giovedì 1 dicembre 2011

NOVEMBRE 2011

novembre 2, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, INCHIESTA SUL CONTRABBANDO DI PETROLIO

novembre 3, 2011 - NIGERIA
BOKO HARAM, AL VIA OPERAZIONE DELL’ESERCITO

novembre 4, 2011 - NIGERIA
ATTENTATI A MAIDUGURI, ANCHE CONTRO CASERMA DELL’ESERCITO

novembre 9, 2011 - NIGERIA
DOPO LE STRAGI NEL NORD UNA RICHIESTA DI AIUTO

novembre 14, 2011 - NIGERIA
SUSSIDI BENZINA, L’OPPOSIZIONE CHIEDE UN REFERENDUM

novembre 23, 2011 - NIGERIA
CAMBIANO I VERTICI DELL’ENTE PER LA LOTTA ALLA CORRUZIONE

novembre 23, 2011 - 17:57 NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, L’ENI ACCUSATA DI VIOLARE I DIRITTI UMANI

novembre 25, 2011 - NIGERIA
JOS, COPRIFUOCO DOPO SCONTRI TRA COMUNITÀ

novembre 28, 2011 - NIGERIA
L’ADDIO DEL BIAFRA A OJUKWU, “L’EROE PIÙ AMATO”

novembre 30, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, I SOLDATI UCCIDONO PER DIFENDERE LA SHELL

1 November 2011
Nigeria election: Buhari's CPC fails to nullify result

4 November 2011
Nigerian gunmen kill churchgoers in Zonkwa, Kaduna

4 November 2011
Nigerian comic Baba Suwe freed after drug arrest

5 November 2011
Nigeria bomb attacks 'kill dozens' in Damaturu

11 November 2011
Why can't Nigeria defeat Boko Haram?

21 November 2011
Polio in Nigeria 'shows big increase'

21 November 2011
Nigeria police link Boko Haram sect to politicians

22 November 2011
Nigeria senator Ali Ndume 'linked to Boko Haram'

26 November 2011 
Nigeria's ex-Biafra leader Chukwuemeka Ojukwu dies

27 November 2011 
Nigeria Islamist militants Boko Haram 'attack Yobe'


novembre 2, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, INCHIESTA SUL CONTRABBANDO DI PETROLIO
L’apertura di un’inchiesta sul furto e il contrabbando di greggio, un fenomeno considerato in crescita negli ultimi tempi, è stata disposta dal parlamento nigeriano con una risoluzione approvata a larga maggioranza.
“C’è – ha sottolineato Daniel Rayenieju, il deputato che ha presentato la risoluzione – una crescita senza precedenti del contrabbando lungo le coste: questo fatto si accompagna al rischio di danneggiamenti quotidiani degli oleodotti e delle infrastrutture e a un generale stato di insicurezza”.
Nel fine-settimana non lontano dal confine con il Benin sono state sequestrate due navi coinvolte, secondo gli inquirenti, nel contrabbando di greggio rubato. Alcuni giorni prima, con la stessa accusa, nove persone erano state condannate a 90 anni di carcere.
La Nigeria è il principale produttore di petrolio dell’area sub-sahariana. Il 90% del greggio è estratto nel Delta del Niger, una regione dove gran parte della popolazione vive in povertà e dove traffici illegali e rivolte armate sono anche il risultato dell’incapacità dei governi di favorire lo sviluppo sociale. (MISNA)


novembre 3, 2011 - NIGERIA
BOKO HARAM, AL VIA OPERAZIONE DELL’ESERCITO
Un’operazione dell’esercito contro Boko Haram è in corso a Maiduguri, roccaforte di questo gruppo responsabile negli ultimi anni di violenze e attentati soprattutto nel nord della Nigeria: lo dicono alla MISNA religiosi che vivono in città, confermando le dichiarazioni di un portavoce militare.
“I soldati – raccontano da Maiduguri – sono entrati in diverse case ed edifici alla ricerca di armi”. L’operazione è scattata dopo che nel fine-settimana era scaduto un ultimatum del governo rivolto ai militanti di Boko Haram. Secondo i religiosi sentiti dalla MISNA, chi ha consegnato le armi entro i tempi stabiliti ha beneficiato di un’amnistia e ora è libero.
L’operazione è stata avviata dopo la pubblicazione di uno studio commissionato dal governo nel quale si invita l’esecutivo a “valutare la possibilità” di una trattativa “previa rinuncia di ogni forma di violenza e consegna delle armi” da parte dei militanti.
Boko Haram è un gruppo di matrice islamica che sostiene di battersi contro modelli culturali di tipo “occidentale”. L’intensificarsi delle violenze e degli attentati, a partire dal 2009, è legata alle difficoltà economiche e agli squilibri regionali che penalizzano alcune regioni settentrionali. A Boko Haram è stato attribuito tra l’altro un attentato contro la sede degli uffici dell’Onu ad Abuja che, il 26 agosto, ha causato oltre 20 vittime. . (MISNA)


novembre 4, 2011 - NIGERIA
ATTENTATI A MAIDUGURI, ANCHE CONTRO CASERMA DELL’ESERCITO
Diverse esplosioni sono avvenute oggi nella città settentrionale di Maiduguri, anche di fronte a una caserma dell’esercito: lo indicano testimonianze rilanciate da fonti di stampa locali e internazionali all’indomani dell’inizio di un’operazione militare contro il gruppo armato Boko Haram.
Secondo il portavoce dell’esercito Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed, un’autobomba è esplosa all’ingresso della base provocando la morte dell’attentatore e il ferimento di un soldato. Esplosioni sono avvenute anche in altre zone della città, in particolare di fronte al College El-Kanemi di teologia islamica.
Non è chiaro se ci siano vittime e, nel caso, quante siano. Secondo testimonianze rilanciate dall’edizione online del quotidiano “The Vanguard”, dopo le esplosioni le vie della città si sono svuotate. Un corrispondente dell’agenzia di stampa americana “Associated Press” ha riferito che l’esercito ha isolato un quartiere della città e cominciato un rastrellamento.
Dopo lo scadere di un’offerta di amnistia, a Maiduguri i militari hanno cominciato ieri perquisizioni casa per casa alla ricerca di armi. . (MISNA)


Novembre 9, 2011 - NIGERIA
DOPO LE STRAGI NEL NORD UNA RICHIESTA DI AIUTO
“Chiediamo al mondo preghiere per la pace e aiuti materiali, anche per ricostruire la chiesa di Saint Mary, una delle più grandi della Nigeria nord-orientale”: è l’appello affidato alla MISNA da monsignor Oliver Dashe Doeme, il vescovo di Maiduguri, dopo gli attentati che nella sua diocesi hanno causato decine di vittime.
La chiesa di Saint Mary a Damaturu, dice monsignor Doeme, è ridotta a un cumulo di macerie. Nella città, la capitale dello Stato nord-orientale di Yobe, sono state danneggiate o date alle fiamme anche moschee. Come tanti altri, i due sacerdoti cattolici della città sono fuggiti nel timore di nuovi attentati dei militanti del gruppo Boko Haram.
Secondo la Croce Rossa nigeriana, tra venerdì e sabato a Damaturu, Maiduguri e Potiskum sono state uccise più di 60 persone. In queste città oggi in migliaia sono tornati al lavoro per la prima volta dopo gli attentati, perché nel nord a maggioranza musulmana lunedì e martedì erano giorni di festa per l’Eid-Ad-Adha.
Stando a Aliwu Sambo, responsabile per gli Stati nord-orientali dell’Ente nazionale per la gestione delle emergenze (Nema) sentito dalla MISNA, “la situazione sta tornando alla normalità”. In molti, però, credono che il governo cerchi di rassicurare per scongiurare vendette a catena.
In relazione alle stragi sono stati annunciati nove arresti. Al quotidiano “The Nation” funzionari di polizia hanno detto di aver ottenuto informazioni utili per effettuare altri fermi. Niente di nuovo invece sul fronte politico, dopo lo scadere il 31 ottobre di un’offerta di amnistia per i militanti che avessero deciso di consegnare le armi.
Boko Haram è un gruppo terroristico di matrice islamica che sostiene di battersi contro modelli culturali di tipo “occidentale”. Trae la sua forza dalle difficoltà economiche e dagli squilibri regionali che penalizzano il nord semiarido e per lo più musulmano della Nigeria. . (MISNA)


