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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Nigerian Agency Under Fire after Christmas Day Bombing

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport- picture courtesy of aschweigert from Flickr.com

The world stood in shock as news of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up a plane en route from Amsterdam to Detroit this past Christmas began to spread. As the United States and Dutch officials began to piece the puzzle together, one aspect particularly stood out- the fact that the would-be bomber's father had warned the Nigeria's National Intelligence Agency of his son's extremist views. Many in the country and out wonder how the agency chose to disregard this hefty piece of information from Abdulmutallab's own father, who is also one of Nigeria's most prosperous businessmen as well as a former minister in the government. This oversight has caused a great deal of Nigerians to lose their already faltering faith in their government as the true story behind Abdulmutallab starts to unravel. Click here to read the article.

This article posted by the New York Times brings to mind several questions- how the National Intelligence Agency could ignore a critical warning from a rather important figure, whether the oversight reflects the ineptitude of similar agencies and bureaucracies and how this will affect the way Nigerians view their government. The last question seems to be the most important, as it relates to citizens' belief in the legitimacy of their governing system. Although Nigeria is a blossoming democracy, many problems, such as the corruption present at both state and local levels, threaten to hinder Nigerians' faith in their government. In addition to the unsure fate of their ill leader and ever-present ethnic clashes, the last thing Nigerians need to worry about is whether other countries view their country as dangerous. As the article states, "Nigerians, sensitive about a host of stains on their image abroad, including corruption and religious violence, are angered that terrorism has now been added to the list." Therefore, this article provides us with a clear example of just how important citizens' assurance in the legitimacy of their government is.

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