SETTEMBRE 2010

NIGERIA 2/9/2010
TENSIONI A JOS, ANCHE PER COMMISSIONE GOVERNATIVA NON C'ENTRA LA RELIGIONE

NIGERIA 7/9/2010
FISSATA A GENNAIO DATA PROSSIME ELEZIONI

NIGERIA 8/9/2010
BAUCHI, POLIZIA NELLE STRADE DOPO L'ASSALTO AL CARCERE

Nigeria, il presidente Jonathan si candiderà alle prossime elezioni
8/9/20120, PEACEREPORTER

Nigeria, integralisti islamici attaccano un carcere: 732 evasi
8/9/2010, PEACEREPORTER

NIGERIA 9/9/2010
RIMPASTO AI VERTICI DELLA SICUREZZA

NIGERIA 10/9/2010
LAGOS, CENTINAIA IN PIAZZA PER ELEZIONI "EQUE E TRASPARENTI"

NIGERIA 15/9/2010
PRESIDENZIALI, JONATHAN INTENDE CANDIDARSI PER NUOVO MANDATO

NIGERIA 20/9/2010
ELEZIONI: INCERTEZZE E POLEMICHE SU POSSIBILE RINVIO

NIGERIA 21/9/2010
ELEZIONI: DEPOSITATE NUOVE CANDIDATURE IN CONTESTO CONFUSO

NIGERIA 21/9/2010
ZAMFARA: CONTINUA AVVELENAMENTO DA PIOMBO, NUOVI BILANCI

NIGERIA 22/9/2010
DELTA DEL NIGER: RAPITI CITTADINI FRANCESI

NIGERIA 24/9/2010
CEDONO DUE DIGHE NEL NORD, EMERGENZA SFOLLATI

NIGERIA 27/9/2010
NOBEL LETTERATURA SOYINKA PRESENTA NUOVO PARTITO POLITICO

NIGERIA 27/9/2010
NELLO STATO DI JIGAWA EMERGENZA SFOLLATI E POLEMICHE

Nigeria: chiesto riscatto per quindici bambini rapiti su uno scuolabus
Ansa - 28/9/2010

NIGERIA 29/9/2010
ALLUVIONI, EMERGENZA IN TRE STATI DEL NORD

Africa viewpoint: In the dark
In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa considers how many US dollars it takes for Nigeria to change a light.
BBC, 1/9/2010

Nigerian economy 'to grow by 10%'
BBC, 3/9/2010

Nigeria arrests ex-NFF officials over World Cup money
BBC SPORT, 7/9/2010

Nigeria army in Maiduguri after 'Boko Haram attacks'
BBC, 7/9/2010

Nigeria sets presidential election date
BBC, 8/9/2010

'Boko Haram attack' frees hundreds of prisoners
BBC, 8/9/2010

Nigerian president replaces leaders of security forces
BBC, 8/9/2010

Nigeria battles cholera epidemic
AlJazeera English 11/9/2010

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to contest poll
BBC, 16/9/2010

Corruption fighter Ribadu to seek Nigeria presidency
BBC, 21/9/2010

UN investigates Nigeria lead poisoning deaths
BBC, 22/9/2010

Celebrating Nigeria's yummy yams
BBC, 23/9/2010

Ribadu warns Nigeria elite on corruption
BBC, 23/9/2010

Africa viewpoint: Nigeria's birthday bash
BBC, 24/9/2010

Northern Nigeria flooding 'displaces two million'
BBC, 26/9/2010

Nobel laureate Soyinka starts political party
BBC, 26/9/2010

Nigeria: Still standing, but standing still
BBC, 27/9/2010

Nigeria MPs back election delay
BBC, 28/9/2010

Ransom demand after gunmen seize Nigeria schoolchildren
BBC, 28/9/2010

Nigerian town Aba shuts down after school kidnap
BBC, 29/9/2010

Viewpoint: What it means to be Nigerian
Focus on Africa Magazine
BBC, 29/9/2010

Nigeria's emirs: Power behind the throne
BBC, 29/9/2010

Nigeria's children 'robbed of a future'
BBC, 29/9/2010

Thousands of Nigerian women 'found in Mali slave camps'
BBC, 29/9/2010

How Nigeria has affected the rest of Africa
BBC, 30/9/2010

NIGERIA 2/9/2010
TENSIONI A JOS, ANCHE PER COMMISSIONE GOVERNATIVA NON C'ENTRA LA RELIGIONE
La lotta per il potere politico e per il controllo delle terre sono stati i due principali fattori all'origine dell’impennata di violenza avvenuta nell’area di Jos, nello stato centrale di Plateau, lo scorso Gennaio: lo sostengono le conclusioni del rapporto stilato da un comitato di 28 esperti, incaricati dalla Presidenza nigeriana di indagare su gli scontri, nel quale si ribadiscono le reali motivazioni delle violenze già evidenziate nei mesi scorsi da politici, religiosi e altre organizzazioni. L’area di Jos è da anni teatro di tensioni, a volte con scontri e molte vittime, sempre legate a interessi per il controllo del territorio, con una significativa componente etnica e religiosa. Nel loro rapporto, gli esperti condannano infatti una “strumentalizzazione della religione per interessi personali”. Erroneamente rilanciate da molti media, inclusi quelli internazionali, spesso le crisi di Jos sono state presentate come tensioni tra musulmani e cristiani. Il comitato voluto dal presidente Goodluck Jonathan, guidato da Solomon Lar, ex governatore del Plateau, ha anche formulato 20 raccomandazioni per evitare il ripetersi delle crisi, tra cui la creazione di una commissione verità e riconciliazione, la creazione di nuovi governi locali e distretti, la possibilità di una rotazione al potere tra i differenti gruppi etnici locali, o la creazione di riserve di mangime per il bestiame, spesso all’origine di conflitti tra agricoltori e pastori di etnia Fulani (MISNA)

NIGERIA 7/9/2010
FISSATA A GENNAIO DATA PROSSIME ELEZIONI
Si terranno il prossimo 22 Gennaio le elezioni presidenziali nel paese. Lo ha annunciato Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, portavoce della commissione elettorale, ponendo fine alla ridda di voci circolate nelle ultime settimane circa la data dello scrutinio. Il portavoce ha anche detto che le elezioni parlamentari si terranno una settimana prima, il 15 Gennaio, mentre le votazioni per i 36 governatori della federazione e le loro assemblee locali sono fissate al 29 Gennaio. L’attuale presidente Goodluck Jonathan non ha ancora annunciato se intende ricandidarsi o meno alla guida del paese più popoloso del continente, anche se alcune settimane fa il Partito popolare democratico (Pdp) di maggioranza aveva dato il via libera alla sua candidatura. La decisione del Pdp consente di superare il principale ostacolo alla candidatura di Jonathan, nato nella regione meridionale del paese. Solitamente, infatti, alla presidenza del paese si alternano esponenti dell’ovest, del nord e del sud, per garantire una rappresentanza delle principali componenti etniche e religiose del ricco mosaico nigeriano. Jonathan, già vice-presidente, è salito alla presidenza a Maggio, alla morte del suo predecessore, Amaru Yar’Adua, originario del nord. (MISNA)

NIGERIA 8/9/2010
BAUCHI, POLIZIA NELLE STRADE DOPO L'ASSALTO AL CARCERE
Presenza massiccia della polizia, ma negozi e uffici aperti come tutti i giorni e un clima in apparenza disteso: padre John Keane, rappresentante della diocesi di Bauchi, descrive in questi termini alla MISNA il clima in questa città della Nigeria centrale dopo gli assalti alla prigione di ieri sera. Secondo le ricostruzioni dei quotidiani locali, gruppi armati legati alla setta di matrice religiosa Boko Haram hanno preso d’assalto il penitenziario nel tentativo di liberare loro compagni. In giornata sono rimbalzate notizie su un’evasione di massa, più di 730 persone secondo fonti citate dal giornale The Independent. Queste cifre non sono state però confermate alla MISNA né da padre Keane né dall’arcivescovo di Jos, Monsignor Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, da tempo anche amministratore apostolico della diocesi di Bauchi. I militanti di Boko Haram erano stati protagonisti l’anno scorso di disordini e violenze che provocarono centinaia di vittime in diversi stati della Nigeria centrale e settentrionale, una regione per lo più a maggioranza musulmana. Le fonti della MISNA sottolineano che gli orientamenti radicali della setta sono condannati dalla gran parte dei musulmani nigeriani e che la popolarità di Boko Haram è il frutto di difficoltà economiche e sociali. “Nelle periferie delle grandi città reclutare i giovani è facile – dice monsignor Kaigama – perché non ci sono né scuole né lavoro”.(MISNA)

Nigeria, il presidente Jonathan si candiderà alle prossime elezioni
L'annuncio ufficiale il 18 settembre. Si chiude così una questione che aveva paralizzato il Pdp e l'azione di governo
Il presidente nigeriano Goodluck Jonathan si ricandiderà per un nuovo mandato. Lo ha anticipato ieri ai governatori eletti nelle liste del Peoples Democratic Party.
L'annuncio ufficiale arriverà il 18 settembre ma questa indiscrezione mette fine alle speculazioni che hanno agitato la scena politica del gigante africano. Non era scontato, infatti, perché è una consuetudine del Pdp seguire un criterio etno-geografico-religioso nel decidere le candidature: due mandati ad un musulmano del nord, due ad un cristiano del sud. Ma Jonathan, un cristiano, era succeduto a Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, un musulmano del nord, ammalatosi e poi deceduto a metà del primo mandato.
Si era posta quindi la questione di come considerare la sua presidenza, se intera o parziale, e quindi di come proseguire nella rotazione, se candidando al vertice dell'esecutivo un cristiano, come se Yardua avesse esaurito il suo mandato, o riaffidare la presidenza ad un musulmano.
La decisione rischia di seminare parecchio scontento ma rimette al centro della scena un presidente che, qualora fosse stato escluso dal prossimo turno elettorale, si sarebbe trovato ad essere un'anatra zoppa, in un momento in cui alla Nigeria serve una leadership forte, presente e pienamente legittima.
8/9/20120, PEACEREPORTER

Nigeria, integralisti islamici attaccano un carcere: 732 evasi
I sospetti delle autorità locali sulla setta radicale Boko Haram
Sono almeno 732 i detenuti evasi ieri sera del carcere di Bauchi, nel nord della Nigeria, a causa di un attacco di presunti fondamentalisti islamici.
"Centinaia di detenuti sono fuggiti dopo che un gruppo di uomini, sospettati di far parte di una setta islamica, ha attaccato il penitenziario di Bauchi,in una vera e propria battaglia con colpi di arma da fuoco con le forze dell'ordine", ha spiegato una fonte delle guardie carcerarie al quotidiano The Independent on line, e ha proseguito: "C'è stata una vera e propria battaglia e alcune persone sarebbero rimaste uccise nell'attacco".
Una notizia, quest'ultima, che non trova conferma tra le autorità che puntanto il dito contro la setta islamica radicale 'Boko Haram'. Tra i detenuti vi sono degli estremisti islamici.
8/9/2010, PEACEREPORTER

