Stepping into a contentious election-year issue, a Nigerian Senate panel said on Wednesday that President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy-turned-political-foe both illegally used funds from the country's massive oil industry. Both officials are currently immune from prosecution. The full Senate must approve the findings for them to have effect, but no debate is scheduled till after April 21 presidential elections meant to secure civilian rule in coup-prone Nigeria.

The case of the Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who needs to be cleared from corruption charges to stand as a presidential candidate, could not proceed following the absence of a presiding judge, the court announced. The judge for the case, who flies from Lagos to Abuja, is expected to preside over the case on Tuesday

A list of aspiring candidates for the April presidential polls was to be published by Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday. But INEC officials said the list does not contain the names of candidates indicted for corruption, which clearly means the Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, whose name appears on the list of corrupt officials, is not competing for the polls.

The Nigerian Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill which was, for almost two months, in the Nigerian National Assembly for consideration has recently been forwarded to the Justice Committee for review. The Bill, which forbids lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals from entering into same-sex marriages also punishes those who aid, preside over, witness or facilitate such an occasion with a five year jail term.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

By Emem Okon
We are concerned about the spate of violence in Rivers state. This is a problem because the frequent occurrence of violence in the state has impacted negatively on the women psychologically, politically, socially and economically. The economic activities of women are particularly affected thereby depriving them of access to food, income earning capability and constitute an abuse of their right to life, security and human dignity. Violent conflict promotes violence against women.

Therefore, in view of building the capacity of women and mobilize them to advocate for peace and non-violence in Rivers state, the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre with Tere-Ama women organizes a one day Peace March in Tere-Ama community, Rivers State, on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 10am as part of the activities under the Mothers Against Violence Project.

Recent developments and events are building up to a possible escalation of violent conflict even as the general elections are fast approaching. Rivers state is already noted for political violence and cultist activities and so is considered as a flash point in the forthcoming elections. There are reports of proliferation of small arms; intra/inter party conflict; general state of insecurity in the state. Indiscriminate shooting and killing such as took place on Friday, March 2, 2007 at Diobu are an example of the threats to communities.

The communities in Rivers state including Port Harcourt, Ogbakiri, Okrika, Emohua and several others have had to contend with their plight and live with the terror and horror visited on them by the perpetrators of violence.

We believe that as women, we have a significant role to play in conflict transformation and peace-building, since we bear the brunt of violence as mothers, as wives, as sisters and as friends. The United Nations Resolution 1325 empowers women to participate in conflict resolution and peace-building, with this knowledge we lend our voices for peace , non-violence and the promotion of human rights. We contribute to conflict transformation and peace-building in the state by advocating for peace.

With the Peace March, the women are saying that:

1.Peace-building requires the collective efforts of all members of the society. 2.The Government should pay more attention to issues of peace and security in the state.
3.Churches and religious organizations should promote peace in their activities.
4.Traditional rulers should use their positions to foster peace in their communities.
5.Women should utilize their role as peace mentors in the society.
6.Government at all levels, multinational oil and gas companies, development agencies/commissions including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), private entrepreneurs, etc should encourage talents development and creativity in order to promote self reliance for sustainable livelihood and open the space for more economic opportunities for women and youths.
7.The Federal Government should address the Niger Delta issue positively to ensure a lasting peace in the region.
8.Youths should shun violence and arms proliferation and embrace the culture of peace.
9.The police should promote peace by maintaining law and order and not enhance violence by intimidating citizens.
10.Women are prepared to liaise with Government and other agencies to take concrete steps to address issues of violent conflict through dialogue and initiated peace negotiations.
11.The youths are our future and should not be used or allow themselves to be used as tools for violence and related vices.

Kebetkache is collaborating with other NGOs with support from Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) to campaign for peace and development in Niger Delta communities.

* Emem J. Okon is the Executive Director, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

* Please send comments to or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org

Reuters reports that a Nigerian court has reinstated a central state governor on Thursday nearly five months after he was impeached over allegations of corruption. Joshua Dariye is the third governor to be reinstated by the courts in the last four months in a sign the judiciary is not comfortable with a series of impeachments that swept across Nigeria, raising tensions ahead of landmark polls in April.

A Nigerian human rights activist has been attacked by thugs and received death threats after accusing government officials in the nation's top oil-producing state of corruption, he said on Thursday.

