4/05/2010 NIGERIA
LA POLIZIA SORVEGLIA GLI OLEODOTTI
Nigeria, morto il presidente
6/5/2010 – TG COM
NIGERIA 6/5/2010
MORTO PRESIDENTE YAR’ADUA, SETTE GIORNI DI LUTTO NAZIONALE
MORTO PRESIDENTE YAR'ADUA (2): SI INSEDIA SUCCESSORE
Muore Yar'Adua, Nigeria sull'orlo della secessione
La Stampa 7/5/2010
NIGERIA 13/5/2010
SCELTO UN VICE-PRESIDENTE 'A SORPRESA'
NIGERIA 14/5/2010
CAMBIANO I VERTICI DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO
Nigeria: arrestato per corruzione il governatore del Delta del Niger
Il Sole 24 Ore, 14/05/2010
Petrolio: la Cina investe in Nigeria per tre raffinerie
Asca - Afp, 14/5/2010
Nigeria: rapiti sei tecnici libanesi sul delta del Niger
Blitz Quotidiano, 15/5/2010
NIGERIA 17/5/2010
Nuova linea di confine tra Nigeria e Camerun
NIGERIA 18/5/2010
IN CARICA IL NUOVO VICE-PRESIDENTE
NIGERIA 20/5/2010
DELTA DEL NIGER: EX-RIBELLI RIBADISCONO SOSTEGNO A PROCESSO DI PACE
Nigeria: 3 pastori musulmani massacrati da cristiani
Blitz Quotidiano, 23/5/2010
NIGERIA 23/5/2010
ARRESTI A JOS
NIGERIA 26/5/2010
MULTINAZIONALI E TANGENTI, ACCUSE DA ABUJA
NIGERIA 28/5/2010
DISORDINI DI JOS: RIBADITA LA NATURA "SOCIALE ED ECONOMICA"
Papa dimissiona vescovo irlandese per pedofilia e concubinato
BlitzQuotidiano, 31 maggio 2010
African viewpoint: Kinsmen unite
BBC, 5/5/2010
Nigeria axes anti-corruption case
BBC, 5/5/2010
Nigerian President Yar'Adua dies
BBC, 6/5/2010
Nigeria swears in new president
BBC, 6/5/2010
Nigeria's real presidential race is now on
BBC, 6/5/2010
Death of Nigerian leader exposes 'sham' democracy
BBC, 10/5/2010
Nigeria leader 'chooses deputy'
BBC, 13/5/2010
Nigeria arrests ex-governor Ibori
BBC, 13/5/2010
Fela show takes Broadway by storm
BBC Focus on Africa Magazine, New York
BBC, 13/5/2010
Nigeria and China sign $23bn deal for three refineries
BBC, 14/5/2010
Nigeria militant backs Jonathan
BBC, 17/5/2010
Nigeria politician in drugs probe
BBC, 18/5/2010
Profile: Namadi Sambo, Nigeria's new vice-president
BBC, 18/5/2010
Nigeria police 'routinely kill, rape and torture'
BBC, 18/5/2010
Another Nigeria-bound Toxic Waste Ship Intercepted
THIS DAY 21/5/2010
Niger's hungry 'fleeing south'
BBC, 21/5/2010
Irish bishop in Nigeria resigns after scandal
BBC, 31/5/2010
Nigerian airlines to get bail-out
BBC, 31/5/2010
4/05/2010 NIGERIA
LA POLIZIA SORVEGLIA GLI OLEODOTTI
Circa 300 poliziotti sono stati dispiegati a protezione di oleodotti e depositi di carburante di proprietà della compagnia nazionale, ‘Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’ (Nnpc). Gli uomini hanno il mandato di controllare obiettivi sensibili come gli oleodotti di Kaduna e Kano (nord), i depositi di Calabar, Deport, Mosini e Ore (sud) che si trovano tra la regione petrolifera del Delta del Niger e la capitale Lagos. (MISNA)
Nigeria, morto il presidente
Umaru Yar'Adua aveva 58 anni
Il presidente nigeriano Umaru Yar'Adua è morto a Abuja dopo una lunga assenza dalla scena politica per gravi problemi cardiaci. L'annuncio del decesso è stato dato da fonti della presidenza, che hanno confermato la notizia diffusa dal quotidiano 'This Day' nella sua edizione online. Il 9 febbraio il vice presidente Goodluck Jonathan aveva assunto l'incarico di capo di stato ad interim per non prolungare il vuoto di potere. Yar-Adua aveva 58 anni.
6/5/2010 – TG COM
NIGERIA 6/5/2010
MORTO PRESIDENTE YAR’ADUA, SETTE GIORNI DI LUTTO NAZIONALE
Una settimana di lutto nazionale, con bandiere a mezz’asta e celebrazioni funebri aperte al pubblico: sono le disposizioni annunciate dal governo a poche ore dalla morte del presidente Umaru Yar’Adua, da tempo convalescente proprio in seguito ad una grave malattia cardiaca. Il decesso del capo di stato, sostituito nel Febbraio scorso ad interim dal vicepresidente Goodluck Jonathan, è stato annunciato nella tarda serata di ieri (nella notte italiana) alla televisione nazionale, con un breve comunicato diffuso dal governo in cui si precisa che il decesso è avvenuto nella villa presidenziale della capitale Abuja. “La Nigeria perde il gioiello della sua corona” ha affermato Jonathan, annunciando sette giorni di lutto. Secondo la stampa nigeriana le spoglie di Yar’Adua saranno sepolte oggi stesso a Katzina, sua città di origine nel nord del paese. In base alla Costituzione, ora il presidente ad interim si insedierà ufficialmente alla testa dello stato e sarà chiamato a nominare un vice; entrambi porteranno a termine l’attuale mandato presidenziale prima delle prossime elezioni previste nell’aprile 2011. Yar’Adua era assente dalla scena politica nigeriana dallo scorso Novembre quando fu ricoverato in una clinica dell’Arabia Saudita per una pericardite, infiammazione della membrana che riveste il cuore. Al suo rientro, nel Febbraio 2010, il vicepresidente Jonathan fu incaricato della guida ad interim del paese, provvedendo ad un ampio rimpasto del governo. Non è chiaro se Jonathan, originario del Sud, si candiderà alla presidenza, dato che in base ad accordi non scritti ma finora sempre rispettati dal partito di maggioranza la presidenza del paese - tra i primi esportatori di greggio del continente e con una popolazione di oltre 140 milioni di persone - ruota tra un capo di stato del Sud e uno del Nord e il prossimo prevede l’elezione di un cittadino del Nord.
MORTO PRESIDENTE YAR'ADUA (2): SI INSEDIA SUCCESSORE
Ha prestato giuramento come nuovo presidente in carica della Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, già presidente ad interim dal mese di Febbraio, in seguito alla prolungata assenza del capo di stato Umaru Yar’Adua, deceduto la notte scorsa a 58 anni dopo una lunga malattia. In una breve cerimonia, aperta dalle preghiere di un imam musulmano e di un esponente della conferenza episcopale nigeriana, svoltasi questa mattina ad Abuja, Johanatan ha ricordato le azioni e l’impegno che Yar’Adua ha profuso per il suo paese e per i nigeriani. “Come individui e come nazione – ha detto Johnatan – abbiamo pregato per la guarigione del presidente. Un uomo di grande giustizia e integrità. Ora è nelle mani di Dio”. Il presidente ha aggiunto che "la lotta alla corruzione e le riforme, anche in campo elettorale saranno le priorità del nuovo governo". In base alla Costituzione Jonathan dovrà ora nominare un vicepresidente: entrambi guideranno il paese fino alle prossime elezioni previste nell'Aprile 2011. Come riferito questa mattina dalla stampa, le spoglie di Yar’Adua saranno sepolte oggi stesso a Katsina, sua città d’origine nel nord del paese. Eletto nel 2007 alla guida di un paese tra i primi esportatori di greggio del continente, ma caratterizzato dalla dilagante corruzione, Yar’Adua aveva risvegliato le speranze dei nigeriani. Secondo gli analisti, la malattia e la lunga assenza dalla scena politica gli hanno concesso di raggiungere pochi degli ambiziosi obiettivi prefissi. Tra i più significativi, ritengono in molti, l’aver avviato un processo di amnistia e negoziato con i gruppi armati del Delta del Niger che rivendicano una migliore gestione delle risorse del sottosuolo, ricco di petrolio, in una delle regioni meno sviluppate e più povere del paese. (MISNA)
Muore Yar'Adua, Nigeria sull'orlo della secessione
Il presidente era ricoverato in Arabia
Lo chiamavano «Baba go-slow», papà va piano. Aveva promesso molto, forse troppo, quando era stato eletto tre anni fa alla presidenza del Paese più popoloso dell’Africa, la Nigeria: lotta alla corruzione, riforma elettorale, sviluppo delle infrastrutture, portare l’energia elettrica a tutti, riforma del settore petrolifero che offre al Paese il novanta per cento delle sue rendite ma ne è anche la dorata maledizione. Era «il regno della legge» lo slogan di Yar’Adua che è morto ieri dopo una lunga malattia. Poco è stato fatto: Baba go-slow andava davvero piano, troppo per un Paese insanguinato da guerre tribali, religiose e petrolifere, incatenato a una scandalosa miseria, stritolato dalla corruzione da uccelli di rapina della vita pubblica, l’unico partito che qui non conosce differenze di fede o di tribù. Insidiato perfino dai brividi del terrorismo internazionale firmato Al Qaeda.