NIGERIA 9/9/2010
RIMPASTO AI VERTICI DELLA SICUREZZA
Nuovi vertici per l’esercito, la polizia e i servizi di intelligence. Lo ha deciso il presidente Jonathan Goodluck all’indomani dell’annuncio, da parte della commissione elettorale nazionale, del calendario per i prossimi scrutini, fissando la data per le elezioni presidenziali al 22 Gennaio 2011. Il capo di stato – riferisce una nota della presidenza – ha nominato Oluseye Petinrin a capo della Difesa, nel cui ruolo subentra a Paul Dike, O.A. Ihejirikaa capo dell’Esercito , Hafiz Ringim come nuovo capo della polizia e Ita Ekpenyong come direttore dei servizi di intelligence. Le nomine, con effetto immediato, devono passare al vaglio del parlamento. La prossima settimana è attesa nel paese l’annuncio della candidatura ufficiale di Jonathan alle prossime elezioni. UN argomento che non h amncato di sollevare polemiche nei mesi scorsi poiché solitamente, alla guida del paese si alternano esponenti dell’ovest, del nord e del sud, per garantire una rappresentanza delle principali componenti etniche e religiose del ricco mosaico nigeriano. Jonathan, già vice-presidente, è salito alla presidenza a Maggio, alla morte del suo predecessore, Amaru Yar’Adua, originario del nord. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 10/9/2010
LAGOS, CENTINAIA IN PIAZZA PER ELEZIONI "EQUE E TRASPARENTI"
Centinaia di manifestanti sono scesi in piazza ieri sera per chiedere lo svolgersi di elezioni "libere e democratiche". Alla marcia, svoltasi a Lagos, hanno partecipato anche esponenti delle diverse religioni che compongono il complesso mosaico nigeriano. "E' una marcia che incontra il favore di tutti - ha spiegato il direttore della Commissione giustizia, pace e sviluppo (Jpdc) Emmanuel Fadele - poiché invita i cittadini a far valere il proprio diritto di voto". La commissione elettorale ha annunciato pochi giorni fa che le prossime elezioni generali si svolgeranno nel Gennaio 2011, lasciando agli organi preposti solo pochi mesi di tempo per mettere a punto le liste elettorali e le altre procedure necessarie al voto. L'opposizione del 'Congresso di azione della Nigeria' (Can) ha definito il calendario "irrealistico" e "una ricetta sicura per il fallimento", chiedendo di posticipare l'appuntamento con le urne al mese di Aprile."Le elezioni del 2011 sono cruciali per la sopravvivenza della nostra democrazia. Non possiamo permetterci di fallire" si legge in un comunicato diffuso dall'Anc. L'ultimo scrutinio nel più popoloso paese del continente, in cui si stima saranno circa 70 milioni le persone chiamate a votare, si era svolto nel 2077 ed era stato contrassegnato, secondo gli osservatori, da brogli diffusi e violenze. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 15/9/2010
PRESIDENZIALI, JONATHAN INTENDE CANDIDARSI PER NUOVO MANDATO
A pochi mesi dalle elezioni presidenziali, in programma a Gennaio, il capo dello stato Goodluck Jonathan ha annunciato la decisione di candidarsi per un nuovo mandato alla guida del paese. La scelta è stata comunicata con un messaggio sul “social network” Facebook, nel quale Jonathan sostiene di “non aver promesse da fare ai nigeriani se non promettere meno e fare di più”. La decisione del presidente ha seguito di alcune settimane il via libera a una sua eventuale candidatura da parte del Comitato esecutivo del Partito democratico del popolo (Pdp), forza di governo in Nigeria dal 1998. Questa scelta aveva posto fine a mesi di incertezza e polemiche. Secondo una prassi che si è consolidata negli ultimi 10 anni, alla presidenza devono alternarsi ogni due mandati rappresentanti del nord e del sud della Nigeria. Ma Jonathan è originario della regione meridionale del Delta del Niger e nel Febbraio scorso ha assunto la presidenza dopo la scomparsa di Umaru Yar’Adua, nato e cresciuto politicamente nello stato settentrionale di Katsina. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 20/9/2010
ELEZIONI: INCERTEZZE E POLEMICHE SU POSSIBILE RINVIO
Potrebbe essere rinviato di alcuni mesi l’appuntamento con le urne per eleggere il nuovo presidente della Nigeria, attualmente fissato al 22 Gennaio prossimo: nelle ultime ore si sono espresse a favore di un rinvio prima la Commissione elettorale indipendente (Inec) poi il partito di governo People’s democratic party (Pdp). Secondo indiscrezioni riportate dalla stampa nigeriana, la Commissione elettorale starebbe meditando il rinvio di un mese delle elezioni, per poter provvedere a una più approfondita revisione delle liste elettorali. In dichiarazioni rilasciate ai media locali e internazionali oggi, anche il portavoce del partito di governo ha evidenziato la necessità di più tempo per organizzare il voto, confermando comunque che il nuovo capo di Stato si insedierà nel termine previsto di fine Maggio. Intanto, comunque, la campagna elettorale per le presidenziali è già entrata nel vivo. Nel fine settimana tutti i principali candidati alle primarie del Pdp – la vittoria del partito di governo alle prossime elezioni è data per scontata, trasformando così le primarie interne di fine Ottobre in un’anticipazione delle presidenziali – hanno tenuto comizi per aprire la loro campagna. Sia il presidente in carica, Jonathan Goodluck, che altri importanti esponenti del partito, il generale Ibrahim Babangida e l’ex-vicepresidente Atiku Abubakar,sono in corsa per concorrere alle elezioni come candidati del Pdp. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 21/9/2010
ELEZIONI: DEPOSITATE NUOVE CANDIDATURE IN CONTESTO CONFUSO
Due nuovi candidati hanno formalizzato la loro intenzione di partecipare alle presidenziali mentre ad Abuja è crescente l'incertezza sulla data dell'appuntamento elettorale previsto per il 22 Gennaio e che sembra destinato a slittare. Si tratta del governatore dello Stato del Kwara (centro-ovest), Abubakar Bukola Saraki, che intende concorrere alle elezioni come candidato del 'People's Democratic Party' (Pdp, al potere), partecipando quindi alle importanti primarie che si terranno a fine Ottobre. Nei ranghi dell'opposizione, a farsi avanti è stato Nuhu Ribadu, ex-capo della 'Commissione nazionale contro i crimini economici e finanziari' che indagava su casi di corruzione fino al suo esilio forzato negli Stati Uniti a Giugno. Ribadu dovrebbe essere il candidato del 'Action Congress of Nigeria' (Acn), principale partito di opposizione e si presenta con la volontà di "formare un gruppo che porti cambiamento al paese". Riferendo delle due nuove candidature, la stampa internazionale precisa che il presidente uscente, Jonathan Goodluck, è per ora l'unico candidato cristiano alle primarie del Pdp previste a fine Ottobre. Una regola non scritta del Pdp prevede l'alternanza per le presidenziali di candidati musulmani, originari del nord, e cristiani prevalentemente del sud, per rispettare gli equilibri religiosi, etnici e geografici di una nazione mosaico composta da più di 250 gruppi. Molti esponenti politici del paese, comunque, recentemente hanno definito questa alternanza “superata” dai progressi compiuti nel paese. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 21/9/2010
ZAMFARA: CONTINUA AVVELENAMENTO DA PIOMBO, NUOVI BILANCI
Almeno 200 bambini morti per avvelenamento e circa 18.000 persone contaminate: è il nuovo bilancio tracciato da esperti dell’Onu giunti ieri nel nord-ovest della Nigeria, dove almeno sette villaggi attorno a una miniera d’oro dello stato di Zamfara sono contaminati da piombo, mercurio e rame. L’avvelenamento, ha confermato una portavoce dell’Ufficio di coordinamento umanitario dell’Onu (Ocha), è legato alla ricerca artigianale di oro nelle rocce di una cava contenente un’alta concentrazione di piombo che, se inalato, può penetrare nel sangue e bloccare la produzione di emoglobina, che trasporta l’ossigeno nel sangue. L’intossicazione è contagiosa e i soggetti più vulnerabili sono bambini. “Il problema non è risolto e la stagione delle piogge in arrivo potrebbe causare una contaminazione ancora più importante” ha aggiunto la portavoce dell’Ocha. Gli esperti giunti sul posto sono incaricati di valutare l’entità dei danni e trovare una risposta adeguata. Un precedente bilancio ufficiale riferiva di 163 vittime, di cui almeno 111 bambini, dall’inizio dell’anno a causa di esalazioni velenose di piombo. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 22/9/2010
DELTA DEL NIGER: RAPITI CITTADINI FRANCESI
Sono stati rapiti nella notte tra ieri e oggi tre cittadini francesi, parte dell’equipaggio di una imbarcazione operante nel delta del Niger, area di estrazione petrolifera. I tre, dipendenti della società francese di servizi marittimi Bourbon, sono stati prelevati da un gruppo di uomini armati riusciti a salire sull’imbarcazione. Illesi e in libertà gli altri 13 membri dell’equipaggio. La notizia è stata riferita dalla stessa Bourbon con una nota nella quale viene precisato che la nave ‘Bourbon Alexandre’ ha subito l’arrembaggio congiunto di diverse piccole imbarcazioni. Confermando l’accaduto, il ministero degli Esteri francese ha detto di aver avviato contatti con le autorità nigeriane al fine di arrivare alla liberazione degli ostaggi. Negli ultimi due anni, in altre tre occasioni dipendenti della stessa società sono stati presi in ostaggio in Nigeria e in tutti i casi l’epilogo è stato positivo con il rilascio di tutte le persone rapite. In quest’ultimo caso non è ancora chiaro chi abbia agito e non sono state diffuse rivendicazioni. Il delta del Niger è la ‘cassaforte’ petrolifera della Nigeria, tra i primi produttori di greggio nel mondo. Da anni la popolazione locale e gruppi armati chiedono però una più equa ridistribuzione dei proventi e un’azione decisa contro il degrado ambientale e l’inquinamento prodotto dalle multinazionali presenti nell’area. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 24/9/2010
CEDONO DUE DIGHE NEL NORD, EMERGENZA SFOLLATI
Sarebbero due milioni le persone che nello stato settentrionale di Jigawa hanno lasciato le loro case e i loro villaggi per l'inondazione provocata dall’apertura o forse dal cedimento di due dighe: lo hanno sostenuto, in serata, alcuni responsabili dell’amministrazione locale. Secondo Aminu Mohammed, commissario all’Informazione dello stato di Jigawa, molti sfollati hanno trovato riparo in edifici scolastici, magazzini o strutture governative. Un portavoce, Umar Kyari, ha detto poi che i villaggi allagati sono circa 5000; i responsabili della gestione delle dighe “Chillawa” e “Tiga”, questa la sua ipotesi, non avrebbero saputo prevedere il volume di acqua che sarebbe fuoriuscito una volta aperte le chiuse. Lo stato di Jigawa confina a nord con il Niger e la regione del Sahel. E' una delle aree più aride della Nigeria, ma quest’anno la stagione umida è stata caratterizzata da precipitazioni molto superiori alla norma. Secondo stime ufficiali diffuse a Dutse, la capitale dello stato, a partire da Agosto le piogge hanno allagato una superficie di almeno 90.000 ettari.(MISNA)