Nigeria's ruling party presidential contender, Umaru Yar'Adua, 55, says he is well enough to run in April's polls. Speaking to the BBC from Germany, where he was flown for a medical check-up, he scotched speculation that he was unfit to continue in the contest.

Gunmen abducted a Lebanese construction worker near the Nigerian oil city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, police said on Wednesday. The kidnapping, at Mbiama community in Rivers state, brought to nine the number of foreigners held by armed groups in the delta, which accounts for all of Nigeria's oil production.

Coming out of the closet in Nigerian society, is not for the faint-hearted; it's not even for the publicity-seeking. But in October 2004, Bisi Alimi - in a first - calmly revealed his homosexuality on live television. He did so on New Dawn, a popular talk show on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), in an atmosphere of transparent hostility.

Nigerian elections have always been surrounded by intrigue, corruption and violence. Nnimmo Bassey says that as the country prepares for the first elections where one civilian government hands over to another, it appears little has changed.

April 2007 looms near as the month in which Nigerians expect to go to the polls to elect a new set of political officers. Even as the days get closer, the entire exercise is shrouded in uncertainty and Nigerians have been left guessing who the candidates of the various parties would be.

Candidates whose names had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have to contend with the fact that clandestine clearing procedures are being conducted by any number of agencies and panels. It is a curious situation that with less than two months to go before the elections, the Nigerian people do not know their electoral choices.

One of the presidential candidates of one of the political parties is still battling to be cleared by INEC. That candidate is Atiku Abubakar, currently vice president of Nigeria. Mr Abubakar’s attempt to run on the platform of Action Congress after decamping from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been strenuously fought by the PDP and the presidency. The presidency has so far unsuccessfully tried to declare the seat of the vice president vacant on account of his changing parties, and for being disloyal to the president. In a judgement on the matter at the Appeal Court, the judges ruled among other things that the loyalty of the vice president is primarily to the nation and not the president.

Judiciary interventions have helped to curb the rabid rush for the impeachment of governors by state legislators. The courts have been heroic in their handling of thorny political matters in the build up to the elections. In fact, the judiciary appears to be the real hope for salvaging the forthcoming elections, even before they are held.

The rift between the president and his vice climaxed as they attacked each other in full public glare, in a manner that would shame writers of soap operas. They threw mud at each other over which one of them corruptly handled funds from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF). While the vice president accused the president of having diverted funds for less than official purposes, the presidency accused the vice president of making unauthorised bank deposits with resources of the PTDF. So far even the investigations of the Senate have not managed to settle the dust.

The conflict between the two top citizens of the country has largely overshadowed the real issues that ought to be addressed by politicians on campaign trails at this moment. With so far unproven corruption charges flying both ways, the episode has taught election watchers that the Nigerian electoral processes are a long way from being on track. As at the time of writing this piece the Atiku Abubakar’s name had not found its way onto the ballot, even though the electoral body asked for and received his photographs, ostensibly for that purpose.

The 2007 elections may well be one in which candidates spent more time struggling to have their names on the ballot papers than on the soap box enunciating their manifestos and programmes. Only recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) released a list of persons it considers to be corrupt and who should not be allowed to seek elective office in the country. While some analysts insisted that EFCC had no statutory powers to screen candidates, the presidency went ahead to set up a committee who reviewed the EFCC list. Out of their activities, it released a somewhat moderated list of persons who will not bee able to run for office at the forth coming elections.

The names on the ballot are not the only names to worry about. The names on the voters register may prove to be another headache. For example Nigerians were apathetic during the voters’ registration exercise. There were a number of reasons for this. People did not have a clear sense of where the registration centres were. Where the spots were known, there was a dearth of registration equipment. It was not until the last few days of the exercise, declared work free days for public officers, that people thronged to the registration centres. Registration of voters has historically offered corrupt politicians the opportunity to engage in multiple registrations, inclusion of fictitious names and the accumulation of voters’ cards with which they perfected their ignoble acts. The recent registration exercise had at least one incident in which registration equipment was allegedly found in the house of a chieftain of the ruling party. While some of the chieftain’s staff were reportedly arrested, the chieftain has not been brought to account.