novembre 14, 2011 - NIGERIA
SUSSIDI BENZINA, L’OPPOSIZIONE CHIEDE UN REFERENDUM
Uno dei principali partiti di opposizione ha chiesto la convocazione di un referendum su un progetto del governo di abolire i sussidi che storicamente tengono bassi i prezzi del carburante. La tesi è che la misura finirebbe per “aggravare la povertà”.
Secondo l’Action Congress of Nigeria (Acn), se dal 1° gennaio i sussidi fossero aboliti ci sarebbero “effetti moltiplicatori su tutti gli aspetti della vita, dall’istruzione ai trasporti, dal costo del cibo agli standard di vita”.
Il partito sostiene che la “deregolamentazione” promessa da Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, ministro delle Finanze nonché ex dirigente della Banca mondiale, determinerebbe rincari a catena insostenibili in un paese dove l’80% della popolazione già vive al di sotto della soglia di povertà.
Secondo il governo l’abolizione dei sussidi consentirebbe di risparmiare ogni anno 1300 miliardi di naira, circa cinque miliardi e 800 milioni di euro. Una parte di queste risorse potrebbe essere destinata a progetti di sviluppo infrastrutturale, un’altra parte alla creazione di “reti di protezione per i segmenti poveri della società”.
Oggi in Nigeria un litro di benzina costa 65 naira, meno di 30 centesimi di euro. Secondo alcuni sindacati e organizzazioni non governative, l’abolizione dei sussidi potrebbe determinare aumenti dei prezzi compresi tra il 200 e il 300%. . (MISNA)


novembre 23, 2011 - NIGERIA
CAMBIANO I VERTICI DELL’ENTE PER LA LOTTA ALLA CORRUZIONE
Con un decreto della presidenza è stato destituito oggi il capo dell’ente nazionale per la lotta alla corruzione, un organismo dal notevole peso politico in un paese dove tangenti e altre pratiche illegali degli amministratori contribuiscono ormai da decenni a ostacolare lo sviluppo economico e sociale.
La notizia della destituzione di Farida Waziri, la presidente della Commissione per i reati economici e finanziari (Efcc), è diventata questa mattina l’apertura delle edizioni online dei principali quotidiani della Nigeria.
Nel decreto del presidente Goodluck Jonathan non si indicano le motivazioni della decisione. La Waziri era stata nominata nel 2008 dall’ex capo di Stato Umaru Yar’Adua. I critici della sua gestione, tra i quali l’amministrazione statunitense, hanno sostenuto che le spese dell’Efcc si sono triplicate in pochi anni senza portare a un aumento delle incriminazioni. Alcuni organi di stampa, però, ricordano come la Waziri abbia avuto un ruolo decisivo nell’accusare banchieri di primo piano responsabili di una truffa che nel 2009 aveva rischiato di determinare un collasso del settore creditizio in Nigeria. . (MISNA)
 

novembre 23, 2011 - 17:57 NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, L’ENI ACCUSATA DI VIOLARE I DIRITTI UMANI
Il gruppo petrolifero italiano Eni non ha mantenuto l’impegno a interrompere il “gas flaring”, la combustione del metano nell’atmosfera, una pratica definita dalla magistratura nigeriana una violazione dei diritti umani: la denuncia è contenuta in un rapporto presentato a Roma da un’organizzazione non governativa.
Lo studio della Campagna per la riforma della Banca mondiale, un programma dell’ong Mani Tese, è il frutto di un’inchiesta realizzata a settembre in tre differenti Stati della regione petrolifera del Delta del Niger.
Sulla base di centinaia di interviste, realizzate anche con l’ausilio dell’organizzazione non governativa nigeriana Environmental Rights Action, i ricercatori denunciano un’ampia serie di violazioni connesse all’estrazione e alla trasformazione del greggio e del gas naturale.
Parte dello studio si concentra sull’Okpai Power Plant, un impianto per la produzione di elettricità costruito sei anni fa nello Stato del Delta dalla Nigerian Agip Oil Corporation (Naoc), una sussidiaria dell’Eni. In un documento diffuso in occasione di un’assemblea degli azionisti che si era svolta nel maggio scorso, l’Eni si era impegnata a ridurre a zero entro un mese il “gas flaring”. Secondo il rapporto, però, a distanza di mesi da quella scadenza la combustione del metano nell’atmosfera “continua senza sosta 24 ore al giorno” provocando danni sia ambientali che sociali.
A essere contestata è anche l’entità della riduzione delle emissioni di anidride carbonica prodotte dall’impianto. Nel documento diffuso da Eni a maggio si riferiva di un calo di cinque milioni e 410.000 tonnellate di CO2 equivalente. Secondo un rapporto di valutazione disponibile sul sito della Convenzione dell’Onu sui cambiamenti climatici (Unfccc), però, tra la fine del 2006 e la fine del 2009 la diminuzione sarebbe stata tra le tre e le quattro volte inferiore. . (MISNA)


novembre 25, 2011 - NIGERIA
JOS, COPRIFUOCO DOPO SCONTRI TRA COMUNITÀ
Almeno 10 vittime, 20 case date alle fiamme, il coprifuoco per scongiurare l’estendersi del conflitto: religiosi sentiti dalla MISNA a Jos raccontano così gli scontri tra comunità di pastori e contadini avvenuti ieri a pochi chilometri da questa città della Nigeria centrale.
Secondo padre Gabriel Gowok, segretario dell’arcivescovado di Jos, gli scontri nel distretto di Barkin Ladi sono cominciati dopo che un gruppo di pastori di etnia fulani ha aggredito e ucciso un contadino di etnia berom.
“Il coprifuoco – aggiunge il religioso – è stato imposto per scongiurare l’estendersi del conflitto e il ripetersi di drammi già visti in passato”.
Jos è nota in Nigeria e nel mondo per le faide tra bande armate che si contendono il potere, la terra e le poche risorse disponibili in un’area segnata da povertà e disoccupazione. In pochi anni sono stati uccise centinaia di persone. Problemi di carattere economico e sociale sono stati in passato spesso dissimulati come conflitti etnici e religiosi tra i fulani musulmani e i berom cristiani. . (MISNA)


novembre 28, 2011 - NIGERIA
L’ADDIO DEL BIAFRA A OJUKWU, “L’EROE PIÙ AMATO”
Potrebbero esserci funerali di Stato per Odumegwu Ojukwu, il colonnello che nel 1967 proclamò la Repubblica del Biafra per difendere i diritti delle popolazioni del sud-est della Nigeria dagli abusi del regime militare: lo scrive oggi, a due giorni dalla sua scomparsa a Londra, il quotidiano di Lagos “This Day”.
Le indiscrezioni dei “funzionari della presidenza” sul funerale, che potrebbe tenersi all’inizio dell’anno prossimo, sono l’ultimo omaggio a una tra le figure più significative nella storia della Nigeria indipendente. Ojukwu, aveva già detto il capo dello Stato Goodluck Jonathan, “fu spinto ad assumere un ruolo guida nella guerra civile” dal suo “grande amore per la sua gente, la giustizia e l’uguaglianza”.
Ojukwu proclamò la secessione della Repubblica del Biafra dalla Nigeria dopo il colpo di Stato del tenente Yakubu Gowon, l’inizio di violenze a sfondo etnico e l’esclusione degli igbo della Nigeria sud-orientale da tutte le strutture del potere federale. La guerra civile si concluse nel 1970, “senza vincitori né vinti” secondo il governo, ma con oltre un milione di vittime.
Ojukwu tornò in Nigeria nel 1982, dopo un esilio di 13 anni e la grazia del presidente Shehu Shagari. Dalla sua comunità di Nnewi ricevette il titolo onorifico di Ikemba, un’espressione che vuol dire “potere al popolo”. Per tutti gli Igbo era diventato “Dikedioramma”, l’“eroe più amato”. . (MISNA)


novembre 30, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, I SOLDATI UCCIDONO PER DIFENDERE LA SHELL
Almeno tre vittime, decine di feriti, villaggi deserti: sono le conseguenze di un’incursione dell’esercito per arrestare i giovani che avevano guidato una protesta contro la multinazionale petrolifera Royal Dutch Shell nella regione del Delta del Niger.
Secondo il quotidiano “The Vanguard”, l’offensiva è scattata ieri dopo che un gruppo di dimostranti della comunità Uzere aveva occupato una stazione di pompaggio. Gli scontri tra soldati e dimostranti, riferisce il giornale, hanno costretto a lasciare il suo villaggio anche il re tradizionale Isaac Udogri I.
La presenza di Shell nel Delta, il cuore petrolifero della Nigeria, è da sempre accompagnata dalle accuse di inquinamento e violazioni dei diritti delle comunità locali. La protesta di ieri era motivata dal rifiuto della multinazionale di assumersi impegni per lo sviluppo dei villaggi. Il ruolo di Shell nell’economia della Nigeria è confermato in questi giorni dal risalto dato dai quotidiani all’annuncio della chiusura per manutenzione di un impianto della multinazionale in grado di produrre 115.000 barili al giorno. . (MISNA)


1 November 2011
Nigeria election: Buhari's CPC fails to nullify result

A tribunal in Nigeria has rejected an attempt by the opposition to declare President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in April's election fraudulent.
The result triggered violence in northern strongholds of defeated opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari after he rejected the result.
But the judge said Mr Jonathan won the election lawfully.
Mr Jonathan, a southerner, obtained 59% of the vote, while Mr Buhari got 32%.
In May, Mr Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) party filed a petition with the presidential election tribunal to nullify the result.
"The petition fails in its entirety and is hereby dismissed," tribunal head Justice Kumai Akaahs said.
"The third respondent [Jonathan] scored the majority lawful votes cast at the election."