NIGERIA 27/9/2010
NOBEL LETTERATURA SOYINKA PRESENTA NUOVO PARTITO POLITICO
Si chiama Fronte democratico per una federazioni di popoli (Democratic front for a People’s Federation, Dfpf) il nuovo partito politico lanciato dal premio Nobel nigeriano per la letteratura Wole Soyinka. Annunciato nei mesi scorsi, il nuovo partito è stato ufficialmente presentato con una conferenza stampa tenuta nel fine settimana dallo stesso Soyinka che ne è il presidente. Lo scrittore ha spiegato che la nuova formazione non intende essere solo un partito ma “un organismo di controllo democratico”: “vorrei enfatizzare questa seconda funzione, che intende essere sia un avvertimento che un’esortazione”. Secondo il suo fondatore, il Dfpf è “prima di tutto uno schieramento per giovani frustrati dalla vita politica di questo paese e per persone con idee non convenzionali”. Dopo essere stato per anni uno dei principali critici del mondo politico nigeriano - al quale contesta il fatto che nonostante le ingenti ricchezze petrolifere del paese la maggioranza della popolazione sia ancora priva dei servizi minimi come acqua ed elettricità - Soyinka nei mesi scorsi aveva annunciato la volontà di creare una sorta di laboratorio per una formazione di stampo progressista che rompa con l’oligarchia al potere nel paese e con il People’s democratic Party (Pdp) al governo dal Maggio 1999, quando, dopo una serie di colpi di Stato militari, alla guida del paese tornarono i civili. Parlando coi giornalisti, Soyinka ha definito “un incubo” l’attuale campagna elettorale, facendo un implicito riferimento al fatto che alle primarie del partito di governo partecipino due ex-governanti militari degli Anni delle dittature. In occasione della presentazione del nuovo partito, Soyinka è tornato ad escludere la propria candidatura elle presidenziali del prossimo anno, assicurando che intende mantenere una posizione di secondo piano.(MISNA)


NIGERIA 27/9/2010
NELLO STATO DI JIGAWA EMERGENZA SFOLLATI E POLEMICHE
Nessun errore umano, solo le conseguenze di settimane di piogge molto superiori alla media stagionale: è la tesi della società responsabile della gestione di due dighe sul fiume Hadejia, accusata di aver indirettamente provocato centinaia di migliaia di sfollati nello stato settentrionale di Jigawa. Secondo il portavoce Salisu Hamzat, dalle dighe di Chillawa e di Tiga è fuoriuscita una quantità di acqua relativamente modesta, comunque non in grado di causare l’emergenza umanitaria in corso in 12 distretti dello stato. Il governatore di Jigawa, Sule Lamido, aveva sostenuto che a causare l’allagamento di 5000 villaggi e a costringere due milioni di persone a lasciare le loro case è stato un errore nell’apertura delle dighe. Jigawa confina a nord con il Niger e con la regione del Sahel. È una delle aree più aride della Nigeria, ma quest’anno la stagione umida è stata caratterizzata da precipitazioni molto superiori alla norma. Secondo stime ufficiali diffuse a Dutse, la capitale dello stato, a partire da Agosto le piogge hanno allagato una superficie di almeno 90.000 ettari. (MISNA)


Nigeria: chiesto riscatto per quindici bambini rapiti su uno scuolabus
LAGOS - Uomini armati hanno rapito quindici bambini in una scuola nel sud della Nigeria e hanno chiesto un riscatto equivalente a oltre 95 mila euro. Lo ha annunciato la polizia secondo la quale i bambini sono stati sequestrati lunedì mattina mentre si trovavano su uno scuolabus della Scuola internazionale Abayi nello Stato di Abia, ai margini della zona petrolifera del delta del Niger. I rapitori hanno portato i bimbi in una località sconosciuta e hanno contattato per telefono il direttore della scuola privata, chiedendo un riscatto di 20 milioni di naira.
Ansa - 28/9/2010


NIGERIA 29/9/2010
ALLUVIONI, EMERGENZA IN TRE STATI DEL NORD
Sono centinaia di migliaia le persone colpite dalle alluvioni che, da settimane, stanno investendo tre stati del nord: lo dice alla MISNA Seyi Soremekun, portavoce della Croce Rossa della Nigeria, un’organizzazione impegnata in una serie di difficili interventi di soccorso. Particolarmente delicata la situazione nello stato di Sokoto, al confine con il Benin, dove piogge torrenziali e alluvioni hanno causato 20 vittime e colpito in vario modo 332.000 persone. In questa regione, per lo più nel distretto di Goronyo, gli sfollati sono 50.000. Precipitazioni molto superiori alla norma stagionale hanno spazzato anche il vicino stato di Kebbi, sul versante sud della frontiera con il Niger, e più a oriente lo stato di Jigawa. Resta difficile, almeno per ora, valutare le dimensioni di questa terza emergenza. Nei giorni scorsi il governatore di Jigawa aveva sostenuto che, anche a causa di alcuni errori nella gestione di due dighe sul fiume Hadejia, gli sfollati erano due milioni. Cifre e versioni non confermate dai responsabili della Croce Rossa nigeriana, che pure definiscono “critica” la situazione. “Di certo – sottolinea Soremekun – c’è che migliaia di persone hanno trovato rifugio nei campi per sfollati e negli edifici scolastici di due città, Marakawa e Sintilmawa”. La Croce Rossa sta inviando tonnellate di riso e di miglio, ma anche tende, vestiti e zanzariere. Preoccupa la diffusione di malattie come malaria e colera, caratteristiche degli ambienti umidi e insalubri. Alla “grave crisi umanitaria” nel nord della Nigeria ha fatto riferimento oggi anche Papa Benedetto XVI, durante l’udienza generale del Mercoledì in Vaticano. Secondo le fonti della MISNA i prossimi mesi saranno molto difficili, anche perché le alluvioni hanno devastato decine di migliaia di ettari di terreni coltivati a poche settimane dal raccolto.(MISNA)


Africa viewpoint: In the dark
In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa considers how many US dollars it takes for Nigeria to change a light.
It was good luck that I was prevented by electricity workers from watching live TV coverage of President Goodluck Jonathan's launch, last week, of his government's electricity reform plan.
I had watched and read so much of similar plans over the years that I found the workers' nationwide strike very well-timed.
In the past 10 years alone I have listened to so many presidential lectures on power reforms from Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar'Adua and this same Goodluck Jonathan that I would regard yet another sermon on the subject via my home television and radio an assault on my privacy.
So thanks to the national union of electricity workers who chose to begin their strike on the eve of the president's presentation, I was spared the lecture.
And nobody could fault their action. They were merely reacting to the failure or, more appropriately, refusal of the government to pay them legitimate emoluments which it had agreed to pay two months earlier.
And the strike worked wonders for them. As soon as it dawned on officials that the entire country had been plunged into darkness, the government released money and gave the order for immediate payment of the workers.
But, thank goodness, power was not restored till the evening of the second day, by which time the president had long finished his show.

Raising the bar
I read details of the power reforms in the dailies at my own pace in the morning.
When you removed the figures, you found there was little new to excite.
In the four years up to 2007, former President Obasanjo spent about $16bn (£10bn) to power his "reform" of the sector, with the aim of producing at least 5,000 megawatts.
Today many of the turbines, we are told, are still lying uncleared at the Lagos port and, of course, not a single watt has been produced.
Two years ago then President Yar'Adua announced at a live television press conference that efforts to privatise the Nigerian power industry had failed.
The principal reason was that Nigeria had sold all its gas production up to 2015 for export, therefore the country would have to go into re-negotiation with international companies to be able to use some of its own gas for domestic purposes before that date.
Nigerians love figures, the higher the better!
We are no longer impressed by millions - what can a government do with a mere million dollars? - for example, it does not pay one member of the National Assembly for a year.
Raise the bar. Talk of a billion dollars, and people will start seeing you as a serious leader.
Talk of trillions, yes, and you daze Nigerians. They will say you have finally gone nuclear.
Mr Obasanjo spent only $16bn, no wonder the country got nothing out of it.
Two years ago, Mr Yar'Adua's adviser on petroleum gave his boss a report which upped the investment needed to produce round-the-clock electricity to $85bn.
That sounded more like it!

Power Eldorado
But pity, Mr Yar'Adua's subsequent poor health did not allow him to spend that much.
Now we may be starting on the journey to the power Eldorado with Goodluck Jonathan, who became president after the death of Mr Yar'Adua earlier this year.
He is talking not just one trillion, but nearly $2tn.
And as a demonstration of seriousness, his government has already started to award the necessary contracts. The good times are returning!
Even his critics may now admit that Mr Jonathan's good luck will, sooner or later, rub off on all Nigerians.
In the very short time until the January general elections, it is now reasonable to conclude that they can now be adequately powered for success.
BBC, 1/9/2010


Nigerian economy 'to grow by 10%'
Nigeria's economy will hit double-digit growth by the end of 2011 or early 2012, the country's finance minister has told the BBC.
Olusegun Aganga's prediction comes after the Nigerian economy grew by more than 7% in the first half of this year.
Mr Aganga said the government's ambitious programme to build new infrastructure and to privatise the power sector would help growth.
He also said investors from all over the world were interested in Nigeria.
BBC World Service's Africa editor Martin Plaut said Nigeria was once a byword for coups and corruption.
But Mr Aganga, a former managing editor at Goldman Sachs, said investors were now pounding at his door.
"There's no week that I don't see two, three, four major investors from other parts of the world. Brazil, Germany even China, all these other countries. All of them bringing or wanting to come and invest in the country," he said.
If the country's infrastructure and privatisation programme is successfully implemented, he said he expects growth of 10% by 2012.
BBC, 3/9/2010

Nigeria arrests ex-NFF officials over World Cup money
Four Nigerian former football officials have been arrested amid accusations that some $8m (£5m) went missing during the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The four, who include former football federation head Sani Lulu Abdullahi, are due to appear in court in the capital Abuja shortly, an anti-corruption official told the BBC.
The four were sacked over Nigeria's poor performance at the finals.
They have not yet commented on the accusations.
Their passports were seized in July.
After the Super Eagles' failure to qualify from the group stages of the World Cup finals, President Goodluck Jonathan banned them from international competition for two years, before relenting under pressure from the sport's world governing body, Fifa.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesman Femi Babafemi told the BBC that the four - Mr Lulu, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Amanze Uchegbulam - would face a number of charges.
These include making payments to unauthorised delegates, chartering an allegedly faulty aircraft and paying $400,000 to stage a friendly match against Colombia in London, shortly before the finals.
The four have already been interrogated on these matters.
"This is a serious case of national interest hence all four men have been detained and will be in court on Tuesday," he said.
Meanwhile, a judge has ordered that elections for a new Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership be annulled.
BBC SPORT, 7/9/2010

Nigeria army in Maiduguri after 'Boko Haram attacks'
The army is conducting joint patrols with the police in Nigeria's northern city of Maiduguri after a wave of killings blamed on the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
The police have also banned riding motorcycles at night as several of the shootings were carried out by people on motorbikes.
Twelve people, including seven policemen, have died in the past month.
Clashes between Boko Haram and the police in July 2009 left hundreds dead.
The most recent shooting happened on Sunday, leaving two people dead, including a police officer.
Motorbikes are now banned from the city between 1800 and 0700.
"This is only the beginning," said Borno state police commissioner Ibrahim Abdu.
"If this strategy doesn't work, we will call for a total ban on motorcycles in the state," he said, reports the AFP news agency.
The violence started last year when Boko Haram members attacked a police station in Maiduguri before clashes spread to neighbouring areas.
Most of those who died were supporters of the sect, which is also known locally as the Taliban and wants to see Islamic law imposed across Nigeria.
It is opposed to Western education and accuses Nigeria's government of being corrupted by Western ideas.
The sect's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was among those killed, apparently after he was handed over alive to the police.
BBC, 7/9/2010