La Somalia del terzo millennio, seduta su un mare di petrolio. In questo caos rovente Yar’Adua era un piccolo punto di stabilità, perfino una speranza: «Un disastro», ha definito la sua morte Henry Okah, il capo carismatico del maggiore movimento ribelle del delta del Niger, dove l’estrazione del petrolio ha ucciso la vita e la speranza di coloro che lo abitano e riempito i conti in banca di politici, trafficanti, compagnie internazionali e gangster. Okah aveva creduto alle promesse del presidente nordista quando aveva garantito l’amnistia a chi deponeva le armi. Era stato lui a tirarlo fuori di prigione, dopo dieci anni, e a strappargli dopo uno storico incontro, la promessa di un cessate il fuoco. Ventimila ribelli del delta, micidiali operai di una guerriglia condotta a colpi di rapimenti di tecnici delle compagnie straniere e di attentati agli oleodotti, hanno deposto le armi. Oggi, appena un anno dopo, tutto è tornato nella «normalità».
La razza padrona è sempre al potere, movimenti più radicali, in assenza di risultati, hanno scavalcato Okah che accusano di essersi lasciato giocare: e il cessate il fuoco è stato revocato. Yar’Adua rappresentava ancora la fragile linea che divideva la Nigeria dal caos definitivo. La sua malattia è diventata per questo un macabro caso politico che ha scavalcato i confini dell’assurdo. Ricoverato in Arabia Saudita, il presidente è scomparso, si è trasformato in un fantasma. Tanto che si è diffusa la voce fosse morto da tempo e che la notizia venisse tenuta segreta. Ogni tanto una cassetta registrata con la sua voce veniva trasmessa alla radio per dimostrare che era ancora in vita. L’ottavo esportatore mondiale di petrolio per sei mesi è rimasto in pratica senza guida. Mentre la folla ad Abuja manifestava per le strade invocando la successione, guidata dal premio Nobel per la letteratura Soyinka.
Il vero merito di Yar’Adua in fondo era scritto nel suo luogo di nascita e nella sua fede: nordista e musulmano, governatore di una delle regioni dove aveva fatto entrare in vigore la sharia. In questo gigante tagliato a metà dalla frontiera implacabile tra islam e culti cristiani e animisti, dove il Nord povero accusa i sudisti di monopolizzare a loro vantaggio il dono del Signore, l’oro nero, era in grado di evitare la secessione. La guerra civile, quella, si svolge da anni ogni giorno con migliaia di morti, incendi di chiese e moschee, pulizia etnica e religiosa. Ma la parola finale che scatenerebbe massacri ancora più apocalittici, separazione, su cui soffiano giganteschi interessi politici ed economici non solo interni non è stata ancora pronunciata. L’uomo che ieri ha prestato giuramento per sostituirlo con la promessa che tra un anno si svolgeranno nuove elezioni ha invece un difetto; è un sudista, un cristiano dei territori zeppi di petrolio.
Per questo la prospettiva che diventasse presidente ha scatenato selvagge resistenze. Goodluck Jonathan, 52 anni, all’inizio, molti anni fa, era un semplice zoologo. La sua carriera, dicono, è figlia di incredibili combinazioni del destino, secondo i suoi estimatori. Di un’ambizione senza limiti, secondo chi lo detesta. È diventato governatore perché il suo predecessore è stato arrestato per corruzione. Fu promosso alla vicepresidenza perché il partito al potere, il Pdp, aveva bisogno durante al campagna elettorale che fu vinta da Yar’Adua di un cristiano da sbandierare. Con uno stetson perennemente calcato in testa, ha fama di essere uno degli uomini meno corrotti del Paese, che in Nigeria equivale più o meno alla santità. Ma non di un santo ha bisogno il Paese per salvarsi, ma di un genio politico. Goodluck ha un anno per tentare
La Stampa 7/5/2010
NIGERIA 13/5/2010
SCELTO UN VICE-PRESIDENTE 'A SORPRESA'
Namadi Sambo, governatore dello stato settentrionale del Kaduna, Namadi Sambo, è stato scelto come vice dal presidente Jonathan Goodluck; dovrà ora essere l'Assemblea nazionale, ovvero il parlamento, a trasformare la scelta in nomina effettiva. La notizia è stata resa nota al termine di un vertice con i governatori del Partito popolare democratico (Pdp) di maggioranza ai quali il presidente ha presentato il nome di Sambo. La scelta, secondo la stampa locale, ha suscitato stupore poiché Sambo è una personalità relativamente poco nota e nuova sulla scena politica nazionale, essendo stato eletto governatore nel 2007. Sono così risultate prive di concreto fondamento le ipotesi e le rose di nomi circolate nei giorni scorsi. (MISNA)
NIGERIA 14/5/2010
CAMBIANO I VERTICI DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO
“Lascia il presidente del Pdp” titolano a tutta pagina i quotidiani nigeriani in riferimento alla vicenda giudiziaria che ha coinvolto Vincent Ogbulafor, dirigente di primo piano del partito al potere dalla fine degli anni ’90. Secondo “This Day”, la spinta decisiva è giunta ieri sera da una riunione tra il presidente della Federazione Goodluck Jonathan e i governatori di 23 stati in quota Partito democratico del popolo (Pdp). Ogbulafor deve rispondere di fronte ai magistrati dell’Alta corte di Abuja di una truffa del valore di un milione e 100.000 euro, truffa che sarebbe stata commessa nel 2001 quando il dirigente ricopriva l’incarico di ministro. I giornali nigeriani sostengono che le dimissioni si spiegano anche con una lotta interna al partito sempre più aspra, alimentata dalle elezioni presidenziali in programma l’anno prossimo. L’altro titolo sulle prime pagine dei quotidiani di Abuja, Lagos e Port Harcourt è la designazione alla vice-presidenza della Federazione di Namadi Sambo, dal 2007 governatore dello stato settentrionale di Kaduna. Non è chiaro se la scelta si leghi in qualche modo all’accordo non scritto della politica nigeriana che prevede ogni otto anni un’alternanza alla guida dello stato tra rappresentanti delle regioni settentrionali e meridionali. Ogbulafor aveva sostenuto di recente che, per mantenere i delicati equilibri del paese più popoloso d’Africa, nel 2011 il Pdp avrebbe dovuto candidare alla presidenza un politico del nord. Goodluck è invece originario del profondo sud, in particolare del Delta del Niger: una regione petrolifera dimenticata per decenni dal governo federale, dove è stato da poco avviato un difficile negoziato con i principali gruppi della guerriglia. (MISNA)
Nigeria: arrestato per corruzione il governatore del Delta del Niger
Lo hanno preso a Dubai l'ex governatore di uno dei tre stati della regione del Delta del Niger, la zona petrolifera della Nigeria. L'accusa è quella di corruzione. Le tangenti del petrolio che ha impoverito e ha devastato la regione del Delta senza portare niente in cambio alla gente del posto. Nei suoi 8 anni al potere avrebbe rubato dalle casse dello stato più di 80 milioni di dollari.
Il Sole 24 Ore, 14/05/2010
Petrolio: la Cina investe in Nigeria per tre raffinerie
La Cina ha sempre più fame di energia: il gigante asiatico, infatti, è ormai il primo investitore al mondo nel settore dell’energia rinnovabile ma il suo sviluppo economico galoppante, e la conseguente motorizzazione di massa, hanno bisogno di carburante.
Non stupisce, per questo, il maxi accordo da 23 miliardi di dollari tra Cina e Nigeria per la costruzione, nel paese africano, di tre grandi raffinerie che serviranno a riempire i serbatoi cinesi.
