election and transfer of power could be a sign of the potential success of Nigeria as an emerging democracy.

Policemen shot and killed in northern Nigeria

Suspected Islamic terroists have attacked and killed two policemen in northern Nigeria over the last four days. This is only the most recent incident in an overarching theme of violence that has left dozens dead.

Attackers shot on of the policemen in his house Wednesday night; trailing him to his house. It is believed that the men knew the cop who was murdered.

A separate incident occurring Sunday night found an undercover cop shot and killed at his home in a similar fashion.

This is believed to be part of the continued violence of the Boko Haram sect. The sect launched a violent uprising in July 2009, shut down by the military, but has been active ever since. Previous incidents include three church attacks on Chirstmas Eve resulting in six dead, and the assassination of governor of the region. Dozens of hit-and-run shooting have been blamed on the sect, also know as the Taliban, over the last few months in the Borno state.

So far, one suspect has been arrested.

The violence in Nigeria continues to escalate in anticipation of the upcoming April elections for president. One can only wonder how much more brutal the region will become leading to this time, and how the north will react if another Christian wins the election. These incidents are a continued reminder of how unstable the country is, and the lack of control the government has over its people. This civil violence because of political change is something that many countries experence, and an important factor to observe during our study of different societies.

Nigerians riot after accusations of police torture

A mob, furious because of the death of a man in police custody, formed in a Nigerian town on Sunday. A riot in Dambatta in the Kano state broke out after a man arrested on charges of being a notorious thief died while in custody. Both the family of the man and the mob blamed the police for his death, claiming that he was tortured. Police commissioner Muhammad Tambari Yabo denies the claims.


According to officials, the man stole a motorcycle on Friday night immediately after being released from jail. He was then followed by a mob who badly beat and threw stone at him before being brought in again by police. These injuries, Yabo said, lead to his death.


"Unfortunately one rioter was shot dead and two others injured by stray bullets," said Yabo. "The mob was further enraged and they went about burning some buildings."


The buildings burned by rioters include the police commander's home, a church, and the building used for Nigeria's youth service corps program.


In total, 35 arrests were made. This is not the first incident between police and residence in this area as other episodes of tension have occurred over the last few months.


This news story shows that the violence in Nigeria is common and widely dispersed, and not always related to  Muslim and Christan faiths and the presidential elections. The has long been a tense relationship between authorities and civilians in the country, and these types of riots are not infrequent. If the torture claims are true, it is still difficult to imagine something like this happening in the US, let alone the police intentionally harming civilians. The relationship between authority and civilians is an interesting one in many places of the world, and something I think is important to look at while we study these countries.  

New Mining Opportunities Open up in South Africa for Nigeria

South Africa is facing the possibility of losing their mining titles, therefor the South African government is trying to nationalize their mines. With South Africa's lose of many mining investors, Nigeria is now trying to reach out and claim these mining investors. Musa Sada, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development in South Africa, has discussed with many investors the opportunities offered in Nigeria. "The groups are willing to come into the country to invest in the coal development on agreed partnership terms for the local market, which means they would be supplying fuel for the other investors interested int running the power plants," Sada said.

Is Nigeria ready for an even larger global economy? Many think yes, and if they are not then they will adjust to this new type of economy, because the economic benefit is to great to pass up. Over the past decade, Nigeria has been trying to expand their economy into the global world, and this could be the answer. This could be a clear cut path for the Nigerians to build their economy off. Due to the fact that the investors have been through the process already, and already know the markets to send the raw materials to, this would only be beneficial as well as a confidence booster for the Nigerians. This could also show the people of Nigeria that there is a way to do business without the interference of the government.

This relates back to class because it could be one of the first steps toward the country moving from a least developed country towards a developed country. This economic growth could be beneficial to the Nigerians in many ways. One of the best things this new economy could do, is unite the Nigerian people under the new global economy, and could even one day stop the violence between the two religious groups. Another benefit of the investors is the fact that it could be a distraction to the people, and could help stop all the violence coming from the upcoming election.

Cost of Cashews Doubles! People are Going Nuts!

As tensions within the Ivory Coast escalate, production and distribution of the cashew nut has decreased. As the Ivory Coast is the second largest African producer of the cashew nut, this current curbing of production has caused the price of the nut to double. According to Olatunji Owoeye who is the president of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, "the price of a metric ton of cashew from Nigeria to the international market has gone up from about $600 to $1,200 since November". The current political tensions are the result of a power struggle between the Ivory Coast's former president Laurent Gbagbo and the new president elected this past November, Alassane Ouattara. This has caused the Cotton and Cashew Monitoring Committee to stop the export of cashew nuts in order to halt the funds flowing to Gbagbo. Although Nigeria relied on the Ivory Coast for part of their supply of cashew nuts, they also have their own rather strong agricultural sector in cashew production. In fact, the cashew nut is one of Nigeria's largest non-oil export commodities. Therefore, many countries looking for a new supply of the nut in fear that the situation in the Ivory Coast will worsen are turning to Nigeria.