Nigeria sets presidential election date
Nigeria will hold its next presidential election on 22 January 2011, officials have announced.
The ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) will now have to decide whether to allow President Goodluck Jonathan to run as their candidate.
Mr Jonathan came to power after the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua.
But his candidacy would break the PDP's unwritten practice of alternating power between politicians from the north and south of the country.
Northerner Mr Yar'Adua died less than half-way through his first term in office, but the PDP favours giving two terms to each region, and Mr Jonathan hails from the south.
The party believes alternating the presidency helps to soothe the simmering tensions between rival ethnic and religious communities.
Last month, the PDP appeared to be giving ground on the issue by saying in a statement that Mr Jonathan "has the right to contest the presidential primaries".
But Mr Jonathan's initial burst of popularity when he took the reins of earlier this year appears to be fading, and analysts are sceptical whether the PDP will want him on its ticket.
And Mr Jonathan has not yet declared whether he wants to stand for election.
Nigeria, Africa's leading oil producer and most populous nation, has a history of coups, ethnic and religious unrest, and faces a huge problem with corruption.
The PDP has ruled the country since its return to democracy in 1999.
Election officials said parliamentary polls would be held on 15 January, and elections for state governors on 29 January.
BBC, 8/9/2010

'Boko Haram attack' frees hundreds of prisoners
At least 700 prisoners have escaped during an attack on a jail in northern Nigeria, including members of a militant Islamist sect.
Police said four people died in gunfire after members of the Boko Haram group attacked the jail, breaking locks and setting parts on fire.
Officials said 150 suspected members of Boko Haram were among the escapees.
On Tuesday, authorities in the city of Maiduguri blamed the group for a series of recent killings over the past month.
Police commissioner Danlami Yar-Adua told AFP news agency that 732 inmates had escaped during the sunset raid, while 30 were left.
One soldier, one police officer and two residents were killed in the resulting shootout between attackers and security forces, while six others are in a critical condition.
"They came in large numbers, heavily armed, and began shooting at the prison gate," Salisu Mohammed, a guard, told AFP.
"Some of us were hit while others fled."
Supporters of the sect are now believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains, police said.

Joint patrols
Resident Usman Ahmad said that calm returned to the area late on Tuesday after a "terrifying" gun battle.
"There was heavy fighting between the attackers and the security forces which lasted for almost an hour," he said.
Many of the Boko Haram prisoners being held had been arrested last year after the group rioted and attacked police stations.
Hundreds of people were left dead in the clashes, mostly Boko Haram members.
The jail break comes after the army announced that it was conducting joint patrols with police in Maiduguri, following several attacks which have left 12 people - including seven policemen - dead in the past month.
The police have also banned riding motorcycles at night as several of the shootings were carried out by people on motorbikes.
The sect, also known locally as the Taliban, wants to see Sharia law imposed across Nigeria.
It is opposed to Western education and accuses Nigeria's government of being corrupted by Western ideas.
The sect's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was among those killed, apparently after he was handed over alive to the police.
BBC, 8/9/2010

Nigerian president replaces leaders of security forces
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has replaced the leaders of the country's military, intelligence service and police.
The appointments, which come four months ahead of planned presidential elections, are subject to approval by parliament, a presidential spokesman said.
He gave no reasons for the reshuffle.
Mr Goodluck has not yet said if he will stand in the elections scheduled for January.
The president promoted the former head of the air force to chief of defence staff and named new air force, army and navy chiefs.
They replace officers who had been due to retire at the end of August, a presidential spokesman said.
Mr Goodluck also appointed new heads of the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service.
The reshuffle of security leaders comes a day after at least 700 prisoners escaped during an attack on a jail in northern Nigeria.
Four people died in gunfire after members of the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram attacked the prison.
Some 150 suspected members of the sect where among the detainees who escaped, officials said.
BBC, 8/9/2010

Nigeria battles cholera epidemic
Nearly 800 people have died in recent months and poorly funded clinics are jammed with infected patients.
The Nigerian government is struggling to contain a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 800 Nigerians in two months.
About 13,000 people have been sickened, according to the nation's health ministry, and poorly funded clinics are jammed with patients.
The epidemic, reportedly the worst in nearly two decades, has also spread to neighbouring countries, killing nearly 400 people in Cameroon and more than 40 in Chad. Cases have also been reported in Niger.
However, Doctor Henry Akpan of Nigeria's health ministry, described the situation as "under control" in the country.
"We're not having new deaths anymore," he told Al Jazeera on Friday.
"We're still having cases but the cases have been contained and we have a lot of centres where people get treatment."

Disinfecting streets
In the northern state of Bauchi, health workers in surgical masks dumped chlorine tablets into wells and sprayed anti-bacterial solution on the narrow dirt streets of Ganjuwa district.
Musa Dambam Mohammed, a Bauchi state health official, said the local government has chlorinated every well in the region and provided infomation to the public about how to avoid contracting the illness.
However, the chlorine will wear off over time, leaving the wells again susceptible to cholera.
Cholera is a highly contagious infection that causes diarrhoea, and can lead to severe dehydration and possible death.
It is is easily preventable with clean water and proper sanitation. But in Nigeria, almost half the country's 150 million people lack access to just that, according to the World Health Organisation.
At a maternity clinic and a hospital in Ganjuwa, small children were being hooked up to IV tubes with doctors trying to save them by rehydrating them intravenously.
As all the beds in the wards were occupied, doctors had to put patients into storerooms and concrete hallways wet with human waste. Many were put on simple foam mattresses, with plastic buckets underneath to catch the waste that drains off.
The current outbreak is the worst in Nigeria since 1991, when 7,654 people died, according to the WHO.
AlJazeera English 11/9/2010

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to contest poll
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has ended months of speculation and confirmed he will contest January's elections.
He made the announcement on his Facebook site, saying the decision had been taken "after wide and thorough consultations".
Mr Jonathan, a southerner, became president in February after the death of Umaru Yar'Adua.
The governing party has previously said its candidate should be a northerner.
The president's Facebook statement said he would make a formal declaration of his intention to stand for election on Saturday.

GOODLUCK JONATHAN
Aged 52
Christian and ethnic Ijaw
Studied zoology at university
Never elected to public office
Became Bayelsa state governor after predecessor impeached
Became president after Umaru Yar'Adua died

Officials in the presidency have confirmed that the Facebook entry was genuine.
While some observers were surprised that Mr Jonathan had used Facebook to announce his candidacy, he said in July that comments on his page had influenced him in overturning his ban on the national football team.
He announced the ban after the Super Eagles' poor showing in the World Cup finals.
"People may scoff, but we take the interactions seriously, we track the [Facebook] feedback," a presidential adviser told the Reuters news agency.
"It's a small platform perhaps, but it offers the possibility of change."
Only a small fraction of Nigeria's 150 million people have access to computers, but numbers are growing fast.
The announcement came as one of Mr Jonathan's main rivals for the governing People's Democratic Party's nomination, former military leader Gen Ibrahim Babangida, launched his campaign.
Thousands of people gathered for his rally in the capital, Abuja.
Several other heavyweight politicians are expected to seek the PDP ticket, which could be divided along north-south lines.
The PDP has a tradition of alternating power between northerners and southerners for two terms each.
Under this unwritten rule, its candidate in 2011 should be from the largely Muslim north, rather than the mainly Christian and animist south, which would favour Gen Babangida or former vice-president Atiku Abubakar rather than Mr Jonathan.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says it is clear party bosses have privately agreed that - because of the exceptional circumstances in which Mr Jonathan inherited power - he should be allowed to run.
He is the first president from Nigeria's southern, oil-producing Delta region.
But his statement said he had held consultations across the country before deciding to run.
Nigeria's recent elections have been tarnished by fraud and violence.
Mr Jonathan has promised to introduce electoral reforms, but correspondents say it will be difficult to implement radical changes before January.

Analysis - Caroline Duffield BBC News, Lagos
Goodluck Jonathan's declaration finally answers the question that has obsessed Nigeria - whether he would run, or not.
For some in the political elite, it is highly controversial. For them, Mr Jonathan's southern heritage is an obstacle - they believe that the next president should be from the north.
Now it is clear he will run, he faces an intense struggle in his own party. Some of the wealthiest - and most adept - manipulators in politics are ranged against him, and will fight him for his party's nomination.
His rivals include former military leader Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Kwara state governor Bukola Saraki and national security adviser Aliyu Gusau.
It promises to be a tough and volatile election, and the struggle could tear the governing PDP apart.
BBC, 16/9/2010

Corruption fighter Ribadu to seek Nigeria presidency
Nigeria's former corruption fighter Nuhu Ribadu has said he will seek to stand in January's presidential poll on behalf of the main opposition party.
Mr Ribadu says he wants to stand on behalf of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
He came to prominence as head of the country's anti-corruption agency before being sidelined in 2007.
Several prominent Nigerians have recently announced they will stand. However, the poll may be postponed.
On Sunday, election officials said they were looking at ways to delay the poll so they could work on a credible voters' roll.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Mr Ribadu's entrance into Nigeria's presidential race will be met with excitement.

SEEKING THE PRESIDENCY
Goodluck Jonathan, president - PDP
Aliyu Gusau, former national security advisor - PDP
Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former military leader - PDP
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president - PDP
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Kwara state governor - PDP
Nuhu Ribadu, former anti-corruption fighter - ACN
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Kano state governor - opposition ANPP
Muhammadu Buhari, former military ruler - CPC

While many Nigerians will celebrate, some will be very worried, she says.
Our reporter says many people see Mr Ribadu as a folk-hero, who infuriated powerful politicians.
However his enemies say his investigations were politically motivated.
Mr Ribadu returned from exile in June, after saying he had fled because attempts had been made on his life.
Our reporter says that in the past, senior ACN figures have faced accusations of corruption, so it will be very difficult for Mr Ribadu to allow the party to bankroll his campaign.
Nigeria's previous elections have been marred by widespread violence and allegations of fraud.
The election had been set for January, partly to allow legal challenges to be completed before the inauguration in May.
Election officials say that even if the election date is changed, the swearing-in will still take place in May.
Mr Jonathan has promised to introduce electoral reforms, but correspondents say it will be difficult to implement radical changes before January.

Keenly contested race
Several heavyweight figures are vying for the presidential nomination for the governing People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Kwara state governor Abubakar Bukola Saraki has become the latest candidate in the PDP race.
He joins President Goodluck Jonathan, former presidential security advisor Aliyu Gusau, former military leader Gen Ibrahim Babangida and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
The PDP has won all of Nigeria's elections since military rule ended in 1999 and its candidate will be seen as the favourite for next year's poll.
However, it could face splits along north-south lines.
All candidates, except Mr Jonathan, are northern Muslims.
The PDP has a tradition of alternating power between the north and the mainly Christian and animist south for two terms each.
Under this unwritten rule, the party's candidate in 2011 should be a northerner.
Kano state governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has said he wishes to stand for the opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).
Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is seeking to become the presidential candidate for the opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
BBC, 21/9/2010


UN investigates Nigeria lead poisoning deaths
The UN has sent an emergency environmental team to Nigeria to investigate the deaths of more than 200 children this year from lead poisoning.
Specialists from several agencies are to take water and soil samples from an area in in the north of the country.
The source of the poisoning has been traced to lead-contaminated waste dumped from illegal gold mining.
The contamination is thought to have affected as many as 18,000 people, a UN spokeswoman said.
"From the latest figures we have, more than 200 children reportedly died from this poisoning," said Elisabeth Byrs, the spokeswoman for the UN's Organisation for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Five specialists from the World Health Organisation and Unicef are to spend almost two weeks in Nigeria. They will analyse the soil and drinking water in an area around seven villages in Zamfara state to assess the scale of the poisoning.
"Proper sampling from the mobile laboratory is urgently needed to determine the scope and magnitude of the crisis and to assist in developing a rigorous response," OCHA said in a statement.