La Nigeria, già da anni, è tra i big mondiali della produzione e raffinazione del petrolio con pesanti conseguenze sull’ambiente anche a causa del comportamento, spesso poco corretto, delle multinazionali come la Shell.
L’arrivo dei cinesi nel settore, con investimenti diretti e senza intermediari, non farà altro che confermare il futuro petrolifero della Nigeria.
Asca - Afp, 14/5/2010
Nigeria: rapiti sei tecnici libanesi sul delta del Niger
Un commando armato ha rapito oggi nel delta del Niger quattro tecnici libanesi dopo un conflitto a fuoco in un cui sono rimasti uccisi un poliziotto ed uno dei rapitori, che indossava una falsa divisa dell’esercito. Lo hanno rivelato fonti ufficiali del Niger.
I quattro libanesi sequestrati sono dipendenti dell’impresa di costruzioni nigeriana Stemco, secondo le fonti. “Quattro dipendenti libanesi della Stemco, un’azienda specializzata in costruzioni stradali, sono stati rapiti a Ikot Ekpene, nello Stato sud-orientale di Akwa Ibom”, ha detto la fonte, che ha chiesto l’anonimato.
I sequestri a scopo di estorsione sono piuttosto frequenti nella zona del delta del Niger, dove sono presenti numerose aziende straniere specializzate nell’estrazione di petrolio e gas, nella costruzione di strade e nelle telecomunicazioni.
La maggior parte delle vittime dei sequestri viene rilasciata sana e salva dopo il pagamento del riscatto. A causa della diffusa criminalità, le aziende straniere sono costrette a spendere ogni anno milioni di dollari per cercare di proteggere i propri dipendenti con servizi di sicurezza privati.
Blitz Quotidiano, 15/5/2010
NIGERIA 17/5/2010
Nuova linea di confine tra Nigeria e Camerun
E' in corso la definizione di una nuova linea di confine comune tra Nigeria e Camerun: ad annunciarlo è stato un responsabile della Commissione nazionale del confine (Nbc), precisando che alcuni villaggi camerunensi sono già passati in territorio nigeriano e viceversa. Come previsto dalla sentenza emessa nel 2002 dalla Corte penale internazionale dell'Aja, la Nigeria ha restituito al Camerun la penisola di Bakassi; una commissione mista sta lavorando all'attuazione del provvedimento. (MISNA)
NIGERIA 18/5/2010
IN CARICA IL NUOVO VICE-PRESIDENTE
Namadi Sambo, dal 2007 governatore dello stato settentrionale di Kaduna, è il nuovo vice-presidente della Federazione: la designazione da parte del capo dello stato Goodluck Jonathan, originario della regione meridionale del Delta del Niger, è stata confermata oggi sia dalla Camera dei deputati che dal Senato. Il confronto in parlamento occupava questa mattina le prime pagine dei principali giornali della Nigeria. La nomina di Sambo, vista con favore dal “Forum dei governatori”, sembrava nel complesso prevedibile. Sambo lascerà la guida dell’amministrazione di Kaduna al suo vice Patrick Yakowa, cristiano in una regione del paese a maggioranza musulmana. A questo avvicendamento i mezzi di informazione nigeriani danno molto spazio, in diversi casi sottolineando come dietro proclami di appartenenza religiosa e identitari si nascondano lotte e strumentalizzazioni politiche. La Nigeria attraversa un periodo di incertezza, alimentata dalla recente scomparsa del capo dello stato Umaru Yar'Adua e dalle elezioni presidenziali in programma nel 2011. (MISNA)
NIGERIA 20/5/2010
DELTA DEL NIGER: EX-RIBELLI RIBADISCONO SOSTEGNO A PROCESSO DI PACE
I rappresentanti dei circa 20.000 ex-militanti dei gruppi ribelli, che hanno accettato il programma di amnistia offerto lo scorso anno dal governo di Abuja, hanno assicurato il loro sostegno al neo-presidente Jonathan Goodluck, impegnato a garantire il processo di pacificazione nella regione meridionale del Delta del Niger, ricca di giacimenti di idrocarburi ma allo stesso tempo tra le più povere del paese. Ribadendo le richieste di preservare l’ambiente, rispettare il diritto degli abitanti a un’esistenza dignitosa e garantire lo sviluppo socio-economico della regione, gli ex-ribelli hanno sottolineato in un comunicato diffuso oggi come l’arrivo alla presidenza federale di un uomo politico nato nello stato del Delta del Niger sia uno stimolo per “sostenere e consolidare il processo cominciato con il presidente Yar’Adua”. L’annuncio giunge a due settimane dall’inizio del programma riabilitazione, lavorativa e sociale, che il governo ha promosso per il reinserimento nella vita civile di 20.191 ex-combattenti. A partire dal 1° giugno, riferiscono i media nigeriani, cominceranno i primi corsi attitudinali e professionali per circa 2000 ex-ribelli, ai quali saranno versati incentivi per aprire e gestire piccole attività. I militanti del Delta del Niger hanno combattuto per protestare contro lo sfruttamento e la devastazione dell’ambiente naturale della regione, chiedendo una più equa redistribuzione dei profitti delle risorse petrolifere. (MISNA)
Nigeria: 3 pastori musulmani massacrati da cristiani
Si riaccende la violenza fra cristiani e musulmani nella Nigeria centrale. Giovani cristiani hanno massacrato ieri tre mandriani e bruciato i loro corpi, pochi giorni dopo la revoca del coprifuoco teso a impedire gli scontri – di matrice più economica che religiosa – che nei mesi scorsi hanno causato centinaia di vittime.
Le autorità militari hanno reso noto che i tre mandriani appartenenti all’etnia dei nomadi Fulani stavano cercando alcune mucche che si erano smarrite quando sono stati aggrediti da giovani cristiani dell’etnia Berom a Tusung, circa 40 chilometri a sud di Jos, la capitale dello Stato del Plateau.
Un testimone ha riferito alla Reuters di aver visto, in un ospedale militare di Jos dove erano stati portati da Tusung, tre cadaveri martoriati da armi da taglio, probabilmente machete, e carbonizzati fino ad essere irriconoscibili. I mandriani avevano chiesto ai militari di scortarli, ma tre soldati che avevano ricevuto l’ordine di non sparare in seguito alla revoca del coprifuoco sono stati feriti dai cristiani, che erano “armati fino ai denti”, secondo un ufficiale dell’esercito.
Il coprifuoco notturno, imposto nello Stato del Plateau per tentare di arginare gli scontri fra bande, è stato revocato mercoledì scorso. Le violenze nella regione di Jos, dove indigeni cristiani o animisti e allevatori nomadi musulmani si contendono il controllo della terra, hanno fatto centinaia di morti nel gennaio scorso, migliaia negli ultimi dieci anni.
Blitz Quotidiano, 23/5/2010
NIGERIA 23/5/2010
ARRESTI A JOS
Almeno 15 persone sono state arrestare dalla polizia dello stato di Plateau in relazione a episodi di violenza che hanno portato alla morte di sei persone nella città di Jos. L’episodio si iscriverebbe nella scia di attacchi e uccisioni tra pastori nomadi di etnia Fulani e pastori Borom che hanno portato a un migliaio di morti dall’inizio dell’anno.(MISNA)
NIGERIA 26/5/2010
MULTINAZIONALI E TANGENTI, ACCUSE DA ABUJA
La Nigeria ha “molto sofferto” per gli abusi delle multinazionali straniere, pronte a pagare tangenti milionarie per ottenere concessioni vantaggiose sui ricchi giacimenti di petrolio e gas del paese: lo ha sottolineato Farida Waziri, presidentessa della Commissione per i reati economici e finanziari (Efcc). Le dichiarazioni della dirigente, riprese da diversi quotidiani, si collocano sullo sfondo delle inchieste e delle audizioni che in questi giorni contribuiscono a far luce su vicende e contratti controversi. Oggi è previsto l’interrogatorio dell’ex-ministro Tajudeen Olarenwaju, figura centrale in uno scandalo che coinvolge la società tedesca di telecomunicazioni “Siemens”. L’ipotesi dell’accusa è che, tra il 2001 e il 2004, esponenti e funzionari del governo di Abuja abbiano intascato mazzette per oltre 10 milioni di euro. Il caso non è l’unico nella storia recente della Nigeria. L’anno scorso, le società statunitensi Halliburton e Kellogg Brown & Root (Kbr) hanno accettato di versare l’equivalente di 470 milioni di euro dopo aver ammesso pagamenti di tangenti per la costruzione di un impianto petrolifero nella regione meridionale del Delta del Niger.(MISNA)
NIGERIA 28/5/2010
DISORDINI DI JOS: RIBADITA LA NATURA "SOCIALE ED ECONOMICA"
Le origini delle violenze che accadono nello stato centrale del Plateau, nell’area di Jos, sono “di natura sociale ed economica” ma spesso sono mal comprese e mal interpretate dalla comunità internazionale: lo ha detto Henry Odein, ministro degli Esteri nigeriano, durante il suo incontro con una delegazione del Consiglio ecumenico delle Chiese (Cec/Wcc) in visita del paese subsahariano. Le ‘Lettere viventi’ del Cec – così vengono chiamate le missioni mandate nei paesi dove si registrano scenari di tensione – hanno chiesto ai capi religiosi nigeriani, di ogni fede e appartenenza comunitaria, di promuovere iniziative per una pace duratura. Hanno incontrato in particolare una delegazione del Consiglio interreligioso (Nirec) diretto dall’arcivescovo di Abuja, monsignor John Onayekan, e dal sultano di Sokoto, Haji Saad Abubakar, capo spirituale musulmano. Pur riconoscendo che il Nirec è ancora agli inizi, uno dei suoi esponenti, la signora Hajia Bilikisu, ha riferito che è già stato uno strumento di alleanza a favore dello sviluppo. La regione centrale del Plateau è da anni teatro di conflitti ricorrenti che i grandi media tendono semplificando a definire “interreligiosi”, tra cristiani e musulmani, ma le cui radici sono di ben altra natura. (MISNA)
Papa dimissiona vescovo irlandese per pedofilia e concubinato
Continua la linea dura contro i religiosi peccatori: il Vaticano ha “dimissionato” un vescovo irlandese, monsignor Richard Antony Burke, 61 anni, titolare della diocesi di Benin City in Nigeria, accusato di concubinato e di avere relazioni sessuali con ragazze minorenni.