'Most credible poll'
The CPC said it would appeal against the ruling.
CPC supporters unleashed violence after the election, claiming the result had been rigged.
An estimated 500 people were killed, thousands of people forced from their homes and some mosques and churches set on fire.
Mr Buhari distanced himself from the violence.
Most observers had hailed the election as the most credible since military rule ended in Nigeria in 1999.
Mr Buhari, a former military ruler, has said he was cheated of victory in two previous elections.
Mr Jonathan was appointed to the presidency last year upon the death of incumbent Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner whom he had served as vice-president.
Many in the north felt the next president should have been from their region, as Mr Yar'Adua died before he could finish his term.
Mr Buhari won most of the mainly Muslim northern states but nationwide only gained half as many votes as President Jonathan.
Analysts say the violence has more to do with poverty and economic marginalisation in the north than religion.
The north and south also have cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences. BBC NEWS


4 November 2011
Nigerian gunmen kill churchgoers in Zonkwa, Kaduna

At least two people have been shot dead and 11 wounded after gunmen launched an overnight attack on a church in northern Nigeria, officials say.
The attack happened in the Kaduna state town of Zonkwa, where hundreds were killed after April's election.
Kaduna is divided along political, ethnic and religious lines and the BBC's Nura Ringim in the state says it is thought to be a revenge attack.
Thousands of Muslim Hausas and Fulanis were forced from their homes in April.
Our correspondent says that some of those attacked had vowed to take revenge, as had the Boko Haram Islamist militant group, based further north in Borno state.
He says some 3,000 people are still living in a camp in the state capital, Kaduna, after their houses were burnt in the Zonkwa post-election clashes.
A police spokesman told our correspondent that some of those shot in the latest attack on a congregation performing a night vigil were in a critical condition.
Kaduna mirrors Nigeria as a whole, with the south largely inhabited by Christian groups, while Muslims form a majority in the north.
In April's elections, Patrick Ibrahim Yokowa became the state's first Christian governor.
He belongs to the People's Democratic Party, which governs at the federal level.
The opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) gains much of its support from Muslim groups.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in recent years in neighbouring Plateau state in a deadly spiral of revenge attacks between rival groups similarly split along ethnic, religious and political lines. BBC NEWS


4 November 2011
Nigerian comic Baba Suwe freed after drug arrest

Nigerian comic actor Babatunde Omidina, popularly known by his stage name Baba Suwe, has been freed on bail in Lagos.
He was detained on suspicion of drug trafficking on 12 October after a body scanner at Lagos airport identified suspected drugs in his stomach.
But after more than three weeks in jail, officials from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) admitted he had failed to excrete any drugs.
His fans and supporters cheered as he left the building after the hearing.
His bail had been set at $3,300 (£2,000).
"There have been several examinations carried out on him and no banned substances have so far been found," his lawyer Bamidele Aturu told the court.
Baba Suwe is a famous comedian in Nigeria's film industry, known as Nollywood, and his arrest shocked many of his fans.
He acts in both English and Yoruba language films, often playing the role of a befuddled butler or security guard. BBC NEWS


5 November 2011
Nigeria bomb attacks 'kill dozens' in Damaturu

A series of bomb attacks in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Damaturu has killed at least 30 people, reports say.
Witnesses said the bombs hit several targets, including churches and the headquarters of the Yobe state police.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher, in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, says gunfire lasted into the night and residents were said to be fleeing.
It follows attacks on security forces in the nearby city of Maiduguri blamed on the Islamist Boko Haram group.
There are reports from a hospital in Damaturu that as many as 60 people may have been killed.
An unnamed local government official in Damaturu was quoted by AFP news agency as saying that hundreds of wounded people were being treated in the hospital.
The state police commissioner said the attacks caught the town by surprise and he was still trying to establish the number of casualties, our correspondent reports.

'Church torched'
Witnesses said the attacks began on Friday at about 18:30 (17:30 GMT) and lasted for about 90 minutes.
Gunmen then engaged in running battles with security forces.
A Roman Catholic parish priest told our correspondent his church had been burnt down and eight other churches also attacked.
The attacks followed a triple suicide bomb attack on a military headquarters in Maiduguri, in neighbouring Borno state.
Military officials said the three attackers had died.
That attack is believed to be the work of Boko Haram, which has launched frequent attacks on the police and government officials.
The name means "Western education is forbidden". BBC NEWS


11 November 2011
Why can't Nigeria defeat Boko Haram?

Nigeria's Defence Minister Bello Halliru Mohammed says his men are once again "on top" of the security situation in the north - which has seen a spate of attacks by militant Islamist group Boko Haram - and that people have nothing to fear.
But his words may not re-assure many.
As last week's bomb and gun attacks in the north-eastern Yobe and Borno states and the earlier explosions in the capital, Abuja, have shown, Boko Haram - once a small religious sect - is now a flexible dynamic organisation capable of changing tactics and targets.
The search for a long-term solution continues. President Goodluck Jonathan's declared policy of "carrot and stick" is supposed to reach out to the militants, while improving security.
But is it in fact muddying the water?
Many now believe that the heavy military presence in Borno and neighbouring states is the biggest single factor hindering any chance of a negotiated settlement and peace.
Abubakar Kari, a political scientist from the University of Abuja, says he believes Nigeria is still feeling the consequences of the government's attempt to destroy the group in 2009.
Boko Haram's headquarters in Borno state capital Maiduguri was destroyed and their founder and leader Muhammad Yusuf captured and then killed in custody.
Hundreds of members of the group died and ever since it has been attacking government targets in retaliation.
"The rise of Boko Haram is largely as a result of incompetence, lack of foresight and insensitivity from the Nigerian state," Mr Kari said.

Mediation
For the Nigerian security apparatus, Boko Haram's urban guerrilla tactics have represented a new challenge which they have struggled to cope with.
"We are in a position now like the United States was in after 9/11," the defence minister told the BBC.
"You have a new situation and you have to design new strategies and tactics to deal with it."
Initially, Boko Haram's capabilities were limited to drive-by shootings and improvised explosives. But the last few months have changed that.
Suicide bomb blasts in Abuja on the police headquarters in June and the UN headquarters in August - and now the coordinated wave of attacks in Borno and Yobe, which killed more than 100 people, have given further credence to those who believe they are now sharing expertise with other militant groups.
Mr Mohammed would neither confirm or deny reports that Nigerian forces are receiving counter-terrorism training in the United States.
Despite appearances to the contrary he said the government was not, as many believe, pursuing a military solution and that it was looking for a negotiated way out of the crisis.
Respected human rights activist Shehu Sani was involved in the first attempt to talk with Boko Haram.

