Nigerian politician accused of embezzling $100M

According to an recent article by the Washington Post, a ranking member of Nigeria's national party supposedly embezzled a whopping $100 million from governmental funds designated for public projects. The politician in question, Abdullahi Adamu, was arrested after a more than yearlong investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Agents of the commission requested access to his personal finance records in an effort to locate the stolen funds, likely taken from unfinished construction projects located in Nasarawa state. Adamu was governor of this area, and had easy access to large sums of money dolled out to states from oil revenue. Many governmental officials find it impossible to resist the temptation of these funds, and consequently Nigeria is widely known as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. This rampant corruption has yet to ignite the flames of political reform, however-- state governors are immune to prosecution while in office. Adamu currently holds the position of secretary to the board of trustees in the People's Democratic Party, the ruling party of Nigeria. It has yet to be disclosed as to whether the party with force the resignation of Adamu over recent allegations. These charges are among the first against high-profile individuals, and may signal the governments efforts of cracking down on the crippling corruption the country has been experiencing.


This article provides but one example of the unbridled corruption Nigeria is presently experiencing and is inadequately dealing with. This issue clearly devastates the already floundering legitimacy of the government, as Nigerians no longer trust the intentions of the policy makers. However, it is the masses fault for not holding government officials accountable for their frequently poor actions. By not confronting politicians, Nigerians are essentially permitting them to use public funds at their personal whim. Widespread corruption also damages the political institutions of the state, whose legislation allows leaders immunity from their decisions during their governorship. The fact that the national party refuses to disclose their opinion on the matter rather than providing a swift reaction shows that corruption has infiltrated the entirety of the political landscape in Nigeria.

Photo Credit: Click Here

Grade This Post

#5 Unarmed Nigerians killed by Police

According to an article from Al Jazeera (An Arabic-Language News Network), 17 police officers we're apprehended and detained in the capital of Borno, Maiduguri due to a series of extra-judicial killings of unarmed Nigerians. Those gunned down belonged to a group called Boko Haram, which roughly translates to "Western Education Prohibited". Boko Haram believes that Islamic Law (Sharia) should be nationwide and without western influence.

While this group has been assoicated with acts of terrorism, such as the bombing of police stations, the members shown we're unarmed, handcuffed, and forced into a prone position as they we're shot.

These acts represent some of the current problems of Nigeria. Corruption seems to be rampant, with constant bribing and the occasional "disappearance" of someone of importance, as is the case with the leader of Boko Haram, who was one of the Nigerian's shot. If the Police is free to kill whom they please regardless if it is legal or not, or rather, has any repercussions then why have someone there to enforce the law if they need not abide by it themselves. This ties into the larger picture of the judicial system in Nigeria where Common Law, Sharia, English Law, and Constitutional Law all exist. With three legal systems bearing small differences and one that has heavy religious influence, it's interesting to think about how judgement on a case is decided at all.

Grade This Post.

Picture Source

The Threatened Nature of the Last Nigerian Rainforest

In the CNN Article "Nigeria's Shrinking Rainforest" of 2/26/10, We come to understand the danger that the Nigerian Rainforests are in. Nigeria has one of the fastest rates of Deforestation of any any country, at 3.3%. also, the most bio-diverse areas, specifically the Old Growth Forests, have an even faster rate of deforestation. According to the Team leader of the Task force of Deforestation, if the rate of deforestation is allowed to continue, then there will be no nigerian rainforest in 5 or 6 years. due to these predictions, and the difficulty there is between differentiating between legal and illegal foresting, the government has made all logging illegal through out the rainforest region. however, throughout the south eastern part of the country, logging is the industry available, and most of the people feel that there is little that they can do to survive now that such a law has been past.