This story is an example of the most basic ideas of the systems theory. There was, and continues to be a desire for the production and intake of the cashew nut. Therefore there were several countries competing for the potentially lucrative market. As internal issues in the Ivory Coast essentially scare people away from their unstable market, Nigeria sees an increase in the attraction of their own cashew nut market. As they are capable of producing the needed product, this could cause a new period of development in the Nigerian economy which would hopefully come in sync with an increased level of democratization. Because this story is relatively new, we are not able to examine the feedback of this shift in markets but it will be interesting to see how Nigeria handles this new economic opportunity.

Attempted Pirate Attack on Nigerian Tanker

It has been reported that a Nigerian tanker was attacked off the coast of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, last Thursday. Pirates attempted to board and rob the ship which was stationed in the Gulf of Guinea. The International Maritime Bureau reported the the pirate attack occurred approximately 50 nautical miles off the coast of Lagos. As the chemical tanker attempted to escape the approaching suspicious boat, the pirates opened fire. The pirates then tried to board the boat using a grappling hook but, after an hour of chasing the boat, retreated. This attack comes in combination with a report by Greek authorities that two merchant navy officers who were kidnapped off of a Greek-managed ship in January by Nigeria pirates were released last Friday.

According to the bureau, there has been a rise in pirate attacks in Nigeria over the past few years.

These recent pirate attacks show the inadequacy or incapabilities of the Nigeria government. Although Nigeria has a reasonably strong military, which has no problems using force in issues during recent election issues, it lacks the ability to handle threats from pirates who lack the resources that the government has. It shows flaws in the distribution or communication of power and a maldistributed military. The government should be taking extra precautions in order to repress the pirates in and around the coast of Nigeria so as to advance it's image in the global community.

Rally Leaves Many Dead

On Saturday morning, many were left dead, after being trampled over at an election campaign rally. In Port Harcourt Saturday morning, a group of Nigerians were getting together to listen to Goodluck Jonathan speak on his campaign tour. The stampede occurred after a policeman fired his gun into the air, as thousands of people in the stadium ran out fearing for their lives. The number of casualties is unknown at the moment. At least three women have been declared dead on the scene. Some fear that as many as ten people could have died from this stampede. President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken out since the incident, saying "I am sad, and heavily weighed down by this incident. It is sad, unfortunate and regrettable." He has also begun a full investigation on the incident, as well as postponed his campaigning until something is done. Witnesses say the gunshot was fired to control the rush through the small gate into the stadium. This created a panic among the people, which began to run and start the stampede. Because Goodluck Jonathan is Christian, and most of the recent violence has been over the upcoming election, many people were scared that the gunshots were coming from the Muslims who were out to kill as many Christians possible.

This shows the fear the religious cleavages have given the citizens of Nigeria. The fact that they feel as if they cannot even support something or someone they feel passionate about without the fear of dying. As well as the fact, that a gunshot from a policeman can set off such a commotion as it did, which resulted in at least three, if not more dead. This can also be an insight to the power of the police in Nigeria. The fact that a policeman could set off a shot which could end up killing at least three, and still not have gotten in trouble, this shows the type of power the police have. One positive to the incident, is the reaction from Goodluck Jonathan. He has halted all things he is involved in, to make sure justice is served, and the families of the ones who died are taken care of. This shows the his character and personality. The traits he seems to have are all traits of someone who is needed to rule a country with as many problems as Nigeria has, it shows he is willing to put his countrymen before himself.

Nigeria's economic growth

     According to Bloomberg.com, Nigeria's Ecomony is expected to grow by 7.98% in 2011. This growth exceeded the 7.85% growth in 2010, and is lead by non-oil industries, including agriculture.

     "Commitment to grow the non-oil sector to become the major driver of economic growth,” Finance Minister Olusegun Aganga said in a speech at the capitol on Friday.  

     Nigieria is the most populous country in Africa, and is looking to expand and diversify its ecomony. Oil counts as 95% of export income for the country. This industry accounts for only16% of the GDP, while agricultue counts for 42%. The 24 banks of the country pledged to triple agricultural lending for 2011 to help boost growth for the year, said Phillips Oduoza, chief executive officer of United Bank for African Plc.

