Nigeria to get its first female Chief Justice

Nigeria will get its first female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on 16 July when Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar is sworn in by President Goodluck Jonathan. This follows the retirement of the current CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 and Jonathan's nomination of Mukhtar's appointment which has been sent for Senate confirmation. The latter gave Justice Mukhtar the all clear on Wednesday 11 July following a brief screening session. Mukhtar comes from Kano State, was Northern Nigeria's first female legal practitioner and, in an illustrious career in the bar and bench, earned a formidable reputation as a fearless, impartial and independent arbiter.

She will perhaps be mainly remembered for being only one of three Justices who gave a dissenting judgment in the 2007 presidential election petition case involving President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Gen Muhammadu Buhari. In her judgment she ruled that the election, which purportedly declared President Yar'Adua as the winner, was significantly flawed and should be cancelled. She is expected to serve as CJN until July 2014 when she will also reach the mandatory retirement age.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2012 Menas Associates

President Jonathan to present tenure bill to National Assembly

President Goodluck Jonathan's office has confirmed the news making the rounds that he is planning to send a constitution amendment bill to the National Assembly, proposing longer single tenures for political office holders. The duration has not been specified, but it is widely thought the presidency will attempt to insert a six or seven year period into the legislation before presenting it.

Lawmakers would be eligible to contest elections in perpetuity, if they so wish, after the expiration of each term. In effect, the two term limit will be removed.

Over the past week, there had been speculation that such a bill was in the works, though it was perceived that the bill was being sponsored by other people with close ties to the Jonathan.

On Tuesday 26th July, Jonathan finally clarified the situation when he released a statement through his new Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, renowned journalist and former government critic, Reuben Abati. In the two-page statement, Jonathan said that his “commitment to a single term for the President and Governors is borne out of a patriotic zeal, after a painstaking study and belief that the constitutionally guaranteed two terms for Presidents and Governors is not helping the focus of Governance and institutionalisation of democracy at this stage of our development”.

The statement further sought to explain the rationale for such a bill, positing that “President Jonathan is concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election, every four years, generates both at the Federal and State levels. The nation is still smarting from the unrest, the desperation for power and the overheating of the polity that has attended each general election, the fall-out of all this is the unending inter- and intra-party squabbles which have affected the growth of party democracy in the country, and have further undermined the country's developmental aspirations”.

Jonathan, however, denied accusations that the bill was engineered to favour him and make him eligible to stay the full eight year course as president.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Niger Delta: Surrendered weapons destroyed

The federal government has destroyed the arms and ammunitions that were surrendered by former militants of the Niger Delta as part of the amnesty deal brokered by the late president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in late 2009.

The weapons were destroyed at a public destruction ceremony in the Lokpanta, a border town on the outskirts of Enugu State in the southeast. The president's special adviser on Niger Delta affairs, Kingsley Kuku, explained that the federal government's decision to publicly destroy the weapons was informed by the realisation that the continued existence of such weapons acted as a destabilising in?uence, especially since the potential for illicit trade was still quite high.

Henry Ugbolue, of the Amnesty Of?ce, who was one of the of?cers presiding over the destruction of the weapons revealed that about 3,779 weapons in all were recovered from militants from Imo, Delta, Edo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Ondo states. The weapons included various ?rearms, ri?es, rocket propelled grenades, and spears.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Nigeria: Post-election violence claims 800 lives

On Monday 17th May, the Human Rights Watch released a report stating that President Goodluck Jonathan's election win against opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim, has prompted violence and rioting across 12 northern states.

Buhari supporters took to the streets to protest his defeat; the demonstrations turned violent resulting in killing sprees that have reportedly displaced more than 65,000 people. The group called on Nigerian authorities to “promptly” take action and bring those responsible to justice.

Speaking about the situation in Nigeria, a senior West Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch, Corinne Dufka, said: “The April elections were heralded as among the fairest in Nigeria's history, but they also were among the bloodiest…The newly elected authorities should quickly build on the democratic gains from the elections by bringing to justice those who orchestrated these horrific crimes and addressing the root causes of the violence.”

Reports about the number of people killed in the riots vary, but according to the Christian Association of Nigeria at least 170 Christians had died. The human rights group estimates around 800 Nigerians to have been killed in post election related violence in the northern part of the country.

Sources: The Christian Post, Vanguard, Afrique en Ligue

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

President Jonathan backs poll delay

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has backed the decision to delay elections due to paperwork hold-ups. Jonathan said the resolution to postpone the voting showed that the country was willing to do things properly.

Parliamentary elections were halted on Saturday 2nd of April, when voting materials failed to reach polling sites. Last year, electoral chief Attahiru Jega undertook the task of overhauling the electoral system in order to make the voting fair and free from fraud. Parliamentary elections have been rescheduled for next Saturday 9th April, with the presidential polls and those for governors and state assemblies to be held later in the month.