This speaks directly to the interaction between the citizens of a country, public policy, and international pressures. The task force of Anti-deforestation was created after the Governor of the Cross River State, the state with 90% of Nigeria's forests, decided that using the forests for carbon credits instead of logging would probably add more long term economic stability to the region. Now, the sale of Carbon credits for a year is a rather new concept, brought about by the increasing importance of the Green Movement and Global warning. With the people against this, it becomes a very interesting set of influencing forces that will effect the region.

Image from Roehampton University

Grade this Post.

Post #5- "President" Yar'Adua Finally Returns to Nigeria

Photo courtesy of Flickr

According to a February 25th article from The Economist, the ailing leader of Nigeria, Umaru Yar'Adua, has finally returned to the country after spending several months in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. His arrival comes conveniently after his former vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan, was named acting president in Yar'Adua's absence. Many feel Yar'Adua suddenly came back to Nigeria as a way of reminding Jonathan that Yar'Adua still has power. During his first two weeks as acting president, Jonathan has made interesting changes to Nigeria's government, such as shifting around the positions of cabinet members who are dedicated to Yar'Adua. In addition, Jonathan has tried to make good on his promise to fight corruption and any other obstacles in Nigeria's government and society by attempting to talk with the Niger Delta (located on the Niger River in Nigeria) militants who are often embroiled in ethnic riots as well as attacks on police and oil lines. Although Yar'Adua's spokesman said that Yar'Adua does not plan to go back to work for some time, his presence will certainly loom over Jonathan's head, as it is quite possible that Yar'Adua's health may improve to a point where he may be granted the seat of president to finish out his term.

This article shows how Nigeria's method of turning over power is still debated by their people. Although there has never really been a situation like this in Nigeria's history as most of their leaders have obtained power through military coups or other illegal means, the president's sudden return to his country after being gone for such a long time could possibly mean Yar'Adua is unhappy with his vice-president having more power now and may plan to regain power once his health permits it. In addition, religious tensions have arisen between the Muslims and the Christians over equal distribution of power. The president and vice-president practice different religions; Jonathan is Christian while Yar'Adua is Muslim. Therefore, there is considerable worry that if a Christian president is elected next year, Muslims will have lost part of their time to be in power due to Jonathan's current position as president. This flaw in the otherwise satisfactory system could not have been expected and it will be up to the Nigerian government and its people to determine how to manage it.

Grade This Post.

Rebel Group Attacks Oil Pipe for Revenge

Photo courtesy of CNN.

A February 12th CNN article brought to the spotlight a new Nigerian rebel group intent on wreaking havoc in the nation. This group, Joint Revolutionary Council or JRC, have decided to show their disapproval for acting president Goodluck Jonathan by attacking a Shell pipeline. Although the attack was fruitless, it demonstrates how not all of the citizens are satisfied with the House and Senate's presidental appointee. The group has threatened more attacks due to their belief that Jonathan is a "lame-duck ruler" and was given his position in a "jungle manner". However, Jonathan has vowed to fight everything that stands in the way of harming Nigeria's democracy. One can only hope he will succeed in all his endeavors.

This article ties to the political cleavages and culture in Nigeria- it seems that no matter how democratic power changes are, there will always be dissenters willing to use force to get their point across. However, this reaction to the governmental changes shows that not Nigeria's democracy is not perfect. While groups like JRC definitely do not define the political culture of Nigeria, their very existence shows the doubt in the legitimacy of the system. Lastly, JRC's violent attacks relates to civil liberties and civil rights as the shaky boundaries of how far people can go in their quest to have their opposing voice heard are put up for debate.

Grade This Post.

Homosexuality in Nigeria

The irrational fear of homosexuality has integrated itself into every corner of the world, but is especially prevalent in Africa. Here, strong religious affiliations have stoked the flames of a homophobic culture, causing gays to hide their sexual preferences to escape beatings and exile. In Nigeria, punishing gays has been one of the few political aims that spans the Muslim-Christian divide. According to an article on Feb 11th in The Economist, homosexual Nigerians have been forced to leave most churches in the country due to pronounced anti-gay beliefs. The sole church catering to the persecuted gays is the House of Rain, led by pastor Rowland Jide Macaulay. Macaulay has had a history of abuse towards himself and his followers, as members of his congregation were frequently beaten and raped upon leaving services. After fleeing to Britain as a result of death threats, Macaulay has attempted to gain funds from the West to establish hairdressing and fashion courses. Since churches usually provide social services to the Nigerian public, gay men and women are often prevented from gaining an adequate education.