     This projected economic growth is one bright spot in Nigeria. The country has been plagued by excessive violence and crime over the past few months because of upcoming presidential elections in April.

     This story shows some of the correlation between economic growth and political change. The upward trend of the Nigerian economy is something that the country should be proud of and embrace during such a difficult year. It will be very intresting to see if this projection comes true by the end of 2011. The political change may or may not effect the ecomony, but it has the potential to decrease growth if excessive violence continues in the African nation.

Rebel Leader's Wife Appointed to Government Position

Forty years ago, a rebel leader by the name of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the son of a millionaire and army officer led the dissented Republic of Biafra and nation into one of its most tumultous and bloody civil wars to date. The war, spearheaded by efforts in Biafra caused the death of some one million people. President Goodluck Jonathan's spokesperson claimed that the president had chosen to appoint Bianca Ojukwu to the position of Senior Special Assistant of Diaspora Affairs and the position would come into effect immediately. The former rebel leader, now 77, has been hospitalized for the past few weeks in the United Kingdom. It is believed that this appointment was made in order to insure Jonathan's success in the important upcoming elections to take place in April.

This appointment to government position shows the power of political culture in Nigeria as well as a poor foundation of legitimacy within the nation. It illustrates the idea that as long as you can appoint a name that people respect into some form of power, people will have a greater positive response to your regime as a whole. Similarly, this demonstrates the idea of elite recruitment and leadership and how qualifications and experience are not the only things that can help a campaign. Rather, public opinion and trust has a greater effect on the outcome of an election. Likewise, it shows that because Nigeria's "democracy" is so new and fragile it is still deeply effected and manipulated by the divisions created by previous civil wars and violence.

Adamu: Putting his Nation's Name in the Mud

Over the weekend, the final sentence for the five football (soccer) officials has been declared. The man who sparked the most controversy in the country was Amos Adamu, who is now a former FIFA and CAF executive member. Back in November Adamu was banned from all football related matters, but this past Friday, the football's world governing body, FIFA, announced the results of the appeals the men had made. "Amos Adamu: the appeal has been rejected and the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee confirmed. The sanction of a three-year ban from taking part in any football-related activity and a fine of CHF 10,000 has been maintained." This was the worst punishment of them all. Also, with the spark of all this corruption in the football world in Nigeria, FIFA has also denied Nigeria the chance to host the world cup in 2018 and 2022. This means that not only are the men going down for the things they have done, but they are bringing the country down with them. Everyone knows that the hosting the world cup brings a large economic chance for the country, but now, Nigeria will not get the money they oh so direly needed.

From what I could gather, the five officials had been shuffling money around from the FIFA account straight into their pockets. Due to the fact that Adamu was one of the top executive members in both FIFA and CAF, he is the one who had been leading the whole operation. Therefore, he is suffering the most punishment.

There were some who were upset by this punishment and others who were upset with the Nigerian government for not stepping in and helping the FIFA officials. The claimed that by this getting out into the news makes Nigeria look corrupt and gives them a bad name. Of course, these were all the people who had worked with Adamu and FIFA. The people of the country had a very different reaction to the sentence given to Adamu. They said that it was Adamu's fault and he got what he deserved. They said he was throwing the Nigerian name into the mud, and that it was not the government's responsibility to cover for Adamu.

This relates to what we have learned in class because it ties back into the corruption of the wealthy in Africa. They have so much power and freedom that they were able to place so much money into their own pockets for years without anyone knowing it. If FIFA a worldwide organization had not stepped in these men would not have been discovered. We all know there is much corruption in the African system, but this is proof of corruption in the wealthy.

Man jailed after insulting governor on Facebook

Mukhtar Ibrahim Aminu, a 24-year-old man, was jailed for 10 days after insulting a state governor on Facebbok, and was release on Thursday. Aminu posted an "uncooth" message about Sule Lamido, current governor of the Mulsim state Jigawa, after the governor's public support of presidential candidate Goodluck Jonathan in the upcoming April elections. Jonathan, a Christian, has faced resistence in the Muslim north.

Aminu posted "O Allah destroy Sule Lamido and the rest of his friends" on Facebook, a statement which has no been removed. He was arrested on Janurary 19 and sent to trial on the 29. At first, the judge ordered that the man spend more time in jail, a verdict that was later retracted and Aminu set free. The commissioner has told reports that the governor dropped charges and withdrew the case in public intrest.