LEAD POISONING
Children suffer more because their size makes them more vulnerable to the effects
Symptoms include lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation and headaches
Children in particular may develop encephalopathy - seizures, delirium and coma
For mild poisoning it may be sufficient to remove the patient from the source
More severe poisoning will need medical treatment, but may prove fatal

The clean up operation will involve the removal of tonnes of contaminated top soil and replacing it with clean soil, the UN said.
The rainy season could slow the operation down and even spread the contamination, Ms Byrs said.
To extract gold, deadly amounts of lead were released and soil containing lead deposits was dumped in water sources and in places where children played.
The contamination was discovered earlier this year during the country's annual immunisation programme, when visiting doctors realised children in the region were dying in unusually large numbers. In several villages they saw there were virtually no children.
Villagers said the children had died of malaria and it was only when a team from international aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres took blood tests from local people that the high concentrations of lead were discovered.
BBC, 22/9/2010


Celebrating Nigeria's yummy yams
by Fidelis Mbah BBC News, southern Nigeria
For Nigerians currently feasting on and celebrating the yam harvest with carnival-like festivities, the starchy tuber is more than a food staple.
Traditional fertility and marriage ceremonies are not carried out in the south-east of Nigeria unless a big unwieldy yam - which can weigh up to 70kg (150lb) - is presented.
This is why the Igbo people refer to yam as "the king of crops" and August and September are a time for traditional dances, drumming, masquerades and dressing up in village squares.
"From my great grandfathers, yam has always been celebrated because it is very important to us," said Mary Eze at a new yam festival in the village of Ukpo Dunukofia in Anambra State.
"We can pound yam, we can boil the yam and when we eat we have a lot of energy," she added, boasting of its versatility.
Yams are a primary agricultural commodity across much of West and Central Africa where tubers are planted between February and April and harvested 180 to 270 days later.
Annual yam festivals are also observed at this time in other African countries as the tubers of the early maturing varieties are harvested and delivered to markets.
In Ivory Coast, for example, funerals and burials are delayed in some communities until the local yam festival has been observed to underscore the importance attached to the crop.

Pest pressure
But there are fears for such traditions as the cultivation of the crop, consumed by 60 million people on a daily basis in Africa alone, is under threat.
"Instead of growing yams, Igbos have embraced trading," says Professor Felix Nweke, a development economist.
"They are now only celebrating yams and not growing it."
Yam cultivation began 11,000 years ago and the tubers now grow on vines in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, South Pacific and Asia.
But farmers in Africa's "yam belt" - comprising of Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Central Africa, Cameroon and Togo - produce more than 94% of the world's yams.
And Nigeria alone accounts for 71% of the world's total production.
Though driving through the country's southern and middle belt regions, one would never know there was a problem.
Fields look green and fertile and seem to promise a good yam harvest.
Yet experts say yam production is decreasing in some traditional producing areas because of declining soil fertility and increasing pest pressure.
"Yam has come under serious threat from pests and is in competition with other less nutritious crops like cassava," says Robert Asiedu, research director at International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in the Nigerian city of Ibadan.

Yam bank
Another challenge facing yam production is the high cost of labour and there appears not to be enough capital available to farmers for increasing their production.
Most small-scale farmers in Nigeria are not able to access loans because of a lack of security or track record.
This is the fate of farmers at Isu-Awa community in Awgu, Enugu State, who are no longer able meet their family needs because of declining production.
"It's so difficult to get support to plant yams," says farmer Thomas Anioji.
"I have tried several times to get government loans. They promise to come today, come tomorrow and they never give me any loan."
But hope is at hand for the long-term conservation of Africa's yams thanks to an initiative by the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
Its scientists say the continent's yam varieties are in danger of being picked off by pests or diseases and common disasters like fire or flooding.
This month the trust started an ambitious project to add 3,000 yam samples to an international gene bank at IITA to guarantee the diversity of the crop.
"It's really akin to putting money in the bank," Cary Fowler, the trust's executive director, said in a statement.
"All crops routinely face threats from plant pests, disease, or shifting weather patterns, and a country's ability to breed new varieties to overcome these challenges is directly tied to what they have in the bank, not just in terms of financial resources but in terms of the diversity in their crop collections."
Using the collection, scientists hope to able to find disease-resistance traits with higher yields - key to improving farmers' fortunes.

Yam - King of Crops
The starchy tubers can weigh up to 70kg
An estimated 60m Africans eat yams daily
They can be stored up to six months without refrigeration
West Africa produces more than 94% of the world's yams
Planted between February and April
Harvested after 180 to 270 days
Can be barbecued, roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, smoked or grated
Their harvest marks the farming season's end for the Igbo people
Used in traditional Igbo ceremonies
BBC, 23/9/2010


Ribadu warns Nigeria elite on corruption
Nigeria's former corruption fighter Nuhu Ribadu has said no-one will be safe from prosecution if he is elected president next year.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says senior members of his opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have been accused of corruption.
But Mr Ribadu told the BBC that his campaign will not be tainted by dirty money.
The elections have been set for January but may be postponed.
Election officials, who have asked for a delay, however insist that the new president will be inaugurated in May, as planned.
Mr Ribadu came to prominence as head of Nigeria's anti-corruption agency before being sidelined in 2007.
He returned from exile in June, after saying he had fled because attempts had been made on his life.
But our reporter says both his admirers and detractors are becoming quietly agitated over his choice of party, with some saying he might find himself spending questionable funds, or that his patrons might one day expect his protection from prosecution.
But Mr Ribadu said this would not happen.

SEEKING THE PRESIDENCY
Goodluck Jonathan, president - PDP
Aliyu Gusau, former national security adviser - PDP
Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former military leader - PDP
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president - PDP
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Kwara state governor - PDP
Nuhu Ribadu, former anti-corruption fighter - ACN
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Kano state governor - opposition ANPP
Muhammadu Buhari, former military ruler - CPC

"I have never done it in all my life," he says.
As the head of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, he prosecuted several high-profile politicians.
His critics, however, accused him of only going after rivals to then President Olusegun Obasanjo - accusations he always denied.
Mr Ribadu also said he remains convinced that Nigeria's elections can be free and fair, despite the widespread violence and allegations of fraud which have characterised previous polls.
"Don't ever believe it cannot be done. Your vote will count."
A new electoral register and electronic voting machines are being introduced.
Observers say the difficulties facing reformers are severe, and are uncertain whether a grace period of a few months will deliver free and fair polls.
Keenly contested race
Several heavyweight figures are vying for the presidential nomination for the governing People's Democratic Party (PDP).
President Goodluck Jonathan faces challenges from former presidential security advisor Aliyu Gusau, former military leader Gen Ibrahim Babangida and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Kwara state governor Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
The PDP has won all of Nigeria's elections since military rule ended in 1999 and its candidate will be seen as the favourite for next year's poll.
However, it could face splits along north-south lines.
All candidates, except Mr Jonathan, are northern Muslims.
The PDP has a tradition of alternating power between the north and the mainly Christian and animist south for two terms each.
Under this unwritten rule, the party's candidate in 2011 should be a northerner.
Kano state governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has said he wishes to stand for the opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).
Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is seeking to become the presidential candidate for the opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
BBC, 23/9/2010


Africa viewpoint: Nigeria's birthday bash
In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa considers how Nigeria should mark its middle age.
The dominant sound from Abuja in the past few days is that of iron-heeled shoes of military officers knocking hard on the parade ground concrete of Eagle Square at rehearsals for what has been described as the biggest national celebration since Nigeria attained independence 50 years ago.
Come Friday 1 October there will be an explosion of drums and brass instruments and colours in a parade scheduled to be mounted by the armed services and the police for inspection by President Goodluck Jonathan wearing the ceremonial uniform of commander-in-chief of the armed forces for the first time in the open.
I think I will chuckle when I see the pictures on television - I mean pictures of our own Goodluck standing in attention in the stiff outfit of commander-in-chief and wearing the rank of field marshal or its equivalent.
I will wonder if he could not perform that ceremonial duty in a democracy without the imposed robes. Perhaps he will…
The parade will be the high point of the celebration of Nigeria's 50 years of nationhood. I assume there will be a supporting cast of young people from the National Youth Service Corps, Nigerian Red Cross and school children to provide comic relief.
Plastic smiles
After the parade the "VIPs" will come together in the evening at a befitting state banquet to dine and wine luxuriantly on behalf of the masses of Nigerians.
If history is any guide, you will not find in that very exclusive group teachers, farmers, market women, transport workers, students and representatives of other social or economic groups one would truly call "we Nigerians".
Let's face it though, they are too hungry to be invited to table.
The first lady will not be left out. I can see her in resplendent attire, visiting hospitals, children's homes and hosting children to a party on the manicured lawns of State House.
She will be accompanied by some little "first ladies" or ministers' wives who will be busy fawning on her and posing for news media cameramen. Plastic smiles all around.
And that's it: The 50th anniversary celebrations will be over.
Looks more like "their" celebration.
They decided what to lay on according to their taste, they voted money for it in billions of naira (1bn naira =$6.5m; £4m), they appropriated it and they were the guests.
There is no point arguing whether the event is worth celebrating.
Nigerians should be happy and proud that they are still bound in nationhood despite:
The civil war in the 1960s
The numerous ethno-religious conflagrations
The unending mutual suspicions and hatred
Kings and queens
Anyone who says that this collective triumph over forces of disintegration is not worth celebrating is only being jealous.
This victory belongs to "the people" - Nigerians in the streets and villages who refuse to give up on their nation when the VIPs descended on it with the lethal weapon of extreme greed.
Given a say, these Nigerians, I am sure, would celebrate in a way exclusively theirs and which would reverberate round the world.
Durbars in all emirates, boat regattas along the coast, children's concerts, village festivals, traditional sporting contests and street carnivals would light up the entire nation.
The people would be kings and queens. It would cost a fraction of what is currently being spent.
Next Friday Nigerians will be mere on-lookers - where they are allowed - at an event which should be proprietorially theirs.
It's not too late to make amends, though. But that will be the day!
BBC, 24/9/2010