One of the most prominent issues in Nigeria currently was exposed in this article-- social cleavage. The sharp divide between straight and gay individuals is a blatant display of social injustice, with citizens denied basic liberties because of rampant homophobia. The fact that homosexuals are prevented from garnering an education and deprived of the opportunity to receive social services also makes it a common policy issue. When both Muslim and Christian establishments deny an education to someone whose sexual preferences contradict the norm, it not only hurts the advancement of the individual, but the state.

Grade This Post

Photo Credit: Click Here

#4 Goodluck Johnathan appointed President of Nigeria.

According to an article from The Economist, Goodluck Johnathan, previous Vice president of Nigeria, has taken over the position of President in the absence of the severely ill Yar'Adua . Johnathan claims that within his short term he will aim to “secure Nigeria’s path to greatness and guarantee our place among the great nations of the world in the shortest possible time.” Although aiming for greatness, many of Nigeria's politicians see Johnathan more as a "lame duck" rather than "Goodluck".

One of the major problems occurring in Nigeria is the religious cleavage between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Yar'Adua claimed a win for the Muslim North while his Vice President, now President, was of the Christian South. The reoccurring switch between these two religions seems to be seriously hindering Nigeria's ability to even consider focusing on other problems within the government such as it's legitimacy and the recent problems involving attack on oil pipelines and stations. If Johnathan somehow manages to stay true to his word then maybe the country has a chance of continuing it's path to democracy but as of right now, that path seems far from sight.

Grade This Post.

Picture Source.

Bus Occupants are Electrocuted by Falling Power Line.

Last Saturday, A bus in the City of Port Harcourt became a deathtrap, as a power line fell on to the roof and killed at least 10 people inside the vehicle, according to the BBC Article from February 13th, 2010 named "Ten People Killed as Power Cable Falls on Nigeria Bus". The information is incomplete and unconfirmed by local police, but there is information that says 12 other people were injured in the process of attempting to help those killed in the initial accident. Though the information is incomplete and unconfirmed, it does tells us that there is a serious problem in certain areas of Nigerian Infrastructure and and safety laws.

This speaks directly to the problems in the Citizen, Society, and the State, as well as the legitimacy of the civil government. If government can't even properly secure it's power lines to stay up in clear weather, then how can citizens expect their government to keep them safe from other forms of accidents? Also, the fact that the police cannot confirm how many were killed in an accident, also seems worrisome to a citizen.

Photo thanks to Flikr

Grade this Post

Al-Qaeda offers to arm and train Nigerian Muslims

According to an article by the Washington Post, the leader of North Africa's al-Qaeda branch has recently offered to supply training and weapons to Muslims entrenched in conflict with Nigerian Christians. Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of the al-Qaeda branch, blatantly accused Christians for the horrid bloodshed occurring between the rival religions, and called upon all Nigerians to "push your sons into the fields of jihad to become the fighting vanguard in defense of the Muslims' blood and honor." He also stated that the violence is geared solely towards Muslims, and detests the Western media's portrayal of the events, which depict them as sectarian, tribal or economic. Accounts vary as to who ignited the most recent carnage. The state police commissioner claiming skirmishes began soon after Muslim youths set a Christian church ablaze, an assertion which Muslim leaders flatly deny.