One may call this selective justice, but that would pale in comparison with the spate of selections that seem to have overthrown elections among the political parties. The parties had to hold primaries aimed at nominating candidates for the forthcoming elections. It turned out that in many instances, the primaries were exercises in futility. How could that be? This happened in two ways. In some cases, the primaries were simply occasions for selection rather than election of candidates. The winners were predetermined by political godfathers even before the primaries were held. The primaries were thus a rubber stamping process. The parties wasted more precious energies in the primaries after candidates who had been announced as winners at the primaries had their names erased and substituted by others, either at the party headquarters or with any other person with sufficient clout to twist the arms of members of such parties.

It was rather intriguing when all the governors, for instance, who wanted to run for the office of the president suddenly, stepped down for Mr Yaradua, governor of Katsina State. Governors of Akwa Ibom State, Rivers, Cross River and a number of other states stepped down for Yaradua at the convention field. Observers wonder why they had spent so many millions in preparation and campaigns if they were not seriously seeking to contest the election.

Throughout this process, persons who never wanted to be on the ballot found themselves there. And it does appear that some of them are depending on the parties that threw up their names to also conduct campaigns and win them the elections as well.

In this perilous situation we cannot avoid mentioning the volatile Niger Delta, where it is difficult to predict whether people will be able to vote freely. The Niger Delta remains an example of a festering ulcer that the nation has failed to heal over the years, and which may infect the entire body politic, if left for much longer without the needed political treatment. Armed resistance is not new in the Niger Delta. It was first utilised in an organised manner by the Isaac Adaka Boro’s led Niger Delta Volunteer Service (NDVS) in 1966. In that struggle, they NDVS declared an independent state of Niger Delta Republic that lasted only 12 days before it was crushed by the Nigerian state. Today the armed groups are not declaring secession but are insisting on political negotiation and that the social-economic and environment debasement visited on the region be addressed.

One would have expected that the question of the Niger Delta would dominate the campaign trail. This has not been the case. In fact only a few of the parties are making any serious attempt to address it. In a situation where candidates are busy struggling to place their names on the ballot and where others are struggling to keep their names off the corruption list, very little energy is expended on issue-based campaigning. It could also be said that campaigning on issues is also difficult because many of the parties are effectively only different in name.

The Niger Delta issue, has however, resonated in a way watchers never expected. On 30 January 2007 while commissioning his campaign headquarters in Abuja, the vice president announced to the world that the government was spending the sum of US$2 billion in arms acquisition in order to crush the insurgents in the Niger Delta. He was quickly accused of playing politics. There was oblique denial of any arms build-up in the region. But not long afterwards the president stated while campaigning for the PDP’s presidential candidate that there were many militia camps in the Niger Delta, to which no government could turn a blind eye.

Investigation by some journalists revealed that a huge investment in arms has indeed been made by the government with the Niger Delta in mind. The sum mentioned is 100 billion Naira, about US$800,000. This sum was allegedly provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through an extra-budgetary arrangement.

Recently the president was quoted as saying that the election would be a do or die affair, or a matter of life or death for his party, and for the nation. This declaration sent shivers down the spine of a nation reeling in violence and insecurity. There have been no retractions. It is thus an open question if the spirit of sportsmanship will be anywhere near the election field when the whistle is blown - or when the gun is fired, for that matter.

The build up to the 2007 election has seen more high profile assassinations and murders than have been seen in other elections in the country. This has raised considerable concern among election watchers as to what level of violence will be unleashed during the actual voting, whether the ballot will count this time around, or whether political thugs will rake up fictional votes. According to Priscilla Achakpa, executive cirector of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), a Nigerian NGO, 'the whole world is watching Nigeria and it is likely that the politicians will exercise some caution and not act with impunity. We cannot say categorically that the peoples’ votes will not count. What we can say with full confidence is that the electorate is much more enlightened today than they were in 1999 and in 2003'.

This election is not just another election in Nigeria. It is an election with deep historical significance. It will mark the first time a civilian government has handed over power to another civilian government. With dark clouds over the transition route, many are asking: will votes count? Will the electorate stand up to defend their votes? Only time will tell.

* Nnimmo Bassey is the director of Environmental Rights Action (Friends of the Earth, Nigeria) Visit

* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at pambazuka.org

A Nigerian-based organization is looking for candidates to fill the post of CEO. Send all CVs and evidence of research experience to [email][email protected] on or before 5 p.m. on March 6th, 2007. Preferred Start Date: On or before May, 2007.