Northern Nigeria flooding 'displaces two million'
About two million people in northern Nigeria have been displaced after authorities opened the floodgates on two dams, an official says.
The flooding began suddenly when the gates on the Challawa and Tiga dams were opened, a spokesman for the Jigawa governor said.
The dams are in Kano state, but about 5,000 villages in neighbouring Jigawa state have been affected, he added.
Several states in northern Nigeria have been hit by floods this year.
It is not yet clear whether residents received a warning or if anyone was injured or went missing in the flooding, reported the Associated Press news agency.
The floodgates are normally opened every year during the rainy season.
Nigeria's meteorological agency had previously forecast low rainfall in the north, warning that more than 12 million people could face food shortages as a result, according to the AFP news agency.
In a normal year, the water released from the dams flows into fields, irrigating crops of corn, rice and vegetables during the brief growing season.
Jigawa and Kano are part of the Sahel region, a belt of semi-arid land south of the Sahara desert.
In neighbouring Niger, millions are facing food shortages after a prolonged drought caused crops to fail. That was followed by severe flooding last month. Millions are now facing food shortages.
BBC, 26/9/2010


Nobel laureate Soyinka starts political party
Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka has launched a political party in Nigeria, months before the presidential election.
He was elected chairman of The Democratic Front for a People's Federation at an event in Lagos.
The new party says it aims to tackle corruption and improve health and education in Nigeria.
Wole Soyinka's books and plays have won worldwide acclaim but he is also renowned as a political activist.
His book "The Man Died" in 1972 dealt with his period in jail during Nigeria's 1967-70 civil war.
He was the first African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 1986.
State, presidential and legislative elections are due to take place next year but it is unclear whether Mr Soyinka intends to be a candidate.
BBC, 26/9/2010


Nigeria: Still standing, but standing still
by Donu Kogbara BBC Focus on Africa magazine, Lagos
Nigeria's new prime minister Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the British representative James Robertson in the moment of Nigeria's independence
"As the clock struck midnight, [they] took their positions on the dais and watched the lowering of the Union Jack and the hoisting of the Nigerian flag... And so ended 100 years of British rule... 100 years of colonial bondage... A nation conceived in faith and unity is born today... And I am happy. And I am sobbing..."
There it was in cold, hard print in the 1 October, 1960 edition of the Daily Times newspaper. An emotional commentary written by Babatunde Jose, the publication's editor at the time.
The Daily Times, which had been founded in the 1920s, was the oldest and thought to be the most distinguished publication in Nigeria at the time.
And Mr Jose, who joined it as a 16-year-old trainee, and subsequently became known as "the grandfather of Nigerian journalism", went on to praise Nigeria's new leaders for embracing parliamentary democracy and committing themselves to uphold the rule of law.
He also confidently declared that the 1960 constitution and existence of a "powerful opposition party" (the Action Group, headed by Obafemi Awolowo) would protect diverse ethnic groups - and the country as a whole - from dictatorship and human rights abuses.
In 2008, aged 82, Mr Jose died and it is true to say that he lived to see his dreams collapse.
Tragically, the rot had set in long before the first decade of an independent Nigeria had drawn to a close, as the country succumbed to multiple dysfunctions and was plunged into a bloody civil war.
Having observed such negative developments with mounting alarm, Mr Jose was eventually eased out of his editor's chair in 1976 by Gen Murtala Mohammed's military regime, which had no use for his passionate idealism and belief in press freedom.
The newspaper limped on for a few more years and then finally sank without a trace, thanks to the incompetence and dishonesty that its government handlers persistently inflicted on it.
Disillusioned and disappointed
The demise of the newspaper is perhaps symptomatic of the wider leadership problems that have dragged Nigeria down and today robbed it of benefits like sturdy infrastructure and a reliable electricity supply (and all the attendant pressures this has put on Nigeria's economy today).
Mr Jose is not alone. Many others have endured a plethora of bitter disappointments in the 50 years since Nigerians celebrated their liberty.
Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark - an 83-year-old veteran activist from the oil-rich Niger Delta region and a former finance minister - is one of them.
Mr Clark was a politically active school principal and staunch nationalist on that October day in 1960. He describes his mood then as being "completely elated". Today, however, he is disillusioned.
One of the things that has saddened him most over the past 50 years has been the gradual abandonment of the principle that Nigeria's different regions should develop at a different pace, and grow their economies in different ways.
Back then, Mr Clark laments, every region had its own plans for generating revenue internally via agriculture and other activities. But that widespread desire to be as productive and self-sufficient as possible no longer exists.
"Now, the Federal Capital Territory [Abuja] and most of the 36 states that have been created are almost solely dependent on the oil money that is distributed by central government. This status quo is simply not good enough," he says.

Mixed blessing
And indeed, the "oil curse" is a recurrent grievance.
Eighty-year-old Matthew Tawo Mbu, who was minister of state for defence on independence day, remembers that he and his colleagues had danced until dawn.
Before he joined Balewa's cabinet he had been the Nigerian high commissioner to London and in 1957 had been invited to the Dutch city of Rotterdam to ceremonially discharge the first consignment of Nigerian crude oil to the country.
"We had absolutely no idea, at the time, that oil would become such a major source of income," he says.
"And it has been a blessing because it enabled the country to amass a fortune. But the expectations some of us had have not been matched.
"Corruption, which has increased in magnitude since 1960, has given us a rotten image internationally and prevented us from fulfilling our potential in areas like social welfare and infrastructural development."
Others mourn the seeming loss of critical self-awareness in the country. Deborah Ajakaiye, Nigeria's first female geophysicist and Africa's first professor in the field, was a student at the University of Ibadan in 1960.
"There was so much excitement on campus. We were so full of hope."
But for Ms Ajakaiye, Nigeria has deteriorated on several levels since then: Educational institutions have been seriously weakened, the railway sector is dead and the country's value system has been deeply compromised.
"Murders which used to be extremely rare are now commonplace," she says
"[And] the acquisition of ill-gotten wealth has also become more acceptable."
Back then if someone built a mansion that was not compatible with his salary, the entire community would query it with him.
"Now, very few questions are asked," she tells me.

Turning tide?
But there is much that Nigeria can be proud of.
For instance, in contrast to the fate of the Daily Times, today the country can boast an array of media organisations and a generally free press.
In addition, there has been impressive growth in industries like aviation and telecommunications, and a recent announcement that much of the country's power sector is to be privatised could be the answer to Nigeria's electricity woes.
The tide could be turning against corruption, too. Recently, the removal of two senior figures on the Nigerian Stock Exchange followed on from a warning by the country's market regulator, Arunma Oteh, that hundreds could face criminal charges for corruption.
And according to a recent editorial in the This Day newspaper, Nigerians can feel justifiably satisfied about their contribution to security in Africa including its peacekeeping efforts in Sierra Leone and a noteworthy role in dismantling apartheid in South Africa.
There is one achievement, however, that may be worth elevating above all.
In the context of the myriad of problems faced by Nigeria over the past 50 years, somehow, miraculously, the country has succeeded in staying in one piece.
BBC, 27/9/2010


Nigeria MPs back election delay
A group of Nigerian MPs agrees that next year's polls should be postponed until April, to give the election commission more time to prepare.
Senate deputy president Ike Ekweremadu said the MPs were satisfied that the delay was needed after meeting the election commission head.
Officials want to introduce reforms after previous polls were marred by fraud and violence.
Correspondents say it is now almost certain that the poll will be delayed.
Mr Ekweremadu said MPs were ready to change the constitution so the election can be put back.


SEEKING THE PRESIDENCY
Goodluck Jonathan, president - PDP
Aliyu Gusau, former national security adviser - PDP
Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former military leader - PDP
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president - PDP
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Kwara state governor - PDP
Nuhu Ribadu, former anti-corruption fighter - ACN
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Kano state governor - opposition ANPP
Muhammadu Buhari, former military ruler – CPC


It has already been amended once this year - to bring the polls forward to January.
The head of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) Attahiru Jega and Justice Minister Mohammed Adoke met a committee of MPs on Monday to persuade them that a delay was necessary.
Afterwards, Mr Ekweremadu said election officials would on Wednesday give further details of how they would use the extra time to "guarantee a free and fair election".
Inec officials have stressed that the new president would still be inaugurated in May 2011, as planned.
Several heavyweight politicians, including President Goodluck Jonathan, have said they want to stand in the polls and are busy lobbying to win their parties' nominations.
A new electoral register and electronic voting machines are being introduced.
Observers say the difficulties facing reformers are severe, and are uncertain whether a grace period of a few months will be enough to deliver free and fair polls.
BBC, 28/9/2010


Ransom demand after gunmen seize Nigeria schoolchildren
Gunman have seized 15 children who were on their way to their international school in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Abia, say police.
"The abductors have contacted [the owner of the private school] and asked for 20 million naira [$130,000; £81,500]," police spokesman Geofrey Ogbonna told AFP news agency.
The nationalities of the children - who are thought to be under 10 years old - have not been confirmed.
The kidnap happened on Monday.
In recent years, gunmen in the oil-rich Niger Delta have been kidnapping prominent Nigerians, and their relatives, rather than foreign oil workers, whose security has been improved.
There has been a recent spate of kidnappings for ransom in Abia, which is on the fringes of the Niger Delta.
Most hostages are released unharmed after a ransom is paid.

Search underway
The children were on their way to the Abayi International School in the state's commercial capital, Aba, when a vehicle blocked the path of their school bus, Mr Obbonna said.
They were then taken away by a group of armed men, whose identity is unknown.
"We are making efforts to locate where they are held so as to free them," Mr Ogbonna said.
A federal police spokesman in the capital Abuja, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said officers and investigators were on their way to the state to look into Monday's attack, reported AP news agency.
Nigeria's parliament is considering a bill which would impose the death penalty on convicted kidnappers in a bid to deter would-be hostage-takers
BBC, 28/9/2010


Nigerian town Aba shuts down after school kidnap
Schools, banks and markets are refusing to open in Nigeria's south-eastern town of Aba where 15 children were kidnapped on their way to school on Monday.
Residents told the BBC they feared further attacks by gang leaders notorious for demanding large ransoms.
Police say the gunmen holding the children have demanded $130,000 (£81,500) for their release.
There has been a rise in hostage-taking in Abia state, where many middle class Nigerians travel with armed escorts.
Abia state is on the fringes of the Niger Delta, where gunmen used to target oil workers for a ransom.
But in recent years, they have been kidnapping prominent Nigerians and their relatives, rather than foreign oil workers, whose security has been improved.
Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna told the BBC that efforts had been intensified to find the whereabouts of the children.
They were on their way to the Abayi International School in Aba, the state's commercial capital, when a vehicle blocked the path of their school bus.
He said the children, of nursery and primary school age, came from wealthy Nigerian families.
Most hostages are released unharmed after a ransom is paid.
President Goodluck Jonathan described Monday's kidnapping as "callous and cruel".
"President Jonathan has ordered the inspector general of police and heads of other security agencies to take all necessary steps to rescue the abducted children and return them safely to their parents," his spokesman Ima Niboro said.
A banker, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said he would not return to work until security was improved, and he was keeping his children at home.
Correspondents said that on Wednesday morning market keepers were also seen closing down, as rumours of an attack spread.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos said Abia state was awash with guns and in recent months it had become a by-word for kidnapping and armed robbery.
In recent weeks the governor of Abia state offered the gang leaders an amnesty in return for giving up weapons.
That offer has been rejected, as intermediaries for the criminal godfathers said they did not believe the governor was serious, our reporter said.
Kidnappings in Nigeria's south-east are carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom, but also by armed groups demanding a fairer distribution of oil revenue in a country flowing with oil but where most people live on less than $1 a day.
An amnesty that came into effect in the Delta last year has reduced unrest in the region - though three French oil workers were abducted in a raid on an offshore drilling ship last week.
Nigeria's parliament is considering a bill which would impose the death penalty on convicted kidnappers in a bid to deter would-be hostage-takers.
BBC, 29/9/2010


Viewpoint: What it means to be Nigerian
by Mannir Dan-Ali Focus on Africa Magazine
Why are we Nigerians not vociferously proud of our nationality?
I suppose patriotism is not the sort of thing that excites a lot of us. In fact any talk of patriotism is likely to induce a yawn or suspicion about the motive of the person raising it.
But that is not the same as saying that Nigerians have no sense of pride.
To understand patriotism's uneasy place in Nigeria, you have to go back to 1914 when the Southern and Northern protectorates and Lagos Colony were brought together to form a single country.
In the process about 250 disparate groups - including the three major ones of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba - were welded together in a "Tower of Babel" of sorts.
To this day, this uneasy coalition is still struggling to stay upright.
In fact, the story of Nigeria for the past 50 years seems to be characterised by a great deal of mutual distrust and suspicion between the various groups. And this state of affairs means that most Nigerians, consciously or not, see things from their tribal or factional perspective rather than from a common national point of view.
It appears that what many eminent Nigerians, including the celebrated writer Chinua Achebe, have referred to as the country's "failure of leadership" has meant a weakening of the national commonwealth and subsequently a lack of patriotism among its citizens.