Speaking to the BBC, Jonathan said: "What happened is another demonstration that the country and the electoral body is totally committed to ensuring that they conduct [a] credible vote."

The delay, however, has left many Nigerians frustrated and suspicious about the reasons behind the postponement. Many are reluctant to make the journey to the polling stations again. Jonathan has called on the country to make an effort, saying: "It's a sacrifice that all of us are paying. I was also in the field, but I have to come back…We really regret what happened."

The Commonwealth Observer Group, which plans to monitor the polls, called the delay "regrettable” but noted that the most important thing is for the polls to be "free, fair and credible."

Sources: BBC News, Next, Voice of America

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria: Kaztac starts work in OML 123

Oil and gas industry engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commission firm Kaztac Engineering Limited has announced that its Ekulo Cheyenne barge has been deployed to commence work for Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria at its OML 123 block in Cross Rivers State.

The firm, which is based in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, announced this through its project manager, Rick Reggio, who stated, "The 350 ft by 100 ft by 25 ft depth pipelay/derrick and construction barge Ekulo Cheyenne is expected to execute TB–1921 Call-Off Contract for installation of sub-sea pipelines and topsides for Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited."

This installation-focused contract will enable the various facilities currently being designed and manufactured to be collected, shipped to site, craned into position, and hooked up together with the laying of interconnecting pipelines and installation of associated riser systems.'

The project is described as designed to meet the company's field development goals, including 'flares down,' as it plans a new facility to expand its existing Adanga complex to provide gas compression and additional production separation capacity, with central power generation for the entire complex.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Nigeria: Army given shoot-to-kill orders in the city of Jos

Nigerian Army has been given orders to shoot-to-kill in order to maintain peace and order in the city of Jos. Army officers patrolling the city received the orders following a killing of a Muslim electoral worker by a Christian mob.

A military spokesman Capt Charles Ekeocha told the BBC, "We are ordered to protect civilians and quell violence by any means necessary."

The killing on Monday 17th January highlighted the tensions between Nigeria's two dominant religious factions, as the country continues to struggle to register 70 million eligible voters before April's presidential election.

According to Ekeocha, the new orders permit soldiers to kill anyone trying to incite unrest, harm civilians or attempt to destroy a home, a church or a mosque in Jos and surrounding areas. The Army has been present in the city since the violence commenced last year, leaving more than 500 dead.

"The best option is to make sure you stop the person…Even if it means taking the person's life, it is OK," said Ekeocha. He also warned community leaders that the military would fire at anyone attempting to cause an uprising.

Sources: BBC News, AP, All Africa, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria files bribery charges against Dick Cheney

Nigeria has filed charges against Dick Cheney, over bribery allegations involving a former subsidy of Halliburton energy company. The charges, filed by Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, revolve around KBR engineering firm, which has admitted bribing officials.

Cheney, former CEO of Halliburton and US vice president, denies the allegations which his lawyer called “entirely baseless”. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed 16 charges against Cheney, as well as current Halliburton CEO David Lesar and two other executives. It has also filed charges against Halliburton and four associated businesses.

Last year, KBR pleaded guilty to paying $180 million in bribes to Nigerian officials. The company agreed to pay $579 million in fines in the US. Nigeria, along with France and Switzerland, has conducted its own investigation into the case and subsequently filed charges.

Cheney's lawyer, Terence O'Donnell, said US investigators had found no impropriety on Cheney's part and added that, "Any suggestion of misconduct on his part, made now, years later, is entirely baseless". Halliburton denies involvement in the allegations, saying that a raid on its office by EFCC officials was "an affront against justice".

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria: Mend claims Warri-Escravos pipeline attack

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has claimed responsibility for a weekend attack on the Warri-Escravos pipeline in the Niger Delta. The attack on the pipeline, supplying a large refinery, was confirmed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Over the past year, Mend's activities in the oil-rich Delta subsided following a ceasefire agreement but a small faction of the group's activists have recently resumed criminal activity. The group, fighting for equal distribution of oil wealth, issued a warning to the media, saying, "This attack and similar attacks on pipelines which will take place within the next few days is a reminder to the Nigerian government of the futility of wasting the nation's resources in combating militancy without addressing the underlying causes of agitation in the Niger Delta".

The Nigerian authorities believe that the breakaway faction is also responsible for the twin car bombings which killed 12 people during a celebration of Nigeria's 50 years of independence last month.

Over the weekend, the army said it had arrested 63 militants in connection with the recent kidnapping of ExxonMobil, Afren and Shell oil workers released last Wednesday [17th November]. The operation was the first successful rescue of foreign captives in the Delta without any of the hostages being killed in the process.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.