Boko Haram: Timeline of terror
2002: Founded
2009: Hundreds killed when Maiduguri police stations stormed
2009: Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf captured by army, handed to police, later found dead
Sep 2010: Freed hundreds of prisoners from Maiduguri jail
Dec 2010: Bombed Jos, killing 80; blamed for New Year's Eve attack on Abuja barracks
2010-2011: Dozens killed in Maiduguri shootings
May 2011: Bombed several states after president's inauguration
June 2011: Police HQ bombed in Abuja
Aug 2011: UN HQ bombed in Abuja
Nov 2011: Coordinated bomb and gun attacks in Yobe and Borno states

He organized a meeting in September between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Boko Haram members under a tree in Maiduguri.
For perhaps the first time the group clearly articulated their demands directly.
"Boko Haram said they wanted their leaders who have been kept in captivity to be released," he said, "And they want justice done for their members that were killed and they also want the military to withdraw from Maiduguri."
Mr Sani said that they had made it clear that they were not fighting for an Islamic state, ruled by Sharia law but because of what they see as the injustice that has been done to them.
For those hoping for a negotiated solution, that will come as a relief.
The mediation stalled when one of Boko Haram's interlocutors was killed shortly after the meeting, but Mr Sani remains optimistic that given the right attitude from the government they could restart.

'Reward Boko Haram'
Opposition parties and in particular those in the north, such as the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), say the government is underestimating the amount of support Boko Haram has among the population.
CPC national secretary Bubu Galadima said many people in the north felt marginalized and excluded from wealth and opportunity.
"The people are sympathetic to certain principles and ideas," he told the BBC.
"If people feel they are being denied anything or an injustice is being meted out to them then there is a likelihood that they will take the law into their own hands and help themselves."
Mr Galadima, who is from near Damaturu, where last week's attack took place, raised the case of the former militants from the oil-rich Niger Delta who were given generous financial packages from the government to keep them out of trouble.
"Why didn't the president crush the Niger Deltans? That's a questions a lot of people in this part of the country are asking," he said.
"Instead they are being rewarded for the economic destruction they brought Nigeria. Why can't the same be true for Boko Haram?" BBC NEWS


21 November 2011
Polio in Nigeria 'shows big increase'

A four-fold increase in polio has been reported in Nigeria, with the disease spreading to other countries, a World Health Organisation official says.
Forty-three cases were reported in Nigeria this year, compared to 11 last year, the official, Thomas Moran, said.
Curbing the polio virus in Nigeria is key to eradicating the crippling disease in Africa, he said.
In 2003, northern Nigeria's Muslim leaders leaders opposed vaccinations, claiming they could cause infertility.
Nigeria is one of four countries in the world - along with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan - where polio is still a major health risk.

'Strong leadership'
Mr Moran told the BBC the disease had also spread to neighbouring Niger, Mali and Ivory Coast.

Polio
Polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus which invades the nervous system and may cause irreversible paralysis
It can strike at any age but mainly affects children under five
There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented
Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.
As long as a single child remains infected with polio, unvaccinated children in all countries are at risk

"The success of polio eradication in Africa rests on Nigeria interrupting the virus," he said.
Polio was affecting eight northern Nigerian states - two more than a few months ago, the head of Nigeria's National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), Dr Ado Muhammad, told the BBC.
Mr Moran said the Nigerian government had shown "strong leadership" in the campaign to eradicate polio and the WHO had been carrying out large scale vaccination programmes to prevent the disease from spreading.
"The immunity profile of Nigerian children is far better [now], which limits the risk of international spread of the virus," Mr Moran said.
He also stressed that the number of children affected remained low.
"You can call it a four-fold increase but it is still very low transmission in a country as large as Nigeria with almost 50m children under five," he said.
At the Commonwealth summit last month, the leaders of Nigeria, Canada, the UK and Australia pledged millions of dollars towards the global effort to eradicate polio.
In 2003, the northern Nigerian state of Kano backed Muslim religious leaders in opposing an immunisation programme, claiming it was a Western plot to make people infertile.
Health experts say this led to many people becoming infected by polio.
The clerics and the state government later dropped their opposition to the immunisation programme.
In 2007, there was a rare outbreak of a vaccine-derived form of polio in northern Nigeria.
It affected 69 children who had been vaccinated. BBC NEWS


21 November 2011
Nigeria police link Boko Haram sect to politicians

Nigeria's secret police have said Boko Haram Islamic militants are receiving funding from certain politicians in the north.
The intelligence agency said it had arrested an alleged spokesman for the group, who told them he was sponsored by a politician in Borno state.
Boko Haram is blamed for a growing number of deadly attacks in Nigeria.
These include the UN headquarters bombing in Abuja in August, which killed 24 people.
Boko Haram said it had carried out bomb and gun attacks in the north-eastern town of Damaturu early this month, in which at least 63 people were killed.
The targets of these attacks included churches and the headquarters of the Yobe state police.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden", has launched frequent attacks on the police and government officials.
Parts of the group say they want sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria, but most factions are focused on local issues.

'Political patronage'
The secret police (SSS) said they had discovered links between Boko Haram and regional politicians after the arrest and questioning on 3 November of an alleged spokesman for the group called Ali Sanda Umar Konduga.
Police alleged Mr Konduga was the Boko Haram spokesman quoted in the Nigerian media using the name Usman al-Zawahiri.
"His arrest further confirms the service position that some of the Boko Haram extremists have political patronage and sponsorship," SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said.
The statement also said Mr Konduga had been behind threatening text messages sent to judges and politicians.
The attacks in Damaturu followed a triple suicide bomb attack on a military headquarters in Maiduguri, in neighbouring Borno state.
Boko Haram launched an uprising in northern Nigeria in 2009 which was put down by the Nigerian military. Boko Haram's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured by the army, handed over to the police, and later found dead.
The group has since re-emerged, carrying out a series of shootings and bombings.
There has been speculation about whether Boko Haram has links with external extremist groups, including al-Qaeda's North African branch. BBC NEWS


22 November 2011
Nigeria senator Ali Ndume 'linked to Boko Haram'

A Nigerian senator has been charged over his alleged links to the Boko Haram Islamist militants who have staged numerous deadly attacks in recent months.
Ali Ndume has been questioned by secret police since Monday night.
He denied charges of intimidation and breach of trust after an alleged Boko Haram spokesman said Mr Ndume had paid him to send threatening text messages.
Boko Haram recently killed at least 63 people in a series of raids.
In August it bombed the UN headquarters in Abuja, killing 24 people.
Mr Ndume is a member of a presidential taskforce, which explored the possibility of opening talks with the Islamist militants.
He is a senator from Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party from Borno state, where Boko Haram first emerged.
Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden". Parts of the group say they want Sharia, Islamic law, more widely applied across Nigeria, but correspondents say most factions are focused on local issues.
It has carried out many attacks on police and government institutions in both Borno state and more recently other parts of the country.

'Political patronage'
The secret police (SSS) said on Monday they had discovered links between Boko Haram and regional politicians after the arrest and questioning on 3 November of the group's alleged spokesman Ali Sanda Umar Konduga.
Police alleged Mr Konduga was the Boko Haram spokesman quoted in the Nigerian media using the name Usman al-Zawahiri.
"His arrest further confirms the service position that some of the Boko Haram extremists have political patronage and sponsorship," SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said.
The statement also said Mr Konduga had been behind threatening text messages sent to judges and politicians, which he said Mr Ndume had paid for.
Boko Haram launched an uprising in Borno in 2009 which was put down by the Nigerian military. Boko Haram's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured by the army, handed over to the police, and later found dead.
The group has since re-emerged, carrying out a series of shootings and bombings.
There has been speculation about whether Boko Haram has links with external extremist groups, including al-Qaeda's North African branch. BBC NEWS


26 November 2011 
Nigeria's ex-Biafra leader Chukwuemeka Ojukwu dies

Col Ojukwu declared Biafra to be independent state in the 1960s
The former leader of the Nigerian breakaway state of Biafra, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, has died in the UK after a long illness, aged 78.
Col Ojukwu's declaration of a secessionist state in 1967 sparked the Nigerian civil war, in which more than a million people died.
He remained a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, running twice as a presidential candidate in the 2000s.
A spokesman in Anambra state said he had been ill after suffering a stroke.
Col Ojukwu went into exile after the Biafrans surrendered in 1970, returning more than a decade later after he was officially pardoned.
In a statement, President Goodluck Jonathan praised Col Ojukwu for his "immense love for his people, justice, equity and fairness which forced him into the leading role he played in the  BBC NEWS


27 November 2011 
Nigeria Islamist militants Boko Haram 'attack Yobe'

Gunmen believed to be members of the Nigerian militant Islamist sect Boko Haram have attacked several targets in the country's Yobe state, reports say.
Explosives were thrown at a police station and a bank in the town of Geidam, 100 miles (160km) from the state capital, Damaturu.
Geidam is the hometown of Yobe state governor Ibrahim Geidam.
Witnesses said people were trapped in their homes during the attack. It was unclear whether there were casualties.
State police commissioner Sulaiman Lawal confirmed the city was under attack on Saturday night but did not provide any further details, the Associated Press reports.
The men, armed with Kalashnikov rifles according to Agence France Presse, fired into the air before making off with money taken from the vaults of the bank.