Still marginalised
At the centre of this is the growing corruption of Nigeria's elite which has given rise to anger and disillusionment throughout the country.
The fragility in the Nigerian project - or a lack of patriotism, call it what you will - is even visible online.
Raise any issue that mentions Nigeria in an internet forum and you are likely to see many comments which betray the ethnic, sectional or religious bias of the writer. In reference to the challenges that we face today, some still refer to what they call "the mistake of 1914".
On a more serious scale, such perceptions have also fed into the muted separatist tendencies of organisations such as the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob).
This group came to prominence during Nigeria's civil war 40 years ago and is still hankering after an independent Biafra state - home largely to the Igbo people. Although today Massob seems to be a fringe group, the sentiments it champions continue to resonate among a surprising number of Igbos.
Many feel that they are still marginalised because, in the years since the end of the civil war in 1970, they are yet to hold the presidency.
In the oil-producing Niger Delta region, an uneasy amnesty programme has eased some of the separatist innuendos of the former militants who, earlier this year, swapped their weapons for some skills training and a promise of jobs.
But with general elections around the corner, it is unclear if President Goodluck Jonathan, an indigene of the Niger Delta who took the reins after the death of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, will be able to get an elected term on his own.
If he is fails, who knows what this could mean for national pride in the troubled region?

Patriotic awareness
But not all belief in a united Nigeria is lost.
You need look no further than sports competitions - especially football - for evidence of our patriotism. It is there that you will find Nigerians, irrespective of age, tribe or creed, enthusiastically cheering on the national team.
In fact, a growing trend in Nigeria's major cities is the display of the country's flag on vehicles whenever Nigeria appears in a tournament. That rare display of pride in something Nigerian is what many of the country's leaders want to see in other areas.
As a result, many government programmes now promote patriotic awareness and zeal.
An example is the current rebranding campaigns to show the positive sides of Nigeria and efforts to get people to buy Made in Nigeria products. The problem is that these efforts have not produced many tangible results, apart from providing the country's intrepid stand-up comedians with something to poke fun at.
While the comedians provoke mirth and laughter, it pains me to see the way we sometimes denigrate our national institutions in the process. A prime example is the army which, at the very least, has been making efforts to serve its civilian authority democratically.
But I am always proud as a Nigerian when at a gathering, everyone joins in rendering the national anthem without the aid of a recording. And when you go abroad you can always tell the Nigerian from other Africans judging by his self-confident, some would say cocky, way.
The biggest mistake a non-Nigerian can make is to try to criticise the country or to even innocently join the Nigerian pastime of self-condemnation. That is when you see that, in spite of all the negativity, Nigerians care for their country and still believe that one day its much talked about potential will be realised.
With the continent's biggest population of over 150 million, almost a million square kilometres of mostly arable land, vast quantities of mineral resources - most of which remain untapped - and the can-do spirit of its people, it is difficult to see why not.
I believe that in the next 50 years, Nigeria is likely to confound those who have been telling tales of its fall. Better elections will help to strengthen democracy by producing leaders who are more likely to inspire others who believe that it is possible to have a Nigeria where differences in creed, tribe and tongue are no barrier to nationhood.
BBC, 29/9/2010

Nigeria's emirs: Power behind the throne
by Dan Isaacs BBC News, Zaria
Praise-singers and drummers herald the arrival of the emir of Zazzau in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria.
Resplendent in his flowing red robes and turban, he is surrounded by courtiers and advisors, and protected from the sun by a large white ceremonial umbrella. Palace guards stand to attention as he passes.
In its turbulent half-century of independence, Nigeria has experienced not only a brutal civil war, but also a succession of military coups.
Only in the last decade has it enjoyed relatively stable civilian government.
Throughout this period, one institution that has played an important stabilising role has been that of the traditional rulers of kingdoms large and small across the country.
While traditional leaders hold few constitutional powers, no politician is wise to seek office without his blessing.
In pre-colonial days, kings ruled with absolute power across what is now northern Nigeria. Their origins pre-date even the arrival of Islam some 200 years ago.
Under British rule, these northern emirates were adopted as an integral part of the colonial administration and they became increasingly powerful.

Electoral impact
Today, despite attempts by successive governments to marginalise them from the political process, traditional leaders continue to exert significant influence.
"They continue to yield so much power in who gets what political appointments, although most of this influence remains behind the scenes," explains Kabiru Sufi, a political scientist.
This remains so particularly in the mainly Muslim north, where they are seen as custodians of both religion and tradition.
In one of Kano's largest markets it was difficult to find shoppers who disagreed with that sentiment.
"I trust my traditional rulers because they don't loot our money," one man told us, reflecting a widely held disillusionment with the elected political class in Nigeria.
Another says: "I trust them because they choose quality politicians who will help the people, and I'm happy to vote for the candidates they advise."
These sentiments are particularly pertinent at a time when political aspirants are jockeying for selection as party candidates ahead of local and national elections in just a few months' time.

Golden throne
At the emir's palace, a horn is sounded as he enters the inner royal chamber.
A succession of local dignitaries approach him, now seated on his golden crown, to pay their respects.
When independence came to Nigeria, Shehu Idris was a school headmaster.
But with his royal lineage he was destined for another calling.
For more than three decades, he has been the emir of a kingdom with its palace in the town of Zaria, and influence over a much larger region known as Zazzau.
We have been granted a special audience, and approach the royal throne.
Little has changed in terms of protocol and tradition in such courts for many centuries.
What role does he see for traditional rulers in today's Nigeria?
"It is for us to intervene in disputes to bring peace to communities," he says.
When it comes to elections, "we don't give support to politicians. We give them blessing, that they should have respect and be ready to serve the people who have elected them."
It is easy to be cynical, and to object that Nigeria's recent history has been both chaotic and violent.
Or to suggest that politicians in Nigeria are held in such low regard that any idea that they enter politics to serve anything other than their own pockets, sounds faintly ludicrous.
But the moral certainty of values the emir upholds are genuine and widely respected and traditional beliefs, both spiritual and religious, are powerful forces in Nigeria.
With the audience over, the trumpet sounds and the court herald declares the session at an end.
Along with his many advisors, we withdraw from the room leaving the emir alone on his golden throne.
BBC, 29/9/2010


Nigeria's children 'robbed of a future'
By Caroline Duffield BBC News, Kaduna
Nigeria holds the record as Africa's top energy producer and most populous nation, but it also holds less enviable records - like being one of the worse places in the world to be a schoolchild.
In the traffic-choked streets of the northern city of Kaduna, boys as young as 10 squat at bus-stops, crowding the dented buses that judder to a halt.
They jostle and shove around the doors, fighting for a few hours' work as a bus conductor.
One child is picked - the others melt back, to sit amongst the dirt, awaiting the next chance.
Thirteen-year-old Aminu Harona's eyes scan the road.
''I don't have any money, and my parents are poor, that's why I do this," he says.
''I just want to earn some money, to help my parents.''
Thirteen is old in this job, and Aminu works harder than he did three years ago.
The bus drivers tend to pick younger boys: They are considered less likely to pilfer money from fares, and are better at scrambling around the crammed vehicles.
''People do not value us. I just wish to go back to school, to learn what I can do in my future," says Aminu.

'Carried away by love'
More than half of the 8.2m children out of school in Nigeria are in the north.


Education in numbers
Children out of school: 8.2m
Primary school attendance in the north: less than 50%
School graduates unemployed: 1/3
Nigerians under 18: 75m
Total population: 154m


The streets teem with impoverished youngsters, sprinting amongst heavy traffic, selling water and food.
In spite of Nigeria's public commitment to universal free education, less than 50% of children in northern Nigeria attend primary school, and only one in three is female, according to the Campaign for Global Education.
Local traditions of early marriage, and widespread suspicions over Western morals in schools, mean that girls are extremely unlikely to go to school.
"I was carried away by love. I was eight and I left school, because I wanted to get married," exclaims Hauwal Tijjani, frowning.
Her parents followed the local traditions in the villages: She was married by the time she was 13.
But by 16 her baby had died, and her husband divorced her - a pattern familiar in the region.
Hauwal spoke to the BBC amid the hum of sewing machines at the Tattalli Free School, a charity in Kaduna's back streets.
More than 30 students at the school are teenagers who are now divorced.
"It is poverty," says Rukayyat Adamu, the school's organiser.
"In the villages, the parents can afford nothing," she says.
"There is no money for schooling.
"There is nothing to do but to just marry the girls out."
Hauwal now sees her adolescent marriage as a mistake, and struggles to support herself.
"I had done the greatest damage to myself anyone could do," she says, softly.
"I wasted my first years of opportunity, and I want to do important things with my life."

'Conniving officials'
Nigeria's untapped youthful potential is dizzying.
Seventy-five million - more than half the entire population - are under 18 and experts say another 68 million will be born by 2050.
Currently, one-third of school graduates are unemployed and analysts warn the economy must dramatically expand to keep pace with the demand for jobs.
"It all begins with education," says a local teacher, Jibril Suleiman Zakirai, guiding us through Unguwar Shanu local market.
A lucrative trade in the illegal sale of educational materials is clearly apparent, which local teachers say is crippling their work.
"It makes my heart bleed," says Mr Zakirai, in disgust. "These books are supposed to be distributed freely to the pupils in the schools."
The brightly coloured grammar and other text books dotting the stalls are clearly marked ''Not for Sale'' and ''Property of the Government of Nigeria''.
Only those parents able to afford the price can buy them.
"It is disturbing, glaringly clear," says Mr Zakiary. "Somehow, officials are conniving with storekeepers, to sell these."
He snorts in anger as the bookseller asks whether we want to buy a bulk consignment of the books.
"What little the government is providing, is not even going in the right direction," he says in frustration.
"Nigeria's children are being robbed."
BBC, 29/9/2010


Thousands of Nigerian women 'found in Mali slave camps'
Nigerian girls are being forced to work as prostitutes in Mali "slave camps", say officials in Nigeria.
The girls, many of them under age, have often been promised jobs in Europe but ended up in brothels, said the government's anti-trafficking agency.
The brothels are run by older Nigerian women who prevent them from leaving and take all their earnings.
The agency said it was working with Malian police to free the girls and help them return to Nigeria.
There has been no official comment from the Mali authorities.
Nigeria's National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (Naptip) said officials visited Mali this month to follow up "horrendous reports" from victims, aid workers and clergy in Mali.
They said there were hundreds of brothels, each housing up to 200 girls, run by Nigerian "madams" who force them to work against their will and take their earnings.
"We are talking of thousands and thousands of girls," Simon Egede, Executive Secretary of Naptip, told a news conference in Abuja.
"We are talking of certainly between 20,000 and about 40,000," he said, but did not give details of how the figure had been reached.
In a statement, Mr Egede said girls were "held in bondage for the purposes of forced sexual exploitation and servitude or slavery-like practices".
"The madams control their freedom of movement, where they work, when they work and what they receive," he said.