Il Papa, si legge nel bollettino della Sala stampa vaticana, ha “accettato la rinuncia del presule” in base al canone 401, comma numero 2 (ovvero non per motivi di età), del Codice di diritto canonico.
BlitzQuotidiano, 31 maggio 2010
African viewpoint: Kinsmen unite
In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa ponders Nigerian morality.
There is a popular description of the sprawling city of Ibadan in the south-west of Nigeria as "the land where the thief is justified against the owner of the stolen property".
I am not sure that the people of Ibadan take pride in the statement but it is as old as my great grandmother.
I think that the genesis was in the very strong fraternal affection among the people, such that the chiefs would find any excuse to acquit a "son of the soil" arraigned before them for stealing from a stranger, even if that decision affronted the law.
They might scold the thief later, but not in the presence of the outsider.
The sentiment is no longer exclusive to the Ibadan.
There is a curious morality in Nigeria by which heavy punishment is meted to anyone who steals from within their family or community but that person is regarded as a hero if they steal from the national purse.
Heroes or villains?
I have tried to make sense of this state of affairs but to no avail.
The way I see things, a thief is a thief, whether the amount stolen is one penny or a million dollars.
The person who stole one penny did so because they did not have access to a bigger amount, otherwise they would cart it away in a three-tonne lorry.
The general view is based on the premise that family property belongs to the family but national or government property belongs to no-one.
Members of a family feel deprived when anyone steals from them; but when that same person steals from the public purse his family members expect to be enriched.
Therefore they hail and protect them.
Household name
My subject this week is the continuing saga of the efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest Chief James Onanefe Ibori.
He is the immediate past governor of the very rich Delta State, and is wanted by the anti-corruption body to stand trial in court over allegations of diverting several million dollars of public funds to his private use in the eight years when he was in office.
A national newspaper here described him as "a man who mirrors much of what is wrong with Nigeria".
That reputation was not acquired overnight.
Long before he became a household name in Nigeria, Mr Ibori had been tried and convicted twice in the UK for stealing.
In 1999 he was one of the foundation members of People's Democratic Party (PDP), which eventually became Nigeria's ruling party.
That same year he was elected governor of Delta State and soon he was reputed to be worth more than his weight in gold.
Now out of office he has lost his constitutional immunity from prosecution, and he has found is time to publicly explain his reputed wealth.
He was cleared of corruption and money-laundering charges in December when a court said there was no clear evidence against him.
But when anti-corruption officers tried to arrest him again last month, they were ambushed by his supporters and he is now reportedly in hiding.
He is also wanted in the UK, where British police have frozen assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m (about £23m).
'Persecution'
What is wrong with anyone being invited by the police or the EFCC to come and defend themselves against allegations of fraudulent diversion of public funds?
But many of Mr Ibori's kinsmen - the Urhobo in Delta State - will have none of that.
They say it is persecution, because the former governor had got a judge in the state capital to order that he must not be arrested.
No such order can be perpetual in any civilised or decent society.
Whatever the Urhobo militants may say these are new charges against him and he owes all Nigerians his defence.
The Nigerian system demands an explanation in the general interest.
BBC, 5/5/2010
Nigeria axes anti-corruption case
Authorities in Nigeria have dropped charges against the former head of the country's anti-corruption agency.
Nuhu Ribadu had been accused of not declaring his assets while in office.
He was named head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, but was removed when he stood down in 2007.
Mr Ribadu told the BBC from the United States - where he has been living in voluntary exile - that he was delighted "justice had been done".
"I'm happy, I'm pleased. I'm an innocent person who has been persecuted for such a long period of time," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
Correspondents say there is speculation that Mr Ribadu will be appointed a special adviser on fighting corruption to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr Ribadu's lawyer, Femi Falana, told the BBC his client now had many options.
"Wherever Ribadu is, you can be sure he is going to contribute his quota towards fighting corruption," he said.
'Change of direction'
Mr Ribadu brought more than 1,000 cases to court as head of the EFCC.
Before his appointment no company in Nigeria had ever been charged with bribery.
His critics accused him of pursuing cases only against enemies of Mr Obasanjo and leaving his friends untouched.
But Mr Ribadu said the people who had brought the case against him had been abusing government institutions to persecute him and stop him doing his job.
"These guys were desperate to destroy everything that was done on the ground, and they started with me.
"They wanted to kill me and I left the country," he said.
Mr Jonathan was named acting leader in February because of the continuing illness of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who has not been seen in public since November 2009.
Mr Ribadu was sacked shortly after Mr Yar'Adua won elections in 2007.
He said the changes at the top had probably helped his case.
"Luckily we have a new government that is refusing to go in the direction of the former leadership - or the leadership that is not in office now," he said.
"They decided to do what is right, and therefore just withdrew the charges against me."
BBC, 5/5/2010
Nigerian President Yar'Adua dies
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has died at his presidential villa following a long illness.
The government announced seven days of national mourning and said the president would be buried on Thursday.
Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, in charge since February, is due to be sworn in as leader, officials say.
Mr Yar'Adua, 58, came to power in 2007 promising many reforms. Analysts say he made the most progress in tackling unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
ANALYSIS
Martin Plaut, BBC World Service Africa editor
The uncertainty at the heart of Nigeria has been tremendously destabilising.
There has been considerable unrest in the central state of Jos recently with clashes between Muslims and Christians, and people put this down partly at least to the fact that there was not a firm hand at the centre of power.
Goodluck Jonathan is already exercising control. He will take over.
But this does cause difficulties because there is a convention that this was the turn of the Nigerian Muslims from the north to control Nigeria and Goodluck Jonathan is from the south.
He will be taking over during the turn of the Nigerian northerners, the Muslims, to control Nigeria.
Nigerian TV interrupted normal programming to announce the news in a brief statement early on Thursday.
The announcer said: "The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, died a few hours ago at the presidential villa.
"Security aides notified the national security adviser, General Anou Bissou, who immediately called the acting president. The late president has been ill for some time."
Shortly after Yar'Adua's death was announced, people began arriving at the presidential villa in the capital Abuja to pay their condolences.
Mr Yar'Adua will be buried in a Muslim ceremony later on Thursday in his home state of Katsina, in the north of the country.
A spokesman for Mr Jonathan said the acting president received the news with "shock and sadness".
"Nigeria has lost the jewel on its crown and even the heavens mourn with our nation tonight," Mr Jonathan said in a statement.
He declared Thursday a holiday as part of the seven days of mourning.
Reports said Mr Yar'Adua died between 2100 (2000 GMT) and 2200 (2100 GMT) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Obama tribute
US President Barack Obama led tributes from world leaders.
Mr Obama praised "President Yar'Adua's profound personal decency and integrity, his deep commitment to public service, and his passionate belief in the vast potential and bright future of Nigeria's 150 million people".