Boko Haram: Timeline of terror
2002: Founded
2009: Hundreds killed when Maiduguri police stations stormed
2009: Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf killed
Dec 2010: Bombed Jos, killing 80
2010-2011: Dozens killed in Maiduguri shootings
May 2011: Bombed several states after president's inauguration
Aug 2011: UN HQ bombed in Abuja
4 Nov 2011: Dozens killed in north-eastern town of Damaturu

"The attackers who are from all indications members of Boko Haram came in a large number and attacked the police station with explosives and gunshots and burnt it down", one resident, Abba Kashim, told the news agency by phone from the town.
Another resident, Umar Maina, told AFP there had been "incessant gunshots" and that a bar had also been attacked.
He said the men were on their way to the town's prison.
Earlier this month Boko Haram carried out an attack in Damaturu which killed more than 100 people.
In August it bombed the UN headquarters in Abuja, killing 24 people.
Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden". Parts of the group say they want Sharia, Islamic law, more widely applied across Nigeria, but correspondents say most factions are focused on local issues. BBC NEWS

martedì 1 novembre 2011

OTTOBRE 2011

07/10/2011
Nigeria, arrestati tre ex governatori per frode

ottobre 11, 2011 - NIGERIA
POVERTÀ E POLITICA DIETRO LE VIOLENZE ELETTORALI

ottobre 12, 2011 - NIGERIA
ARRESTI AL “NATION”, QUOTIDIANO SCOMODO

ottobre 13, 2011 - NIGERIA
RILASCIATI I GIORNALISTI DEL ‘NATION’

Nigeria: scoperta una "fabbrica di bambini"
15 OTT

ottobre 18, 2011 - NIGERIA
I SINDACATI CONTRO L’ABOLIZIONE DEI SUSSIDI PER LA BENZINA

ottobre 21, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER: IN CAUSA CON SHELL ANCHE NEGLI STATI UNITI

ottobre 25, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, CONDANNE PER CONTRABBANDO DI PETROLIO

Nigeria, decima asta mensile per i bond sovrani
Investisicuro.com  26/10/2011

2 October 2011
Violent attack in Nigeria village leaves 19 dead

6 October 2011
Nigeria arrests three ex-governors for alleged fraud

7 October 2011
Nigeria lower house approves Britain prisoner transfer


11 October 2011
Pirates hijack tanker off Nigeria coast

16 October 2011
Nigeria's coast 'threatened by shipwrecks'

17 October 2011
Nigeria's Boko Haram accused of killing MP Modu Bintube

18 October 2011
Church HIV prayer cure claims 'cause three deaths'

20 October 2011
Nigeria's thriving economy lures expats back home

22 October 2011
Nigerian reporter death blamed on Islamists Boko Haram


07/10/2011
Nigeria, arrestati tre ex governatori per frode
Sono tre politici del partito di governo che sono stati al potere nello Stato di Ogun. La frode vale 508 milioni di euro
Uno scandalo finanziario scuote i vertici del People's democratic party (Pdp), il partito del presidente Jonathan Goodluck, al governo in Nigeria.
Tre ex governatori dello Stato di Ogun sono stati arrestati su mandato dell'agenzia nazionale anti corruzione, la Commissione per i crimini economici e finanziari (Efcc). Gbenga Daniel, Oyo -Adebayo Alao-Akala e Nasarawa -Ali Akwe Doma sono accusati aver abusato di contratti nazionali per frodare lo Stato. In totale, i tre politici secondo l'accusa hanno rubato 508 milioni di euro, usati poi per spese personali.
La Bbc ricorda che già è capitato che ci fossero politici implicati in processi importanti ma solo in poche occasioni sono stati effettivamente condannati. Il problema è il sistema giudiziario, lento e poco equipaggiato per affrontare complicati casi finanziari.
PEACEREPORTER


ottobre 11, 2011 - NIGERIA
POVERTÀ E POLITICA DIETRO LE VIOLENZE ELETTORALI
Povertà diffusa, inadeguatezza delle infrastrutture e, non da ultimo, lotta per un potere politico inteso come risorsa economica da conquistare a tutti i costi: sono queste, secondo un comitato di esperti nominato dal governo, le cause principali delle violenze seguite alle elezioni di aprile nel nord della Nigeria.
“All’origine della crisi – si sostiene nel documento – c’è stato un profondo desiderio di cambiamento determinato dalla frustrazione e dalla delusione della popolazione per l’incapacità dei governi di risolvere i problemi delle interruzioni nelle forniture di elettricità, dello stato deplorevole delle strade e di una corruzione legittimata ormai in tutti gli aspetti della vita pubblica”.
Le violenze sono esplose nel Nord semiarido e musulmano dopo l’elezione di Goodluck Jonathan, un presidente originario del Sud petrolifero e cristiano. Secondo gli esperti, però, l’appartenenza etnica o religiosa è divenuta fattore di scontro soltanto a causa delle strumentalizzazioni dei politici. “I sentimenti etnici e religiosi – si legge nel documento – sono divenuti parte della crisi a causa di campagne elettorali distruttive e della diffusione di notizie false da parte di individui senza scrupoli impegnati a raggiungere i propri personali obiettivi”.
Le violenze, suggeriscono gli esperti, sono state il frutto della trasformazione della politica nell’unica fonte di ricchezza in una realtà povera e degradata. “In Nigeria – si sostiene nel rapporto – la politica è divenuta questione di vita o di morte, con molti dirigenti pronti a reclutare eserciti personali per uccidere; l’accesso facile alle droghe, la povertà diffusa e la disoccupazione giovanile garantiscono manodopera a basso costo”.
Nel documento, frutto di cinque mesi di indagini, non mancano accuse a politici di rilievo nazionale. È soprattutto il caso di Muhammadu Buhari, il più popolare candidato alla presidenza originario del Nord. Prima e durante la crisi, sostengono gli esperti, ha rilasciato dichiarazioni “provocatorie” che avrebbero aggravato le tensioni. (MISNA)


ottobre 12, 2011 - NIGERIA
ARRESTI AL “NATION”, QUOTIDIANO SCOMODO
“Potrebbe essere il tentativo di colpire un quotidiano critico nei confronti del governo” dice alla MISNA Mohammed Garba, il presidente dell’Unione dei giornalisti della Nigeria, mentre i quattro reporter di “The Nation” restano in carcere senza che gli sia stato notificato alcun capo di accusa.
Secondo i colleghi dei quattro, gli arresti e le perquisizioni delle redazioni del giornale a Logos e ad Abuja sono dovute alla pubblicazione dei contenuti di una lettera nella quale l’ex presidente Olusegun Obasanjo chiedeva al capo di Stato Goodluck Jonathan di effettuare nuove nomine ai vertici di alcuni enti di Stato. Oggi diversi quotidiani nigeriani hanno sostenuto che le perquisizioni mirassero a identificare la fonte della notizia, smentita da Obasanjo all’indomani della pubblicazione.
Alla MISNA Garba dice che se i capi di accusa nei confronti dei cronisti non saranno notificati entro 24 ore dall’arresto, come previsto dalla legge, l’Unione dei giornalisti della Nigeria avvierà un’azione legale.
L’ipotesi di un attentato alla libertà di informazione potrebbe essere suggerita dalla collocazione politica di “The Nation”. “Il quotidiano è di proprietà dell’ex governatore di Lagos – sottolinea Garba – e può essere considerato come una delle voci più autorevoli dell’opposizione progressista”.
Dalla fine dei regimi militari, nel 1999, in Nigeria il diritto di cronaca è stato rispettato più di quanto non fosse avvenuto in passato. “Le condizioni di lavoro per i giornalisti sono migliori di quelle che si riscontrano in altri paesi dell’Africa occidentale – sostiene Garba – ma gli ultimi arresti sono un segnale allarmante”. Nessuno ha dimenticato Edo Ugbagwu, un giornalista di “The Nation” che si occupava di cronaca giudiziaria assassinato nell’aprile 2010 in circostanze mai chiarite. (MISNA)