If the North African branch of al-Qaeda honors its pledge to aid Muslim extremists, it could possibly hold dire consequences for the future of Nigeria as a whole. Al-Qaeda's intervention would only help widen the already pronounced social and religious cleavages, making the nation more divided and volatile. It could also potentially result in political change, with radical Muslims causing the collapse of the currently feeble democracy. Obviously, an increase of trained extremists would threaten the social welfare of Nigerians not involved in the religious turmoil. They would likely be vulnerable to injury or even death during the religious clashes.

Photo Credit: Click Here

Grade This Post

Central Bank of Nigeria Pushes for Reforms

Photo credit- World News Website

After auditing twenty-four banks last year, The Central Bank of Nigeria (the CBN) now plans to move forward with more bank reforms. According to a February 5th article from Forbes, the CBN has a three-tiered strategy to implement these reforms. These reforms are: reducing the term for bank chiefs to ten years, includes industry and government agencies in reforms to appeal to both foreign and domestic investors and create an asset management company (AMC) which would stimulate banks to lend. The bill which calls for the creation of the AMC has been gaining support from both the financial and industrial sectors and is slated to receive wide support in the legislation as well. The proposal of these reforms is only a step forward for Nigeria, which as seen in the elections in Anambra this weekend, still has much to improve on.

This article from Forbes provides us with some positive news about Nigeria amidst all the often negative news. These bank reforms, especially the decrease in terms for bank chiefs, will most definitely curb the corruption present in many aspects of Nigerian society. The fact that these changes have not created violence or severe opposition from factions so far is an accomplishment on its own. The creation of the AMC, if passed, will not only help Nigeria during this global economic downturn, but will also set the groundwork for better, more efficient banks. These economic changes will not only help the economic development of the country, but will also promote the legitimacy of the government system in the eyes of its citizens. If these reforms are truly implemented (especially the AMC bill), Nigerians' often wavering faith in their economic and political system will surely increase.

Grade this Post.

Incumbent victorious in flawed Nigerian poll

An article by Reuters' Tume Ahemba states that the recent voting for the position of Incumbent may have been severely flawed. When voters in Anambra , one of Nigeria's most turbulent voting states, showed up to the polls on February 6th only to find their names missing from the ballet, complaints began to surface. Even the candidates themselves, including the winner Peter Obi, noted that there seemed to be some "irregularities".

Voters are now worried that this may be a sign of the returning chaos of last years election which was ravaged by widespread ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. Only 300,000 out of the 1.8 million registered voters took the time to place their ballot.

This severely damages Nigeria's legitimacy and its current status as a democracy. If ballots are stuffed and voter intimidation is used to gain votes, will the people actually trust their government if they're forced to vote for someone? This whole article questions Nigeria's democracy as a whole. One of the fundamental building blocks of democracy is fair and fair elections. As we've seen with last years election of President Yar'Adua and this current election of Peter Obi, the flame of democracy within Nigeria seems to be getting dimmer and dimmer.

Grade This Post.

Picture Source

Media Moguls Demand Presidential Resignation

According to the BBC article "Ill Nigeria President Yar'Adua Must Quit" from Wednesday, Febuary 3rd, 2010, powerful media owners have stated that that the ailing president must hand over power or resign within 7 days from Wednesday. If he does not, they state that the National assembly should start Impeachment procedures, because President Yar'Adua had been out of the country for more than 70 days. This statement has come after two different groups saying that the president doesn't not have to resign, those two groups being the Cabinet and the Supreme court.

This article shows an interesting part of our Co comparative government curriculum, the idea of political institutions. Here, we have a conflict between two of the main political institutions and one linkage institution: the Courts, The Executive Cabinet and the Media. All of these institutions are basically having a battle of wills over what the National Assembly should do about President Yar'Adua. The Courts and the Executive Cabinets say that the President is not incapacitated, but the Newspaper owners are still seeking his stepping down, whether voluntary or not. In other Countries, this may not be a big deal, but here, this crisis may be the starting point of a military coup, a political take over, or even full civil war.

Photo Credit : Colorado State

Grade this post.