On February 12, the Nigerian Minister of Information Frank Nweke issued a statement in response to an in-depth report by CNN on the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). He accused CNN of 'paying for, and staging the report' that showed hostages held by the group. Not surprisingly, CNN issued a statement refuting his allegations and attesting to the authenticity of the report.

Mr. Nweke added that the government was working to free the hostages (they have since been released) and could not resist the urge to throw in a humdinger of a remark; by adding that the manner in which the reporter in question went about covering the story was "…unacceptable, and to our minds, undermines global efforts in the war on terror."

This statement lends an interesting and very current global context to the problem of the Niger Delta. It also provides a framework for understanding the Nigerians government's stance on dealing with the escalating crisis.

Mend came in to the spotlight in January of 2006 with an email in which the organization warned oil interests to leave the land and threatened to disable to destroy the government's capacity to export petroleum. Since then, there have been well-orchestrated attacks on installations in the Niger Delta as well as a slew of kidnappings involving expatriates.

The problems and manifest discontent in the Niger Delta pre-date Mend. The Niger People's Volunteer Force NPVF was active until it was neutralized by the government and its leader, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, jailed. Mend also seeks the release of Asari, as well as the former governor of Bayelsa State Diepreye Alamieyeseigha who was removed by Obasanjo on charges of corruption.

Mend advocates for the rights of the Ijaw, and other groups in the delta, to benefit from its vast oil resources, and to protect their land from the environmental ravages of oil extraction. Since oil exploitation began in the region, little has improved in the lives of the people, if anything, crippling poverty has been exacerbated by the severe environmental impact of oil drilling.

When Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed for championing the rights of the Ogoni people, a military regime was in power. Nigeria is preparing for its second democratic election and little seems to have changed in the way the government seems to privilege the interests of global trade above the legitimate grievances of its people.

It is becoming common fare to legitimize crushing internal dissent by attaching the "terror" label. Like the global war on terror, the 'war' being waged in the Niger Delta is all about oil. But it is also about globalization and exploitation. It is about zero-sum development that reaps benefits for one at the expense of another. It is also about Emmanuel Wallerstein's World System, where the 'periphery of the periphery' remains marginalized regardless of the vast riches they possess.

As things stand, nothing will be resolved by the time Africom, the new US military command planned for Africa, is established on the continent. Oil qualifies as a 'strategic interest' for the United States to protect. It remains to be seen what this will mean for the people of the Niger Delta and those who are fighting for their economic and environmental rights.

Further Reading:

Niger Delta: Behind the Mask. By Ike Okonta

Mend: Anatomy of a People’s Militia. By Ike Okonta

Reuters Alertnet FactBox
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05606460.htm

The Niger Delta Question
http://www.gamji.com/article5000/NEWS5521.htm

Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901060522-1193987-1,00.html

CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/02/12/nigeria.reaction/index.html

Wiki pedia

Nigeria is cracking down on "illegal aliens" from neighbouring countries whom the authorities call a "nuisance". Niger and Chad seem to have been singled out in the clampdown with thousands of their nationals packed into lorries and taken to the border.

An appeals court has ruled Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo did not have the power to sack his vice-president for joining an opposition party. The court in the capital, Abuja, ruled Atiku Abubakar should remain in his post despite his defection to the Action Congress for presidential polls.

Nigeria has allocated US$25 million to fund the first site of the African Institute of Science and Technology (AIST). Construction of the Gulf of Guinea Institute will begin on 20 February in Nigeria. Its research will centre on several different fields including biological, environmental and mathematical science.

LGBT activists in Nigeria are conducting workshops to educate the media on how to fairly report on issues of sexual behavior. Executive Director for the International Centre for Reproductive Health (INCRESE), Dorothy Aken’Ova, stated that activists undertook this initiative after observing that the Nigerian media failed to report fairly on sexual behaviour issues contrary to their international counterparts.

Airtime selling vendors are to be introduced in Nigeria to meet the growing demand by mobile phone users in the country.

Nigeria’s government says it will ban all political leaders, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who have allegedly been indicted by the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC), from participating in April’s presidential elections.

A report by the Center For International diplomacy analyzes the links between the establishment of an African military command (AFRICOM) by the US department of defense and the need to secure strategic oil interests in Nigeria as part of a so-called "Oil Triangle" centered on the Gulf of Guinea. The report raises questions about the US government's Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Initiative (TSCTI).