ottobre 13, 2011 - NIGERIA
RILASCIATI I GIORNALISTI DEL ‘NATION’
Sono stati tutti liberati i giornalisti e i dipendenti della Vintage Press Limited – la casa editrice del quotidiano ‘The Nation’ – arrestati martedì nelle redazioni del giornale a Lagos e Abuja. Lo riferisce il ‘Nation’ secondo cui già ieri erano stati rilasciati sei dipendenti (tra giornalisti e impiegati) mentre oggi è stato rimesso in libertà il direttore degli uffici di Abuja, Yusuf Alli, che dovrà però ripresentarsi al Dipartimento di investigazione criminale il prossimo mercoledì. Alli è l’autore dell’articolo che avrebbe fatto scattare l’operazione della polizia.
Secondo il ‘Nation’, gli arresti e le perquisizioni delle redazioni del giornale a Lagos e Abuja sono dovute alla pubblicazione dei contenuti di una lettera nella quale l’ex presidente Olusegun Obasanjo chiedeva al capo di Stato Goodluck Jonathan di effettuare nuove nomine ai vertici di alcuni enti di Stato. Diversi quotidiani nigeriani hanno sostenuto che le perquisizioni mirassero a identificare la fonte della notizia, smentita da Obasanjo all’indomani della pubblicazione.
L’arresto dei giornalisti ha suscitato diverse reazioni in Nigeria. A criticare la misura è stata in particolare l’Unione dei giornalisti, l’Associazione degli editori, l’Istituto di stampa internazionale ma anche organizzazioni non governative come Amnesty International. Quest’ultima ha invitato le autorità giudiziarie a promuovere un’inchiesta sugli atti di intimidazione e le violenze contro i difensori dei diritti umani e i giornalisti. (MISNA)


Nigeria: scoperta una "fabbrica di bambini"
LAGOS, 15 OTT
La polizia nigeriana ha condotto un raid contro un 'orfanotrofio' nel sud del paese nel quale sono state scoperte 17 adolescenti incinte, presumibilmente in attesa di far nascere dei bambini destinati ad essere venduti.
Lo ha detto la polizia secondo la quale la proprietaria dell'orfanotrofio e' stata arrestata. Nei locali e' stato trovato anche un giovane sospettato di essere ''il fecondatore delle ragazze''.
''Pensiamo che le giovani siano state incoraggiate a rimanere incinte per rivendere il loro bambino a persone interessate, soprattutto coppie senza figli'', ha detto la polizia.
Nel maggio scorso la polizia aveva liberato altre 32 ragazze in stato gravidanza tenute forzatamente in una sorta di fondazione accusata di 'sfornare' bambini per la vendita. Alcune di esse avevano detto che persone senza scrupoli avevano loro proposto l'equivalente di 130 euro per ogni bambino, che sarebbe stato rivenduto successivamente ad un prezzo dieci volte superiore.
BLITZ QUOTIDIANO 15 ottobre 2011


ottobre 18, 2011 - NIGERIA
I SINDACATI CONTRO L’ABOLIZIONE DEI SUSSIDI PER LA BENZINA
I principali sindacati della Nigeria hanno minacciato cortei di protesta e agitazioni se come annunciato il governo abolirà i sussidi che da anni tengono bassi i prezzi del carburante.
“La rivolta in Nord Africa e le proteste in tutto il mondo – ha detto Owei Lakemia, segretario generale del Congresso nazionale del lavoro – sono un ammonimento contro qualsiasi programma rovinoso di tagli alla spesa sociale”.
In un disegno di legge sulla politica fiscale per il periodo 2012-2015, si prevede di eliminare dal 1° gennaio sussidi che assorbono ogni anno un milione e 300.000 naira, circa cinque miliardi e 800 milioni di euro. Una parte del risparmio dovrebbe essere destinata a progetti di sviluppo infrastrutturale, un’altra parte a creare “reti di protezione per i segmenti poveri della società” colpiti dall’abolizione dei sussidi.
Nonostante sia il primo produttore di greggio d’Africa, a causa della mancanza di impianti e infrastrutture la Nigeria è costretta a importare quasi tutta la benzina che consuma. A causa di corruzione, cattive politiche e abusi delle multinazionali, per la popolazione i sussidi sono stati per anni l’unico beneficio concreto derivante dalla ricchezza petrolifera. (MISNA)


ottobre 21, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER: IN CAUSA CON SHELL ANCHE NEGLI STATI UNITI
Cinque capi tradizionali della regione meridionale del Delta del Niger hanno fatto causa alla Royal Dutch Shell negli Stati Uniti, accusando la multinazionale di aver “inquinato in maniera indiscriminata” e messo a rischio la salute dalla popolazione.
I re Godwin Bebe Okpabi si è costituito parte civile insieme con altri rappresentanti degli Ogale, una comunità che vive nel distretto di Eleme. La zona è una delle più citate in un rapporto del Programma dell’Onu per l’ambiente (Unep), pubblicato ad agosto, che calcola in 30 anni il tempo necessario per rimediare ai danni causati dalle fuoriuscite di petrolio dagli oleodotti e dagli impianti della Shell.
Convinti che la multinazionale abbia adottato misure di sicurezza “al di sotto degli standard applicati in altre regioni del mondo”, i capi tradizionali chiedono un rimborso da un miliardo di dollari.
La causa è stata avviata negli Stati Uniti perché, secondo la parte civile, la Shell è sempre riuscita ad aggirare le sentenze della magistratura nigeriana. Grazie ai continui ricorsi e all’aumento esponenziale delle spese processuali, si denuncia nei documenti consegnati al tribunale di Chicago, la multinazionale non ha ancora pagato una multa da un miliardo e mezzo di dollari che le era stata comminata nel 2006 per l’inquinamento e gli altri danni causati alla comunità Ijaw. (MISNA)


ottobre 25, 2011 - NIGERIA
DELTA DEL NIGER, CONDANNE PER CONTRABBANDO DI PETROLIO
Nove persone sono state condannate a 90 anni di carcere ciascuna perché giudicate colpevoli di contrabbando di petrolio: lo ha annunciato la Commissione per i reati economici e finanziari, precisando che la sentenza colpisce sette cittadini nigeriani e due ghanesi.
Oltre a condannare i nove imputati il tribunale della città meridionale di Asaba ha disposto il sequestro della petroliera a bordo della quale i presunti contrabbandieri erano stati arrestati a maggio. La nave trasportava 83 metri cubi di prodotti petroliferi.
La Nigeria è il principale produttore di greggio dell’Africa insieme con l’Angola e furti e irregolarità legate alla vendita del greggio sono frequenti. Oltre al contrabbando sta acquisendo rilevanza il fenomeno della pirateria, con il sequestro di carichi sia legali che illegali. Alla fine di settembre le Marina militari di Nigeria e Benin hanno avviato un’operazione di pattugliamento congiunto che dovrebbe durare sei mesi. (MISNA)


Nigeria, decima asta mensile per i bond sovrani
La Nigeria ha deciso di scindere in tre tranche distinte la propria emissione di bond sovrani: i titoli obbligazionari in questione, infatti, prevedono una scadenza a tre, cinque e dieci anni, per un importo complessivo di 55,67 miliardi di naira (al cambio fanno circa 354 miliardi di dollari). In pratica, si tratta della decima asta mensile che il paese africano pone in essere, come annunciato anche dal Debt Management Office locale. I ritorni economici stabiliti in tal caso, poi, sono piuttosto alti e questa consistenza riflette, in particolare, l’incremento del tasso di interesse da parte della banca centrale, un rialzo pari a 275 punti base e che è stato realizzato la scorsa settimana.
Entrando maggiormente nel dettaglio dell’offerta, c’è da dire che otto miliardi del totale menzionato in precedenza si riferiscono ai bond triennali (in realtà la maturazione è prevista prima, dopo due anni), 17,67 miliardi a quelli quinquennali e i restanti trenta miliardi di naira ai titoli decennali (la scadenza è prevista dunque nel 2014, nel 2018 e nel 2021). Il prodotto a maturazione più breve, inoltre, beneficerà di un tasso iniziale del 15,50%, ben superiore al 10,50% dello scorso mese di settembre, mentre quello intermedio sarà collegato a un interesse del 15,30%. Lo strumento a dieci anni, invece, potrà contare sul ritorno economico più elevato, vale a dire diciotto punti percentuali, a conferma dell’alta rischiosità di queste emissioni.
C’è però da specificare che le sottoscrizioni complessive dell’asta di ieri hanno raggiunto quota 124,77 miliardi di naira, un livello che è inferiore rispetto a quello di trenta giorni fa (183,16 miliardi), un altro dato fornito dall’ufficio per la gestione del debito nigeriano. Il governo di Abuja è solito emettere ogni singolo mese questi bond, la soluzione che viene ritenuta più idonea per sostenere il mercato obbligazionario locale, oltre che per creare un buon sottostante per le emissioni societarie e finanziare il deficit di bilancio.
Investisicuro.com  26/10/2011