UMARU YAR'ADUA
Born in northern Katsina state in 1951
University chemistry professor before entering politics
Married, with nine children
Elected president in 2007 promising reforms
Fell ill repeatedly while in office
In November, Mr Yar'Adua went to a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for several months, during which time he was not heard from, apart from a BBC interview.
He told the BBC by telephone in January that he was recovering and hoped with "tremendous progress" to resume his duties.
A presidential spokesman said at the time that he was being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart.
His long absence and the lack of detailed information about his health led to a political limbo in Nigeria that was only filled when Mr Jonathan was named acting president.
Mr Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria later in February, but Mr Jonathan remained as acting president.
There had been tension between the two men's supporters and in March Mr Jonathan dissolved the cabinet and later put his own team in place.
According to Nigeria's constitution, Mr Jonathan is to choose a deputy with whom he will serve out the remainder of the presidential term until elections, which were due next year.
Quiet man
Mr Yar'Adua's election in 2007 marked the first transfer of power from one civilian president to another since Nigeria's independence in 1960.
He came to power promising a long list of reforms, including tackling corruption and reforming the inadequate power sector and the flawed electoral system.
He made progress in banking reforms, but analysts say he made the most progress of his tenure in tackling unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta, by offering an amnesty to rebels.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield, in Jos, central Nigeria, says President Yar'Adua will be fondly remembered as a quiet and softly-spoken man whose integrity was respected.
But in his last months, it was clear he was too ill to take decisions himself.
His family and closest political advisers had faced severe criticism and were accused of using him to hold on to power, says our correspondent.
BBC, 6/5/2010
Nigeria's acting President Goodluck Jonathan has been sworn in as head of state following the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua after a long illness.
Mr Jonathan, in charge since February, will appoint a deputy and serve out the rest of the current presidential term until elections due next year.
Mr Yar'Adua died late on Wednesday in the capital Abuja.
Thousands have gathered for the funeral in his home town of Katsina. Nigeria has declared seven days mourning.
Mr Jonathan took the oath of office in front of government ministers and other officials in Abuja almost 12 hours after Mr Yar'Adua died. The ceremony was performed by Chief Justice Alloysius Katsina-Alu.
Mr Jonathan put on a sash bearing the green, yellow and white colours of Nigeria, signifying he had formally taken over as president.
Afterwards he made a brief address, saying his administration was committed to pursuing electoral reform and the fight against corruption "with greater vigour".
"While this is a major burden on me, and indeed the entire nation, we must - in the midst of such great adversity - continue to gain our collective efforts towards upholding the values which our departed leader represented," Mr Jonathan said.
He added: "One of the true tests will be that all votes count, and are counted, in our upcoming presidential election."
The BBC's Karen Allen says that all eyes will now be on the figure President Jonathan - who is from the Christian South - appoints as his deputy.
By tradition the presidency alternates between the Muslim North and the Christian South, and whomever he selects is likely to be seen as the presidential candidate for the ruling party the PDP, she says.
However, some analysts believe that Mr Jonathan could still strengthen his political powerbase, defy religious convention and run for office himself.
Condolences paid
Mr Yar'Adua, who was 58, will be buried in a Muslim ceremony in Katsina state. Crowds flocked to the airport waiting for the arrival of a military jet carrying his body.
Businesses and shops have closed down as a sign of respect.
UMARU YAR'ADUA
Born in northern Katsina state in 1951
University chemistry professor before entering politics
Married, with nine children
Elected president in 2007 promising reforms
Fell ill repeatedly while in office
Shortly after Mr Yar'Adua's death was announced, people began arriving at the presidential residence to pay their condolences.
"Nigeria has lost the jewel on its crown and even the heavens mourn with our nation tonight," Mr Jonathan said in a statement.
US President Barack Obama has led tributes from world leaders, praising Mr Yar'Adua's profound personal decency and integrity" and his "passionate belief in the vast potential and bright future of Nigeria's 150 million people".
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai described it as "a great loss for Nigeria".
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said Mr Yar'Adua "bequeathed upon the people of Nigeria and Africa at large a rich legacy of integrity".
A statement from the militant group The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it considered Mr Yar'Adua "a genuine peacemaker whose initiatives, humility and respect began to bring confidence to the peace process".
"His death may leave a vacuum that may not be filled," the statement added.
Political limbo
Mr Yar'Adua's election in 2007 marked the first transfer of power from one civilian president to another since Nigeria's independence in 1960.
He promised a string of reforms in Africa's most populous nation, including tackling corruption and reforming the inadequate energy sector and flawed electoral system.
Analysts say he made the most progress in tackling unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta by offering amnesties to rebels.
His long absence and the lack of detailed information about his health led to a political limbo in Nigeria, which was only filled when Mr Jonathan was named as acting president.
However, there was constant tension between Mr Yar'Adua's supporters, from the Muslim north, and those of Mr Jonathan, from the largely Christian south, and in March Mr Jonathan dissolved the cabinet and later put his own team in place.
During Mr Yar'Adua's absence, Nigerian Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka was involved in the campaign to resolve the power vacuum.
On Thursday he said Mr Yar'Adua's illness had been manipulated by politicians who had concealed the fact he was in a vegetative state while making arrangements for the forthcoming election.
He told the BBC the late president had been a victim of a macabre game over his succession and not been allowed to be ill in dignity.
BBC, 6/5/2010
Nigeria's real presidential race is now on
Umaru Yar'Adua's presidency of Nigeria was haunted by rumours of his death.
In fact, one paper even announced his demise before he was made president.
In the middle of the 2007 campaign, he was whisked away to a German hospital for treatment.
At a rally days after, the outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo called the man he had personally picked to succeed him in his hospital room and, holding the microphone to the telephone, bellowed: "The papers say you are dead. Umaru! Are you dead?"
His tremulous voice was inaudible under the cheering of the crowd.
The reports shocked many Nigerians who considered that, after the selection of the candidate at the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) convention, the actual election was going to be just a formality.
The question on most people's minds was: why were they being given a sick president by the outgoing leader?
Delta amnesty
President Yar'Adua's record of achievements is not a long one.
The glacial pace of his decision-making virtually locked up all government business for two years.
One area where he is said to have made progress is in a peace deal for the oil-producing Niger Delta, where groups of militants had shut down production by about a third, choking off important revenues.
In late 2008 and 2009 Nigeria faced a financial crisis, in part caused by the plummeting value of oil during the global economic crash.
The government had made budget assumptions based on a benchmark oil price that was, in the harsh light of the global economic crisis, too high.
It struggled to pass a budget on time, realising that unless oil revenue was freed from the grips of militants, government funds - on which much of the economy is reliant - was seriously at risk.
The president was left with little choice but to come to an agreement with the militants; they had to be bought off, or "settled" as it is known euphemistically in Nigeria.
After personal talks with militant leaders in the capital, Abuja, President Yar'Adua got armed groups in the area to come in from their remote bases in the creeks and swamps and hand over their weapons.
Stymied
But the solution has not lasted.
Many of "the boys", as they are known, were placed in resettlement camps where they sat around waiting to be provided food, clothes, money and jobs.
After waiting for a long time, many ex-militants have grown dissatisfied and left the camps.
A small number of attacks on pipelines and kidnapping of expatriate workers has started again.
Mr Yar'Adua has bequeathed one other development to Nigeria.
A dynamic central bank president, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who has been working to reform the system which was on the brink of collapse just nine months ago.
The real problem facing Nigeria is a mixture of corruption and the government's inability to enact reforms - or even its most basic functions.
And the ailing president simply did not have the energy or the capability to push through anything like the reform programme he promised in his inaugural speech.
Gentlemen's agreement
And now, what of his successor?
There is much speculation about whether Mr Yar'Adua's deputy Goodluck Jonathan - now sworn in as president - will actually run for the office in 2011.
It is not yet clear if he will.
The PDP has a kind of gentlemen's agreement to rotate power between the mainly Muslim north and the majority-Christian south, but it is not impossible that the deal could be changed or altered slightly.
Also the terms "north" and "south" encompass many factions, all representing the interests of a small political elite rather than the needs of a geographic region.
This time, there is no large figure on hand to anoint the next president, as Mr Obasanjo did last time, at least not yet.
Mr Obasanjo is said to be making a play to get the party to accept Mr Jonathan as their next candidate, but he is opposed by other factions in the PDP.
To settle the argument, a big political player will have to emerge and placate all the factions in order to find what is called a "consensus candidate".
Whoever this kingmaker is, he will have to have very deep pockets, or make promises which the eventual candidate will have to stick by.
One of the tasks Mr Jonathan set himself when he became acting president in February was to push through electoral reform that would see elections brought forward by four months to January.
