Reports

By Tume Ahemba MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, April 11 (Reuters) - Nnamdi Okpala believes he still has a future in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri despite being a victim of repeated bouts of ethnic and religious violence. Okpala is a Christian from…

JOS, 9 April 2007 (IRIN) - The cool climate high up in the rocky outcrops of central Nigeria made this city a favourite destination for the former British administrators. In the early years after independence it was affluent, with…

Summary In 1999, Nigeria made a definitive break with a post-independence history dominated by three decades of abusive and unaccountable military rule. That year, the country returned to civilian government under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo and since then has…

Government Must Act Against Political Violence, End Election-Related Abuses (Lagos, April 4, 2007) - The Nigerian government's partisan meddling in the electoral process and its unwillingness to tackle political violence threatens to undermine nationwide polls scheduled for April 14 and 21,…

LAGOS, 2 April 2007 (IRIN) - "Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression," said Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria's founding fathers, speaking in 1947 while campaigning against British colonial rule. Sixty years later as Nigeria…

Nigeria's rich energy resources, land, dynamic markets and favorable agro-ecological system have enabled the country to meet most of its food needs and allowed for generally food secure conditions nationwide. However, low productivity, triggered by the combined effects of extreme…

LAGOS, 29 March 2007 (IRIN) - Many voters in Nigeria's general elections in April say that little appears to have changed from previous elections that where characterised by massive fraud and violence followed by military takeovers. "They [electoral authorities] are just…

BAUCHI, Nigeria, March 29 (Reuters) - Four people were killed in clashes between supporters of rival political parties in the northeastern Nigerian state of Bauchi, police said on Thursday as tensions rise ahead of elections next month. Nigerians are due…

BICHI, 28 March 2007 (IRIN) - Outside the battered campaign headquarters of gubernatorial candidate Ahmad Garban in the village of Bichi, 20 km north of the state capital Kano, lie six cars plastered with election posters and with shattered…

Africa Report N°123 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Nigeria's democracy faces a crucial test. Presidential, parliamentary and state gubernatorial and assembly elections scheduled for 14 and 21 April 2007 are not a routine quadrennial ritual. Success would offer the country the first…