Abortion clinics
The trade is centred around the capital Bamako and large cities, but the most notorious brothels are in the mining towns of Kayes and Mopti, where the sex workers live in "near slavery condition", said Naptip.
Many of the brothels there also had abortion clinics where foetuses were removed by traditional healers for use in rituals, said Mr Egede.
Most of the girls were reported to have come from Delta and Edo States in Nigeria.
Many were lured with the promise of work in Europe, given fake travel documents and made to swear an oath that they would not tell anyone where they were going.
On arrival in Mali they were told they would have to work as prostitutes to pay off their debts. Prostitution is legal in Mali but not if it involves minors.
Naptip said it had also uncovered two major trafficking routes used to transport the women from Nigeria through Benin, Niger or Bukina Faso to Mali.
Mr Egede said Naptip was working with the police in Mali to return the girls to Nigeria safely, shut down the trade and prosecute the traffickers.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos said the Edo State region of Nigeria in particular had become notorious for prostitution, with thousands of women and girls leaving every year to make money as sex workers.
But the suggestion that there was an organised ring of older women operating as traffickers - and that they were tricking younger women into leaving - was new, said our correspondent.
BBC, 29/9/2010


How Nigeria has affected the rest of Africa
As Nigeria celebrates 50 years of independence, BBC reporters look at the impact Africa's most populous nation has had on countries around the continent - from its movie industry and peacekeeping efforts to its notoriety for ingenious scams.

Ghana - by David Amanor:
There is no mistaking the ancient cultural and linguistic ties between the neighbours. However, the post-colonial relationship has been characterised by a kind of sibling rivalry. Nigeria is highly respected for leading effective peacekeeping in the region, and at the same time mocked for failing to ensure peace in Nigeria. While Ghana takes pride in leading the continental way in independence, democratisation, and more recently, in sporting achievements.
An estimated 1m Nigerian nationals and dual citizens live and work in Ghana and, paradoxically, communication has been made easier by a shared colonial intervention - the English language and its pidgin variants. And if you go to any home or office in Accra at any time of day, you'll find Ghanaians glued to a television set. Invariably the attraction, or distraction, is a Nollywood movie with common themes of supernatural causes, twisted love, and thrilling crime. Nigerian R&B has also captured the musical tastes of Ghana's urban youth in a big way.
On the streets of Accra I asked some people what the first thing that came to mind with the mention of Nigeria. "Brotherhood," said Stephen Ofosu, a commercial driver. "What I like about Nigerians is that they are hard working in business." Pressed for negative aspects, the answer flowed promptly and unimpeded. "Fraudsters and 419," he replied, referring to the scams often run by well-organised gangs known by the penal code which outlaws them in Nigeria. Laurentia, a higher education student, added: "Whenever a set of armed robbers is caught here, definitely there will be two Nigerians among them."
More wide-ranging positive views came from Nana Akua: "Nigerians like to dress traditionally when it comes to international occasions, we also take pride in our culture but our leaders dress like the whites when they go abroad."


DR Congo - by Thomas Hubert:
In sprawling Kinshasa, the only means of transportation is a fleet of ancient, battered taxis.
And if the city does not grind to a complete halt, it is thanks to a network of largely Nigerian traders who provide drivers with precious spare parts.
Huddled around the Kimpwanza roundabout, hundreds of colourful shops display the rare English-language signs visible in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital. "Chance Motors", "In God We Trust Auto" and their neighbours proudly display man-high piles of headlamps, starters and brake pads.
Those entrepreneurs use their connections in West Africa, a global exchange for second-hand automobile parts, to import the much sought-after pieces of mechanics.
Each garage specialises in one or several car manufacturers. For example, if you own a Ford and break down, your only hope is Nigerian-owned Lita Motors, where orders are taken in English or in the local Lingala - but not in the official French.
And perhaps it is the language barrier that has stopped Nollywood, as the Nigerian film industry is known, becoming the phenomenon it has in other African countries.


Libya - by Rana Jawad:
While Nigeria's cultural influence may have been huge across other parts of Africa, neither Nollywood nor Naija groove has reached Libya, despite the many illegal Nigerian migrants who regularly cross the desert to reach the North Africa country in the hope of eventually reaching Europe.
To many here, the only thing the two countries share is oil. Their experiences of illegal migrants largely perpetuate negative images of Nigeria and its people, who are viewed as untrustworthy and as being at the forefront of drug smuggling and robberies.
However, you will occasionally come across a Tripoli resident with a positive anecdote - like how they enjoyed practising English with their Nigerian household help.
On the political front, although Nigeria may be seen by some as the giant of Africa, Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi seems to like putting the West Africa nation in its place. Earlier this year, he suggested - to the fury of Nigerian MPs - that the country split in two along religious lines. Shortly after he went even further suggesting the country fragment into several states along ethnic grounds.


Cameroon - by Randy Joe Sa'ah:
Some 3,000 boundary pillars are being planted along the Cameroon-Nigeria border - it is hoped they will prevent further disputes between the neighbours which nearly went to war over the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsular. The conflict was the peak of their mutual suspicion and several lives have been lost in border skirmishes over the years.
Cameroon has long viewed her giant neighbour as an imperialist-in-the-making, especially given Nigerians' ballooning population. They began arriving Cameroon in the early colonial days as fishermen, traders and administrators. Their population is now estimated at more than 4m out of a population of 19.5m.
They own virtually all motor spare part shops and now Nigerian Pentecostal pastors are setting up everywhere and performing supposed miracle-healing services. But many young Cameroonians think churches are flourishing businesses and have joined the race to become pastors, prophets, deacons and overnight bishops. They seem to be in a hurry to transform beer parlours into prayer grounds.
Truly, the "Naija" brand is here and no-one can ignore it. Nollywood films are popular in homes, video clubs and TV channels. Cameroon's young film sector is benefiting from the expertise of their Nigerian friends who have jointly produced a few Made In Cameroon videos. Nigerian gospel music also has enveloped the place and the likes of the P-Square duo have been thoroughly embraced by the youth. But it is not one-way traffic: Many Cameroonians have for decades studied in Nigerian universities.
Perhaps the most concrete evidence of the thawing of relations is the eminent construction of a multi-million dollar highway from Enugu in Nigeria to Mutengene in Cameroon. No-one seems happier than merchants of both countries.


Kenya - by Kevin Mwachiro:
For a long time the only export Nigeria provided Kenya was bad news. Stories of corruption, rogue pastors, hustlers, conmen, scams, even worse traffic than Nairobi and lots and lots of people. The only positive tales were literary, thanks to Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and Elechi Amadi.
What changed it all for us in Kenya was Nollywood. Nigeria became real and we were exposed to Nigerians telling their stories and not us being told stories about Nigerians. All of a sudden there were VCDs and DVDs being sold of Nollywood blockbusters. I have an uncle who has a mammoth collection of Nigerian movies and a few other relatives who swear on the integrity of Nigerian pastors.
And as people were exposed to Nigerians, either on the big screen on in person, other elements of Nigeria made their way into the lives of Kenya - notably in fashion and music. Huge and colourful head-wraps, accessorised elegant and colourful boubous (traditional gowns) and for a number of women, that was the outfit of choice at social gatherings. We also started dancing to Nigerian tunes from 2Face, D'banj, Femi Kuti, Bracket and P-Square.
So Kenyans now dance to a very different Nigerian tune. Thanks to Nigeria, West Africa is now at home in East Africa.


Liberia - by Jonathan Paye-Layleh:
Economic links between Liberia and the giant of West Africa have always been strong - the most visible sign of which is the 85km (50 mile) Ibrahim Babangida Highway (named after a former Nigerian head of state) to Sierra Leone's border.
But it is Nigeria's peacekeeping efforts that Liberians are most grateful for. When the civil war broke out, Nigeria led a West African intervention force, Ecomog, which prevented the rebels of Charles Taylor from overrunning the capital, Monrovia, in August 1990.
Ever since, Nigeria has been in the vanguard of peacekeeping efforts in Liberia, and in recent times, has also sent doctors and teachers to help with the country's acute shortages.
Nigerian-owned churches are, arguably, the largest in Liberia, which is fiercely religious, as the country was founded on the principles of Christianity by freed slaves repatriated from the US in the 19th Century.
It is true to say that Nigerians feel at home here. Many Nigerians, including those in the UN peacekeeping force and private traders, are married to Liberian women and have fathered hundreds of children in recent years.
Nigerian movies are also extremely popular and the young Liberian film industry, modelling itself on Nollywood, is called Lolliwood.
But sadly, Nigerians have also been linked to armed robbery and drug pushing in the post-war period.


Zambia - by Mutuna Chanda:
Peter Ngoma is a Zambian street hawker who earns an average of $20 (£12) a day selling DVDs. He moves from one street to the other selling his wares. Nigerian films account for a third of his earnings - a feat that the Zambian film industry is yet to reach.
Productions from Nollywood have had a phenomenal impact on Zambians. Most of Zambia's television stations, especially recently established ones, have Nigerian films as part of their regular programming.
The Nigerian influence has been so infectious that in some circles friends pick up the distinctive West African accent whenever they joke or chat amongst themselves about happenings in their lives.
It is Nigerians' power of persuasion, irrespective of what they, do that makes their products sell - and it is what makes them a hit even in religious circles.
Zambia is host to churches with origins from Nigeria and a number of them have large followings.
Such is the popularity of their brand, that many ailing Zambians have flown to Nigeria to seek further healing.


South Africa - by Pumza Fihlani:
District 9, the recent Hollywood blockbuster about aliens in South Africa, depicted Nigerians as seedy criminals - it might have only been a movie but in many parts of the country this stereotype has been accepted as fact. Logic says this is a generalisation, still for some reason ordinary South Africans blame no-one else for the country's drug and crime problem - you're almost guaranteed the same answer: "Nigerians - men particularly."
Despite these prejudices millions of Nigerians have made this their home and started families here, which has proved another bone of contention. Phrases like: "They are stealing our jobs and our women" are flung around at dinner tables whenever talk about our brothers and sisters from the north arise.
Still many South Africans do enjoy Nigerian films - there are two channels on DSTV satellite just dedicated to Nollywood, while churches led by Nigerians have mushroomed in many cities, mostly around Johannesburg.
And you have to admire Nigerians, who tend to stand out in a crowd with their big flashy cars, bold dress and lively speech, for their ability to keep their heads up in the midst of great and often undue condemnation.
BBC, 30/9/2010