This makes the probable date of the PDP convention around mid-September, just four months away.
The one thing that Nigerians can be certain of is that the real election for president is happening right now.
BBC, 6/5/2010
Death of Nigerian leader exposes 'sham' democracy
The death last week of the Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has exposed popular anger over the nature of the country's power politics - and, according to one political scientist, revealed the country's democratic credentials to be a "sham".
Since the return of civilian rule in 1999, the ruling and dominant People's Democratic Party (PDP) has sought to rotate, or "zone" the office of president between the overwhelmingly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south.
Under this plan, the Mr Yar'Adua was supposed to be the northern president who would follow the two terms (1999-2007) served by the southerner Olusegun Obasanjo.
But fate dealt the plan a blow with Mr Yar'Adua's death from a long illness - and the subsequent accession to the presidency of another southerner, the former Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The handover to President Jonathan was entirely peaceful, legal and constitutional.
But it has broken the deal planned by the godfathers of the powerful PDP. So some northern leaders are complaining that President Jonathan should not seek to stand as the PDP candidate in elections next year.
Presidential ticket
"The issue of power rotation is enshrined in the PDP's constitution," a leading northern politician, Atiku Abubakar, told me in his sumptuous, almost palatial Abuja home.
Referring to the deal within the PDP in the late 90s which saw Mr Obasanjo stand on the party's presidential ticket, Mr Abubakar said: "It was agreed that the presidency should be retained in the south" for eight years.
"And that when it reverts to the north it should also remain there for eight years. In fact there was a vote. I was there. And to the best of my knowledge that position has not been reviewed - so that is what it is today."
Mr Abubakar was coy about whether he intended himself to try to stand as the northern candidate next year - although most of Nigeria's well-informed newspapers seem to think he wants to.
But one thing to draw from his comments was clear; that a southerner such as President Jonathan should not, in Mr Abubakar's opinion, be the PDP candidate next year.
Power politics
An unscientific poll of shoppers at the Wuse central market in the capital, Abuja, revealed anger about this politicking.
"We don't care where the president comes from," shouted one woman above the din of electricity generators installed in the market because of the failure of the state to provide adequate mains power.
"We don't care if he's from the north or the south - if only he would provide us enough power."
"Zoning is not democratic. It's manipulative," said another young woman.
"What we want is the best person for the job - the most intelligent person. It's not about north or south."
'Blessing in disguise'
The concept of zoning the presidency - and a whole series of other top jobs - was presented by its architects as a way of ushering in political stability.
If the northern and southern politicians could agree to share posts, it was argued, it would spell an end to any excuses for further military rule.
In that sense the system has worked.
But many Nigerians say zoning has pandered to regional sentiments rather than picking the best man or woman for the job. They say the backroom deals between politicians in the PDP party are not democratic.
"The zoning system is nonsense as far as democracy is concerned," said political science lecturer Sadiq Abba in the rundown campus of the University of Abuja.
"I am a northerner but I don't see why Goodluck Jonathan shouldn't aim to stand for the presidency next year.
"The average Nigerian doesn't mind who his or her president is - their main concern is that they are being beaten black and blue economically. They simply want a government that will provide decent services."
Mr Abba said democracy in Nigeria was a "sham."
"May Allah bless Umaru's soul", the Muslim political scientist said.
"But his death may be a blessing in disguise for our democracy because for the first time it has exposed the mischief and the deception and the lies that have been taking place over the heads of the average Nigerian."
BBC, 10/5/2010
Nigeria leader 'chooses deputy'
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has named Kaduna state governor Namadi Sambo as his new vice-president, an official has told the BBC.
Mr Sambo, 57, must now be approved by both houses of parliament.
The move follows the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua and the swearing-in of his successor Mr Jonathan last week.
Whoever is named as vice-president is seen as a strong contender for the 2011 presidential elections in Africa's most populous nation, analysts say.
NAMADI SAMBO
Born: 1952
Married with six children
Elected Kaduna governor in 2007
Qualified architect
No personal power base
Ally of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida
It remains unclear whether Mr Jonathan will seek to contest the elections on behalf of the governing People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Jonathan is a southerner and the PDP has said its candidate will be a northerner - continuing its practice of alternating power between north and south.
Mr Sambo is from the north but there have been strong suggestions that Mr Jonathan may try to overturn the PDP tradition.
"The president nominated governor Namadi Sambo last [Wednesday] night,'' Kaduna state spokesman Saidu Adamu told the BBC, confirming reports in local newspapers.
''His name will now go forward to the National Assembly for ratification."
ANALYSIS
By Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Abuja
Few people in Kaduna had ever heard of Namadi Sambo when he emerged to become governor in 2007. Barely even campaigning, he seemed anointed by the outgoing governor.
A softly-spoken moderate, and a practising Muslim, Mr Sambo was close to President Yar'Adua.
As governor, he has taken security seriously - Kaduna has a history of deadly ethnic and religious riots. But other promises - to build roads and improve services - have not been realised.
With no significant political base, Mr Sambo is not thought to be ambitious, and is unlikely to overshadow President Goodluck Jonathan. "A safe choice," said one Abuja insider. "No way will he rock the political boat." Is this the man who will lead the PDP into elections next year? Or will he become a supporting act in a presidential run by Goodluck Jonathan?
However, the president's office has not yet officially confirmed these reports.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Mr Sambo is not a prominent politician, does not have a big power base and his name did not figure in public speculation about likely vice-presidents.
But she says he is likely to be confirmed by the Senate, which is expected to meet later on Thursday.
Married with six children, he is a qualified architect who became governor in 2007.
He is an ally of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, who recently said he would seek to contest the elections, our correspondent says.
She says he has taken security very seriously since becoming Kaduna governor.
Some analysts say he may have been chosen because he would not pose a threat to President Jonathan.
BBC, 13/5/2010
Nigeria arrests ex-governor Ibori
One of Nigeria's most influential and wealthy politicians, James Ibori, has been arrested in Dubai.
The former governor of oil-rich Delta state is accused of stealing funds worth $290m (£196m) by Nigeria's EFCC anti-corruption agency.
Last month, police were attacked by Mr Ibori's supporters while trying to arrest him in his home town.
For years, he has denied corruption allegations but is also wanted by police in the UK.
He is a senior figure in Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and played a key role in the 2007 presidential election victory of Umaru Yar'Adua, who died last week.
New charges
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) head Farida Waziri told the BBC that Mr Ibori had been arrested on Wednesday following the intervention of the international police agency Interpol.
He is currently in custody but it is not clear whether he will face extradition to Nigeria or the UK.
"We are consulting on the next line of action, whether the Metropolitan Police will want him to stand trial there in London. We also have a case here pending against him," Mrs Waziri said, reports Reuters news agency.
She also said that the EFCC wanted to press new charges against him, without giving any details.
In 2007 a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m (£21m). His annual salary was less than $25,000.
He had already left the UK when his assets were seized.
He was first arrested in Nigeria in December 2007.
Two years later, a court in Asaba cleared him of 170 charges of corruption, saying there was no clear evidence to convict, sparking the anger of the EFCC.
Under Nigeria's federal system, state governors enjoy wide powers.
Those running oil-rich states have budgets larger than those of some African countries.
They enjoy immunity from prosecution while in power, but several have faced corruption charges since leaving office after the last election in 2007.
BBC, 13/5/2010
Fela show takes Broadway by storm
BBC Focus on Africa Magazine, New York
A musical about Nigeria's most famous musician Fela Kuti is proving to be a surprising hit on Broadway, despite the lack of big stars or hit songs.
There is a moment in the show when Fela encounters an African-American woman named Sandra on a visit to Los Angeles.
As they share their respective experiences - she as a child of the American civil rights movement, he as an activist against his country's military dictatorship - their flirtatious, politically-charged banter heats up.
FELA KUTI
Founder of "afrobeat" - a fusion of African high-life, jazz and funk
Spoke up for Nigeria's poor and against the country's military regime
Married 27 women simultaneously, then adopted a rotation system where he kept only 12 at a time
Tried to run for president in 1979, but authorities blocked his candidacy
Changed his middle name from Ransome - a slave name, he said - to Anikulapo, meaning "he who carries death in the pouch"
Died of Aids in 1997
Soon they look admiringly at one another with the same realisation: "We have a lot to learn from each other."
To a New York audience including many Africans and African-Americans, the scene was sublime. After the laughs subsided, one could almost hear the smiles.
The play, titled simply Fela! is full of such moments.
During the course of a free-flowing two hours and 20 minutes, the audience is treated to an innovative mix of biography, music and dance.