Ibrahim Aminu, father of the convicted man, is a former member of the Nigerian State Parliment. He believes that Lamido jailed his on simply to settle the political score against him.

Mukhtar Ibrahim Aminu has since been hositalized because of "tramau" from the incident.

This incident shows the inability of citizens in Nigerian to excersice freedom of speech against their government. Simply for speeching out against a political figure on a social media site, and man was jailed on perfectly acceptable grounds. The incident also shows the deep religious cleavages within Nigeria between the Muslim north and Christian south.

Shoot to Kill

The upcoming election in Nigeria is creating more and more violence as we creep closer to election time. More riots and violence have become so common that the government issued a "shoot to kill" order allowing soldiers patrolling the city to shoot anyone who begins a riot. This order took place shortly after a Muslim election worker was killed and his body was set on fire in Jos. "The new order in Jos allow soldiers to kill anyone trying to hurt another person or destroy a home, church or mosque in the city and surrounding areas." The city has been a continuous hot zone for violence and riots which began towards the end of 2010. The government is now taking extreme measures to try and stop the violence which has erupted. There are mixed feelings to the new order from the military. Some believe this will have a positive affect on the city and will begin to move the city to a safer lifestyle. Others do not believe this will have a positive affect. Some are scared more violence will erupt from protest against the new order, and there will be even more bloodshed on a matter that is suppose to protect the people but in turn may end up killing even more people than before.

This demonstrates a number of things we have learned in class. This first being the cleavages in Nigeria. The religious cleavages are tearing the city of Jos apart and are allowing the military to pass these absurd orders. Another demonstration it the fact that fact that civil rights and freedoms are being taken away from the citizens in Jos and surrounding areas. Of course Nigeria does not have the type of freedoms we in the United States have, but don't they get some right to live? Even if they are protesting in a violent way, just arrest the people or shoot to injure but not to kill. Finally, the third thing it demonstrates is the power the government has. Clearly the government and the military are closely related if the government gives them the authority to pass an order that they have. Obviously the military is a large part of the society in Nigeria, unlike here in the United States.

Conference in the Netherlands Questions Shell Officials on Nigerian Oil Pollution

Environmental organizations, business officials from the Royal Dutch Shell company, and Dutch lawmakers convened in the Netherlands on Wednesday in The Hague to discuss possible shady and irresponsible actions taken by Shell in its dealings with Nigeria for oil. Organizations targeted the company claiming that their actions had led to irreparable damage in the vulnerable Niger Delta region because of continuous oil pollution and spills from Royal Dutch Shell rigs. The Economic Affairs Committee in the lower house of Parliament called the meeting after the Friends of the Earth group and Amnesty International accused Shell of "nontransparent, inconsistent and misleading figures" about oil pollution created under their jurisdiction. The groups claimed that the company was understating the facts in order to shirk their legal liability and "ignore human rights abuses". Shell's executive vice president for sub-Saharan Africa, Ian Craig claimed that many of the oil spills were caused by sabotage or "organized theft of oil", referred to as "bunkering". He also pleaded that although oil spills had become too often and common much of the pollution could be attributed to threats against employees which caused the company to not be able to fully engage in maintenance activities. Chief executive of Shell Netherlands, Peter de Wit, argued tat the company helped Nigeria by creating thousands of jobs and was not fully responsible for the pollution, some of that blame lay with the Nigerian government, he argued. He proceeded to state that it was not a matter of the company's dealings rather the problem was "the issue [of] different local circumstances". Craig added to this idea by stating that problems related to the oil business had more to do with Nigeria's, "high population density, the ensuing competition for resources, poverty, political marginalization and, of course, corruption, leading to frustration, violence, and criminality" and that all attempts to improve conditions had been impeded by "militant attacks on [their] staff and facilities and by a lack of funding".

This conference and its topics of debate show both the idea of political and economic change and the idea of common policy issues. It demonstrates how problems related to attempted political change and efforts to globalize Nigeria's economy can lead to an increase in political and economic destabilization. Furthermore, by the statement that this was an "issue[of] different local circumstances" we can infer that a part of this problem and pollution had more to do with regionalism and the development and lack there of in different parts of Nigeria rather than the actions of the Royal Dutch Shell company. This event also demonstrates common policy issues such as environmental degradation, population, and economic performance. According to the article, the pollution in Nigeria is worse than "perhaps any other place on earth" showing that attempted economic leaps come at a cost. Population plays in to this issue as Craig states that overpopulation, poor demographic clustering, and poverty leads to corruption and "bunkering". Lastly this event plays into the idea that although the Nigeria Delta region has suffered a great deal from the effects of poor oil infrastructure, without this business partnership, the Nigerian economy would deflate severely.