2 October 2011
Violent attack in Nigeria village leaves 19 dead

At least 19 people have been shot or hacked to death in a brutal attack in a village in north-west Nigeria, police say.
Eyewitnesses said about 150 people raided the village of Lingyado, in Zamfara state close to the border with Niger, with guns and machetes.
A police spokesman said it appeared to be a reprisal attack in response to a similar incident in August.
Security forces have been sent to the area to restore order.
Police spokesman Sunusi Amiru said six others were wounded in the attack and were receiving medical attention.
"We are on top of the situation, we are on the trail of the suspects, we have deployed more men to the trouble spots," he told Reuters news agency.
The BBC's Nigeria correspondent Jonah Fisher says the victims were attacked as they emerged from their homes.
When the shooting began, some residents fled into nearby cornfields, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Some of the attackers shouted that they would rape any women they found, one witness, Ahmad Tsauri Lingyado, told AP.
One witness, speaking from hospital, told the BBC that his house was targeted first, and that he saw both his grand-daughter and daughter-in-law killed. BBC NEWS


6 October 2011
Nigeria arrests three ex-governors for alleged fraud

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has arrested three former state governors for allegedly embezzling funds amounting to $674m (£436m).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the former governors of Ogun, Oyo and Nasarawa states faced a series of charges.
They are likely to appear in court in the next few days.
Correspondents say the EFCC has made high-profile arrests before but has found it hard to make charges stick.

'Abused state contracts'
Former Ogun state governor Olugbenga Daniel, Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo state and Aliyu Akwe Doma of Nasarawa state were arrested Thursday, EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said.
During their time in office, the men are alleged to have abused state contracts and diverted government money for their personal use.
Mr Babafemi said Mr Daniel is accused of defrauding the state of $387m. He said Mr Alao-Akala and Mr Doma each face $167m and $120m fraud allegations. All three men are members of the ruling party.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Lagos says the EFCC has arrested high-profile figures before, but has so far been less successful in making the charges stick.
Nigeria's justice system is painfully slow and ill-equipped to deal with complex financial cases, our correspondent says. BBC NEWS

  
7 October 2011
Nigeria lower house approves Britain prisoner transfer

Nigeria's lower house of parliament has approved a deal in which offenders convicted in Britain will serve out their jail terms in their home country.
The agreement still requires approval from the Senate, where it is likely to pass soon.
About 600 Nigerian inmates are being held in British jails, but it is not clear how many will face deportation.
The decision follows a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron to Nigeria in July.
The UK Ministry of Justice said foreigners who "abuse our hospitality" and have no legal right to stay should be deported "at the earliest opportunity".
"Where possible those foreign nationals who receive a prison sentence should serve their sentences in their own countries," the ministry said.
The ministry said the British government had a number of transfer agreements, but most required the consent of the prisoner.
It was now working on transfer agreements that did not require that consent, it said.
Nigerian prisons are already overcrowded but Nigerian MP Jerry Manwe said that they could accommodate the influx of new inmates. BBC NEWS


11 October 2011
Pirates hijack tanker off Nigeria coast

Pirates have seized a tanker and its crew off the Nigerian coast, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) monitoring group says.
The attack happened about 90 nautical miles south of Nigeria's economic capital, Lagos, on Saturday.
"This is an organised crime activity," IMB Director Capt Pottengal Mukundan told the BBC.
Last month, Nigeria and neighbouring Benin launched joint navy patrols to curb growing piracy in West Africa.
Nineteen vessels have been attacked off Benin's coast this year - eight of which were hijacked.
Capt Mukundan said the seized tanker was registered in the Marshall Islands.
The pirates were likely to siphon the cargo into a waiting tanker, he said, without specifying what the ship was carrying.
He said the tanker is likely to be released after its cargo had been stolen.
In August, a group of London-based insurers rated part of the West African coast in the same high-risk category as Somalia.
Capt Mukundan said navies in the region needed more resources to tackle piracy.
Six Nigerian ships and helicopters and two vessels from Benin launched joint patrols late last month following mounting concern about piracy in West Africa.
International navies - including those from China and the US - are patrolling the East African coast, where piracy is far worse.
Somali pirates normally seize ships and their crew and take them to their on-shore bases, where they are held - often for many months - until a ransom is paid. BBC NEWS


16 October 2011
Nigeria's coast 'threatened by shipwrecks'

Up to 100 rusty shipwrecks line Nigeria's 853km (530-mile) shore, officials say. Some have been stranded for years and they are now being blamed for erosion that threatens homes and livelihoods.
The waterfront community at Alpha Beach in Lagos date their problems to a year ago when a barge washed up a kilometre away. Since its arrival, they say the waves have eaten into the land at a rate of up to 20m a month.
"Because the ship is such a solid object being where it shouldn't be, it causes a direct impediment to the natural flow of the current and stops sedimentation," says Desmond Majek from the Nigeria Conservation Foundation.
"But what's worse than that is that it causes these eddy currents that immediately start to chew up the entire shoreline."
Buildings and roads have crumbled into the advancing water. Since April the local Muslim community has been forced to worship in a makeshift tent.
"The mosque is in the sea now," says the mosque's imam, Banuso Shamusideen. "The water just came and destroyed it. In three hours everything collapsed."
Other buildings along the waterfront are now little more than piles of rubble. For those whose homes are just a few metres from the sea, panic is starting to set in.

'Disaster zone'
"It's terrifying. In fact at night we don't sleep because we're thinking the water could come in at any moment," Bode Ajakaye says, pointing out the home he had bought with his wife Ladi to retire to.
"And the problem has been there for a while and it's caused by this wrecked ship. It's a disaster zone I must tell you."
"The sea is inching [forward] every second," Mrs Ajakaye adds with a shake of her head.
"All the coconut trees have fallen into the sea. We need Nimasa [Nigerian Marine and Administration and Safety Agency] to remove this wrecked ship and hope that the beach comes back."
Nimasa is blamed by many for the number of wrecks, as it is responsible for the quality of ship that operates in Nigeria's waters and should be taking action to remove the stranded vessels.
The agency's director general Patrick Agpobolokemi defends his approach, saying officials were still carrying out an inventory of the number of ships stranded along the waterfront.
"Most of these ships that are abandoned in our waters are owned by foreigners. Foreigners have flouted our rules," he said.
"We are following due process in removing these wrecks and we are approaching the last lap of this process."

Painfully slow
Under maritime law it is the responsibility of the ship's owner to remove their stranded vessel from the coast.
But with many of the wrecks having been bought cheap and barely seaworthy to work in Nigeria's oil industry, when trouble strikes they are often abandoned to the elements.
"The major issue is that when it [the ship] comes in, it takes a while for the government to get involved because of avoidance of litigation," Kunle Akinde from Accurist Marine and Dredging told me.
"They want to appeal for the owners of the vessel to initially remove them. By the time the government comes in the ship has really sunk into the beach and it becomes more difficult to remove."
Mr Akinde is being employed as a contractor by Lagos state government to remove five ships from the state's congested waters.
But it is a painfully slow process. Each wreck takes up to six months to be fully dismantled and conditions can be difficult and dangerous.
His work removing the barge near Alpha Beach is currently suspended due to high tides.
Not everyone is quite as convinced as the locals that shipwrecks are the underlying cause of the community's problem. Global warming and rising sea levels have also been cited as contributing factors.
"The problem of Alpha Beach is coastal erosion generated by the ocean's surge," says Prince Segun Oniru from Lagos state government.
"If we act quickly enough we can save life and property. But we need federal help."
In July, President Goodluck Jonathan visited Alpha Beach to see the erosion for himself and promised to take the problem seriously.
Mr Oniru has employed contractors to remove the wrecks but would like to see a barrier built out into the sea to protect the area.
But the costs of such a major project are huge and the wheels of government in Nigeria turn slowly.
Whether the erosion is being caused by the shipwreck, ocean conditions or a bit of both, by the time a decision is made Alpha Beach may have disappeared under the waves.  BBC NEWS


17 October 2011
Nigeria's Boko Haram accused of killing MP Modu Bintube

An MP in north-eastern Nigeria's Borno state has been assassinated by suspected militants from Islamist group Boko Haram, police say.
The gunmen killed MP Modu Bintube at his home in the state capital, Maiduguri, they said.
The police also accused Boko Haram militants of bombing an army barracks in neighbouring Gombe state on Sunday.
Boko Haram, which is fighting for Islamic rule, has carried out a wave of bombings and killings in Nigeria.
In August, it bombed the UN headquarters in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, killing at least 23 people.