The stage, set up as an approximation of the Shrine, his Lagos nightclub and community centre, is where Fela - who is played by two actors - narrates his journeys to far-away lands both geographical and spiritual.
Fela's journey to the spiritual world was particularly enjoyable for Kunle Ade, a Nigerian musician and fashion-designer based in New York's hip Fort Greene neighbourhood.
"When Fela chants, it is really spiritual and deep. The producers knew what they were doing, and respected the material enough to guide it a certain way," he says.
'Breaking it down'
At other times the performers and the renowned Brooklyn-based afro-beat band, Antibalas, join Fela in electrifying renditions of his hits.
In one memorable number, the audience is treated to an interactive lesson into the mechanics of "breaking it down". For those not familiar with performing concentrated pelvic movements, Fela explains that it is no more complicated than trying to feel the beat.
The original Shrine was closed soon after his death in 1997, but the play's director and choreographer, the renowned Bill T Jones, does an extraordinary job of crafting an immersive experience. As the performers by turns sit, interact and walk about the stage before the performance and during its intermission, one imagines that is exactly what the Shrine was like in its heyday: a place to hang out and share ideas.
One of those ideas was the vital role women play as both mothers and labourers in Nigerian society.
As the play narrates, Fela's mother Funmilayo, even after her death at the hands of the country's military government, played a critical role in her son's life.
His wives, or "queens", as he refers to them, are depicted as regal, dignified companions.
Others, however, have criticised the play for this. Fela, in fact, married 27 women in 1978 before he adopted a rotating system of 12 wives. In the play, he is able to explain his life choices, but the women are silent.
The New York Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood has taken the show to task for presenting Fela's wives as "largely festive window-dressing".
'White man's disease'
But for Wahala Temi, a female visual artist based in the New York borough of Staten Island, Fela's gender consciousness was well-represented.
"Fela was a feminist," she says.
"His mother was a freedom fighter, and his intention was to keep his wives safe."
Other points of controversy in the musician's hard-partying life are glossed over.
Copious drug use is rendered as an unequivocal moral right. There is no mention of him describing condoms as "un-African" and calling Aids a "white man's disease", even though it tragically took his life.
Fela's contentious views were opportunities to offer the viewer a more well-rounded view of his character, yet the show unfortunately misses them amidst the feel-good atmosphere.
To be sure, the play appeared to have long odds at success.
Even with the endorsement of celebrity producers Sean "Jay-Z" Carter, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Broadway is a notoriously brutal place for new musicals - especially one with no big stars in the cast and no widely known pop hits.
Yet since it began its run on Broadway last November, the show has thrived.
And it is due to cross the Atlantic for a run at National Theatre in London in the autumn.
Kevin Mambo, one of the actors who plays Fela (owing to the demands of the role, he alternates performances with Sierra Leonean-American actor Sahr Ngaujah), says: "The response has been more overwhelmingly positive than I could have expected."
He tells the story of the time he saw an octogenarian couple walking out of the show crying. Mambo went over to ask after the couple.
The man responded: "Everything is fine, but we have been going to the theatre for 40 or 50 years, and that was one of the most important things we've seen."
The show, and Fela's life, has also resonated with Mambo himself.
As a Zimbabwean-Canadian, who is both globally aware but also proudly African, Mambo thinks of Fela and himself as "Afropolitans".
"To have this artist here whose success is built on the hybridisation of funk and jazz sounds from Africa and the diaspora made a lot of sense to me in terms of my own experience."
BBC, 13/5/2010
Nigeria and China sign $23bn deal for three refineries
Nigeria's state-run oil firm NNPC and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) have signed a $23bn (£16bn; 18bn euros) deal.
The two will jointly seek financing and credits from Chinese authorities and banks to build three refineries and a fuel complex in Nigeria.
The project would add 750,000 barrels per day of extra refining capacity.
NNPC hopes the construction of new refineries will stem the flood of imported refined products into Nigeria.
'Deepen relationships'
Nigeria is the world's 12th-largest oil producer and the eighth-largest oil exporter.
But the country imports roughly 85% of its fuel needs because of the disrepair and mismanagement of its four state-owned refineries.
"We are about to deepen the existing technical and commercial relationships between China and Nigeria through the signing of a memorandum of understanding," said Shehu Ladan, head of NNPC.
The three refineries will be built in Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos states, while a location has to be confirmed for the petrochemicals complex.
The Nigerian government has said that foreign companies must invest in developing Nigeria's infrastructure and economy first, before they can benefit from its oil and gas exports.
BBC, 14/5/2010
Nigeria militant backs Jonathan
A former Niger Delta militant has said Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan is the best person to solve the crisis in the oil-producing region.
Victor Ebokawe, also known as General Boyloaf, told the BBC that, because President Jonathan is from the region, he understands its problems.
Mr Ebokawe also said that Mr Jonathan should contest next year's elections.
Militants have carried out attacks which have cost Nigeria millions in lost oil revenue over the years.
Last year, thousands of militants laid down their arms in return for promises of training and jobs.
But this programme showed signs of started to unravel during the power vacuum while former President Umaru Yar'Adua was sick.
He died earlier this month and Mr Jonathan was sworn in as president to replace him.
On Friday, President Jonathan visited the Niger Delta and said coordination of the amnesty should be improved.
Mr Ebokawe, a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta who said he has spoken to Mr Jonathan, believes the Niger Delta's leaders will be patient with the president as he tries to implement the amnesty.
Mr Jonathan has not said whether he wants to contest next year's polls and the governing People's Democratic Party (PDP) has said its candidate will be from the north, not a southerner like him.
"Nothing is going to stop him. He cannot tell us that he will not run," Mr Ebokawe told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"The presidency of Nigeria is not the birth right of a particular region," he said.
"[Mr Jonathan] is a man who is ready to rule Nigeria as one Nigeria."
The militants say they are campaigning for more of Nigeria's oil wealth to be used to benefit local people but analysts say many attacks and kidnappings of oil workers are carried out by criminals trying to extract ransom payments.
BBC, 17/5/2010
Nigeria politician in drugs probe
A Nigerian politician has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine at Lagos airport.
Nigerian drug enforcement officials say Eme Zuru Ayortor swallowed nearly two kilograms of cocaine (4.4 lbs) in order to fund his election campaign.
Police say body scanners revealed the contents of his stomach as he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt.
Mr Ayortor, aged 52, is running in the election to the local House of Assembly in Edo state.
'Wider network'
Officers from Nigeria's drug law enforcement agency say they recovered 100 parcels of cocaine from the politician's stomack at Lagos' Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
It is understood that Mr Ayortor told officers he needed the money - because his last election campaign, in 2007, bankrupted him.
He was arrested two weeks ago - police are now at the end of their investigation.
They believe Mr Ayortor is part of a wider network.
"The quantity of cocaine we recovered is large," one officer told the BBC. "We believe it may not be his first attempt to smuggle drugs."
Mr Ayortor, a qualified pharmacist, studied at the University of Wisconsin in the US.
Politicians in Nigeria raise large amounts of money at election time: much of it goes on bribing election officials and paying gangs of young men to intimidate voters.
Last month, customs officers at the same airport seized a consignment of military uniforms which they linked to politicians preparing for elections next year.
Nigeria is a major transit route for drugs - from South America and Asia - to the US and Europe. More than 300 tonnes of narcotics were seized in the country last year.
Drugs law enforcement officers in Lagos have only four police sniffer dogs to monitor the airports, land borders and a massive seaport. They privately complain they need many more sniffer dogs to do their work properly.
BBC, 18/5/2010
Profile: Namadi Sambo, Nigeria's new vice-president
Nigeria's new Vice-President Namadi Sambo has a good head for business, which might serve him well in a country where the line between politics and business is often quite blurred.
He owns three companies and is a qualified architect, but he has yet to prove himself as a political heavyweight.
Indeed, some believe this is precisely why he was chosen as President Goodluck Jonathan's deputy.
Mr Sambo is not seen as a great political threat should Mr Jonathan decide to run for president in elections in 2011.
Although an ally of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, who himself intends to seek the presidency, Mr Sambo does not have a large power base.
Presidential candidate?
But even so, he might still be a strong presidential candidate for other reasons.
Born in Kaduna state in 1952, Mr Sambo is a northerner - and a practising Muslim.
NAMADI SAMBO
Born: 1952
Married with six children
Elected Kaduna governor in 2007
Qualified architect
No personal power base
Ally of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida
Mr Jonathan, meanwhile, is a Christian southerner.
The two men's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has said its candidate will be a northerner - continuing its practice of alternating power between north and south after two four-year terms.