Nigeria Polition and Others Shot and Killed

The city of Maiduguri

   
 Modu Fannami Gubio was shot and killed Friday by men on motorbikes in Maiduguri city after praryers. Gubio was the candiate for the All Nigeria People's Party in April, running for governer in the north eastern state Borno. Four others were killed in the attack, including a 10-year-old child.

     Gubio was outside of his father's home, talking to supporters, when two men rode by on bikes, each with a gun. They fired into the crowd; the killers have not yet been caught.

     Similar ride-by assassinations over the last few months have been planed on the Boko Haram sect, locally know as the Taliban. This group wants to see Islamic laws imposed in Nigeria; the sect is also opposed to Western education and ideas. The violence started in July 2009, when the sect attacked a police station.

     The assassination of Gubio this Friday shows some of the turmoil in the political structure of Nigeria in the face of elections. The terroist group responsible for the death of the politition and civilians is a clear example of political violence, as well as coinciding cleavages involving Western thinking and religion.

Nigerian Presidential Candiates

Current Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan will run against a minimum of three opponents in the upcoming election, all from the Muslim North. Jonathan is the heavy favorite to win the election, as the People's Democratic Party has won every election for the last decade. Representing the PDP, Jonathan promised to fight corruption and push through reforms for the country. In August 2010, he announced a multi-billion dollar plan to create a new energy sector and end power shortages.

Current Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan

Although Jonathan is popular, his campaign was controversial due to the pact that sates power should rotate between the Christian South and Muslim North every two terms.

Muhammadu Buhari is running for the Congress for Progressive Change party. The military ruler of Nigeria during the 1980s, Buhari was known for ruling with an iron fist. Although he was overthrown in 1985, his clean reputation makes him strong opposition to Jonathan.



Ibrahim Shekarau runs for the All Nigerian People's Party, but is considered an outsider in the race for president. Even though he has vowed to restore trust in government, Shekarau is a longshot.

                         

Nigerian's action Congress has selected Nuhu Ribadu to represent then in the upcoming race. With little support and having fled Nigerian in 2009, Ribadu is likely one of the least likely candidates for election.

Clash in Nigeria leaves 13 Dead

On January 11, 2011, at least 13 people had been left dead outside the city of Jos due to ethnic tensions. The violence began January 7, after a bus full of Muslims became lost when returing to the city from a wedding. By Monday, the streets of the city had been deserted to avoid even more violence. Jos is located in the middle of Nigeria, and istherefore a hot zone for clashes between the Muslim North and the Christian South. In the past decade there has been more and more violence between the two religious groups. On Christmas Eve and Christmas day, there were a set of bomb set off right outside of the city of Jos. No one has been identified behind these two attacks, therefore no arrest have been made.

These sets of attacks demonstrate the affects that coinciding cleavages can have on a country. Coinciding cleavages are the bad types of cleavages which tear a country apart. There are many religious tensions seen in Nigeria between the Muslim population and the Christian population which result in flare ups and attacks which are seen here in these news stories. These types of incidences are keeping the Nigerian nation from moving forward in both the economic and political world. With set backs like these, one must wonder if the citizens in the country will ever come together as a nation and instead of having violent disputes over who is what religion, view each other as Nigerians, not muslim and Christian.

January Voting Registration Turns Deadly

On Monday, January 17th citizens gathered to register to vote in upcoming elections in Jos, Nigeria, a city known for debilitating clashes and tensions between Muslims and Christians. Youths protesting against the fact that Muslims were conducting the voter registration became the catalyst of violence. According the witnesses, soldiers opened fire among the crowd causing the death of a university graduate volunteer followed by two other bystanders. General Hassan Umaru, a leading military commander, continues to deny that the soldiers ever were ordered to or used lethal force. The country continues to attempt to register some 70 million eligible voters in the upcoming two weeks so that they will be able to participate in April elections in the violence-torn region despite the fact that 500 people were killed last year in Jos alone.



This tragic story demonstrates how challenging efforts to democratize and liberalize the country of Nigeria has become, and, unfortunately, most likely will continue for some time. Consistently, the violence can be attributed to the coinciding cleavages that rip the country apart caused by the incredible tensions between the predominately Muslim north and Christian south. This religious division polarizes the country into two separate identities, making it increasingly difficult to unify Nigeria as a whole and create a new healthy sense of nationalism. This story is encouraging though because it, at the least, shows some level of political participation and an effort to democratize the country in structure and function.