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.

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