Former President Umaru Yar'Adua, whom Mr Jonathan succeeded when he died in May before his first term had ended, was a northerner.
So the spotlight is now on Mr Sambo - which is a first for a quiet man whose political aspirations are not immediately apparent.
Before becoming Kaduna's governor in 2007, he had stints as the state's commissioner for agriculture, and works, transport and housing in the 1980s, and spent several years in private practice as one of the country's most prominent architects.
Mixed record
On becoming governor, Mr Sambo made several ambitious promises, but was criticised for not managing to keep some of them.
For example, he failed to make much progress on plans to improve the state's health and education facilities, water supply and roads by the time he was chosen as President Jonathan's deputy.
His main success was in the area of security - a big issue in Kaduna, which has suffered in the past from ethnic violence.
Mr Sambo presided over Operation Yaki, a task force which brought together the police, the military and other security services to deal with crime in the state.
But after three modest and relatively obscure years as a state governor, there is still a lot to learn about Mr Sambo's political skills and his motivation to use them as a possible future president.
BBC, 18/5/2010
Nigeria police 'routinely kill, rape and torture'
Nigeria's police force carry out extrajudicial killings, torture in custody, and sexual assault against women, according to a study by a civil liberties group.
The report claims that police openly parade suspects for the media, before executing them without trial.
The Open Society Justice Initiative's study is the latest of a number of reports to severely criticise Nigeria's police for brutality and corruption.
The authorities have so far made no comment on the report.
'Fringe benefit'
The group observed officers and suspects at 400 different police stations over two years.
They say Nigeria's police, in effect, get away with murder.
"Police in Nigeria commit extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, and extortion with relative impunity," the report says.
"Nigeria Police Force personnel routinely carry out summary executions of persons accused or suspected of crime.
"[The police] rely on torture as a principal means of investigation; commit rape of both sexes, with a particular focus on sex workers; and engage in extortion at nearly every opportunity."
The study details cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
It also describes prostitutes being arrested and raped.
One policeman is quoted saying: "This is one of the fringe benefits attached to night patrol."
Sex workers on the streets of Lagos told the BBC that the group's report was accurate.
"They pick us, some of them beat us, they will go to third mainland bridge, they will beat us, rape us... They will make love with us without a condom," said one sex worker.
"Sometimes they will search us and steal our money, and then drop us and run away."
Other sex workers describe being attacked by men in police uniform - who appear to come from outside their local area.
There are also accounts of women being forced to use sex to barter their way out of police custody.
In a country where bribes guarantee safety, those who cannot pay are at high risk.
A culture of police impunity is widely criticised - officers are almost never prosecuted for violent crimes.
Several panels on police reform have been set up in recent years and they have made detailed recommendations for improvement, but little has changed.
A review of the Police Act began in 2004, but the draft bill has been pending since 2006.
Nowadays, the police use a slogan to try to soften their image: "Police is your friend."
But few Nigerians believe it.
BBC, 18/5/2010
Another Nigeria-bound Toxic Waste Ship Intercepted
A ship loaded with toxic waste bound for Nigeria has been intercepted, the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) disclosed yesterday.
This is coming six weeks after NESREA, through its Toxic Waste Dump Watch Committee, discovered a shipment full of waste in form of used lead acid batteries, old Mazda cars, used tyres, television sets, radios, computers and fridges headed for Nigeria.
The ship was impounded and sent back when it reached the shores of the country.
This latest shipment which is full of hazardous electronic materials was detected by Belgian authorities. It had a Mercedes truck, used fridges, compressors, tyres, television sets and rugs.
The waste materials were packed in the Mercedes and Scannia trucks on March 2010 by Olabisi Olusoga of Muhlenhof, 50997 Koln-Godorf, Germany enroute to RMR Shipping Terminal Antwepen, Port of Antwerp in Belgium.
The consignee for the Mercedes Truck is Okoroafor Kyrian Uchenna of Umuahiam Afara, Mbaitoli Local Government Area (LGA) while that of the Scannia truck is Maximum Invest Limited, Old Ojo Road, Alaba in Lagos.
The Director-General of NESREA, Dr. (Mrs) Ngeri Benebo, told journalists the agency is working in partnership with the Interpol and the Basel Convention to checkmate activities of smugglers.
Benebo explained that the agency had recieved an e-mail from the Controller of Waste Transit, Federal Environmental Inspectorate of Belgium, informing it of the intended shipment into Nigeria on May 10. It was however, aborted.
She said NESREA was able to recieve the information as a result of the growing collaboration between the agency and the Seaport Environmental Security Network of the International Compliance and Enforcement (INECE).
"The notification informed us that the items were inspected and considered as hazardous wastes. The report further stated that the hazardous waste materials were confirmed to be illegally transported," she said.
According to Benebo, the packing list for the Mercedes truck only indicated 300 pieces of used electronic fans and 80 pieces of used vehicle engine, while other contents such as used refridgerators containing CFCs, used tyres and televisions were concealed by the owners.
She said luck ran out on the smugglers as the consignment was seized by the Federal Environment Inspectorate in Antwerp Belgium and sent back to its port of origin in Germany.
Commenting further on the upsurge in movement of toxic waste into the country, Benebo said sumugglers were responsible for the illegal activities, adding that NESREA had contacted the Interpol to help track down the culprits.
Furthermore, she explained that the agency was working with the Basel coordinating centre in Ibadan to try to acquire the relevant technology for recycling toxic electronic waste materials already in the country.
THISDAY learnt that the Belgian authorities have sent it back to the port of origin, following the working partnership it has with Nigeria.
Also, the Federal Government has launched an integrated waste managment initiative that would help the agency clear e-waste materials from the environment, she disclosed.
THIS DAY 21/5/2010
Niger's hungry 'fleeing south'
Reports from northern Nigeria say a growing number of people from Niger are crossing the border into Nigeria because of the food crisis at home.
A BBC correspondent in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina says many women and children from Niger are seeking shelter with local families.
Aid agencies say about seven million people in Niger - about half the population - are short of food.
Niger's transitional government has started distributing food in the north.
The BBC's Abba Muhammed Katsina in Katsina says some of the those arriving from Niger are selling water or tea to make money.
There are also reports of women going from house to house begging for food, he says.
A significant number of Nigeriens are also reported to have arrived in Sokoto State.
The chairman of Nigeria's Senate foreign affairs committee, Jibril Aminu, told the BBC's Hausa Service that he would call a meeting when the chamber resumes next week to discuss the matter.
Last month, John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief, told the BBC Niger was threatened with total crop failure in some areas and the situation is worse than the 2005 crisis.
BBC, 21/5/2010
Irish bishop in Nigeria resigns after scandal
The Vatican has accepted the resignation of an Irish archbishop in Nigeria accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl in the Niger Delta.
Richard Burke, the archbishop of Benin City, admits to a relationship but denies she was a minor when it began.
"The reason for my resignation is that I have been unfaithful to my oath of celibacy," he said in a statement in the Irish Catholic newspaper.
The archbishop stepped down after the allegation was made last year.
Dolores Atwood alleged she was sexually abused by the Archbishop Burke when he was a priest in Warri in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region.
However, he said the relationship began in 1989 when she was 21 and he was 40.
"I responded immediately that I have never, ever, in my life - in any way - sexually abused a child. This is still my position. It is the truth," he said in his statement.
Archbishop Burke also apologised to Ms Atwood and asked forgiveness from his missions in Warri and Benin.
The Vatican said it had accepted his resignation as it also named a panel to look into the issue of child abuse in Ireland by Roman Catholic clerics.
BBC, 31/5/2010
Nigerian airlines to get bail-out
Nigeria's central bank is extending a 500bn naira ($3.3bn; £2.3bn) bail-out to its troubled airlines.
The fund, first announced in March, was originally meant to stimulate credit to the power and manufacturing sectors.
The country's aviation industry, already hit by higher fuel costs, has grown rapidly in recent years and many airlines are heavily indebted.
In August 2009, the Central Bank of Nigeria also injected 400bn naira to rescue five banks.
'Avert crisis'
"These airlines can now partake from the fund and those that are indebted to banks can refinance their loans and amortise them over a period of ten to 15 years," the bank's spokesman Mohammed Abdullahi said.
"This we believe will help put off a feared financial crisis in the aviation industry."
Virgin Atlantic has said it is looking to sell its 49% stake in Nigerian Eagle Airlines, formerly Virgin Nigeria.
Nigerian Eagle Airlines suspended its loss-making long-haul routes to the UK and South Africa last year to focus on domestic operations.
BBC, 31/5/2010