'Shoot-out'
Borno state police commissioner Simeon Midenda said Mr Bintube was standing outside his home when he was shot dead on Sunday evening, the AFP news agency reports.
"The pattern of the killing is similar to that of how Boko Haram members are targeting their victims," AFP quotes him as saying.
Earlier on Sunday, several explosives detonated at a police barracks in Gombe, police said.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura in the northern city of Kaduna says police reported that in the ensuing gun battle, a police sergeant and three suspected militants were killed.
Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates as "Western education is forbidden", is fighting to topple the government and create an Islamic state.
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to defeat the group, which was formed in 2002, after it rejected dialogue with the government. BBC NEWS


18 October 2011
Church HIV prayer cure claims 'cause three deaths'

At least three people in London with HIV have died after they stopped taking life saving drugs on the advice of their Evangelical Christian pastors.
The women died after attending churches in London where they were encouraged to stop taking the antiretroviral drugs in the belief that God would heal them, their friends and a leading HIV doctor said.
Responding to the BBC London investigation, Lord Fowler, the former health minister responsible for the famous Aids awareness campaign of the 1980s, condemned the practice.
"It's just wrong, bad advice that should be confronted," said the Tory peer, who chaired last month's House of Lords committee into HIV.
Jane Iwu, 48, from Newham, east London, described one case, saying: "I know of a friend who had been to a pastor. She told her to stop taking her medication - that God is a healer and has healed her."
"This lady believed it. She stopped taking her medication. She passed away," said Ms Iwu, who has HIV herself.

'Irresponsible' advice
BBC London spoke to a second woman from east London who told of a friend who died after taking advice from her pastor who told her to stop taking her antiretroviral drugs.
Meanwhile, the director of a leading HIV research centre in east London said she had dealt with a separate case in which a person with HIV died as a result of advice from a pastor.
"I've only seen that once, but it has happened," said Prof Jane Anderson, director of the Centre for the Study of Sexual Health and HIV, in Hackney.
"We see patients quite often who will come having expressed the belief that if they pray frequently enough, their HIV will somehow be cured," she added.
"We have seen people who choose not to take the tablets at all so sometimes die."
Lord Fowler condemned pastors giving this advice, saying: "It's dangerous to the public and dangerous in terms of public health."
"It's irresponsible," he said, suggesting pastors should instead "come off the air on it, look at things much more seriously, and not give this completely wrong advice to the public".
HIV prevention charity African Health Policy Network (AHPN) says a growing number of London churches have been telling people the power of prayer will "cure" their infections.
"This is happening through a number of churches. We're hearing about more cases of this," AHPN chief Francis Kaikumba said.
AHPN said it believed the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), which has UK headquarters in Southwark, south London, may be one of those involved in such practices.
The church is headed by Pastor T B Joshua, Nigeria's third richest clergyman, according to a recent Forbes richlist.
When approached by BBC London, leaders of the church described themselves as Evangelical Christian pastors.
The church's website, which was set up in Lagos, Nigeria, shows photos of people the church claims have been "cured" of HIV through prayer.

HIV-Aids healing
In one example, the church's website claims: "Mrs Badmus proudly displays her two different medical records confirming she is 100% free from HIV-Aids following the prayer of Pastor T B Joshua."
"HIV-Aids healing" is listed on the church's website among "miracles" it says it can perform.
"Cancer healing" and "baby miracles" are also advertised.
The church's UK website promotes a monthly "prayer line" for which it says: "If you are having a medical condition, it is important you bring a medical report for record and testimony purposes."
It has posted videos on the internet showing its services in south London, in which participants who claim to have arthritis, asthma and schizophrenia say they have been healed after being sprayed with "anointing water" provided by the church.
Mary Buhari, 44 , from central London, told the BBC she had had a phone conversation with a representative of the church, in which she was told she could be cured of HIV.
"I was told they can cure any illness on Earth through prayer, including HIV," she said.
However, when asked by BBC London if it claimed its pastors can cure HIV, SCOAN responded: "We are not the healer. God is the healer. Never a sickness God cannot heal. Never a disease God cannot cure.
"We don't ask people to stop taking medication," the church added. "Doctors treat; God heals."
The recent House of Lords committee report into HIV awareness said faith groups' approaches to supporting people with HIV had improved but more needed to be done.
"It is essential that faith leaders engage with HIV as an issue and provide effective and truthful support and communication around the subject," it said.
A Department of Health spokesman responded to the report saying: "Over 60 recommendations were made and we will be responding to Parliament in the next few months."
Jane Iwu and Mary Buhari had their identities changed in this article, at their request.
BBC NEWS


20 October 2011
Nigeria's thriving economy lures expats back home

At first glance Tunde Ogunrinde appears completely at home in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos.
Armed with a winning smile, the 42 year old chats easily with the staff working behind the till at fast-food restaurant Chicken Republic.
But this is all relatively new for the chain's chief operating officer.
For two decades the father of three lived in the UK working in a management position for a hamburger chain.
Then two years ago he took the difficult decision to move his family back to the country of his birth.
"It's a growing economy and time to get back in," he says in an accent that carries more than a few hints of his time living in the British city of Birmingham.
"Growth here was going in the right direction, whereas in Europe it was flattening out. It's time to capitalise."
So Mr Ogunrinde became what is known locally as a "repat" with responsibility for 65 Chicken Republic restaurants.

Brain gain
No-one keeps reliable statistics but he is one of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of educated Nigerians who have decided to return because of a combination of strong growth back home, and the economic slowdown in the West.
"At the height of the recession in Europe and the US it was crazy because everyone was getting in touch saying they wanted to go home," says Ade Odutola from the job recruitment website Wazobiajobs.com.
"It's calmed down a bit now but lots of Nigerians who left in the 1980s and early 90s are now seeing other people being successful back home and that's a real magnet pulling them back."
With business booming, Mr Odutola says Nigerian companies are now in a position to pay salaries that are attractive to people living around the world.
"What we're seeing is what's being called a brain gain," he says.
"The pool of talent that people can hire from here is now growing and that is good news for Nigeria."
But paying top salaries is only possible if Nigeria's economy continues to grow strongly. It is currently expanding at about 7.5%.
If recession elsewhere leads to a collapse in the demand for oil, Nigeria could still find itself sucked into the world's economic problems.
"Oil drives the economy here," says financial analyst Bismarck Rewane.
"Oil revenue drives investment, oil revenue drives government expenditure and consumer purchasing power. That's the bottom line."

Salary challenge
The "brain drain" of skilled professionals hit Nigeria's health service particularly hard with the medical journal, the Lancet, estimating that there are more Nigerian doctors working in the United States than in the public health care sector in Nigeria.
The man with the daunting task of providing care to Lagos's population of more than 15 million people is Jide Idriss, the state's health commissioner.
From behind a desk piled high with paper he tells me that there are currently just 20 doctors for every 100,000 Nigerians in Lagos State. In the UK the figure is around 200.
"The trend of brain drain is now getting lower and lower for doctors," he says.
"With the economy as it is overseas, countries aren't as open to Nigerian doctors as they used to be."
However, salaries in Nigeria remain modest.
The lowest paid doctors receive as little as 150,000 naira ($1,000; £63,000) a month.
The challenge is to make Nigeria an attractive destination for doctors and nurses to come back to work, the health commissioner says.
Not everyone who has returned looking for a job has found it easy.
Abiola Olanrewaju completed his secondary school and university in Kingston upon Thames in the UK before returning to Nigeria.
After a compulsory year of national service he says he is waiting for a good offer.
"I'm open to anything. The possibilities are endless here and hopefully in the long run I can hold my hand up and say I've made a success of coming back."
Those coming back to Nigeria find a country pregnant with possibilities, but also still struggling with basic infrastructure problems.
Electricity only works for a few hours every day and the streets in Lagos in particular are clogged with traffic.
Mr Olanrewaju says he enjoys his vibrant new surroundings but has found it necessary to make a few changes in order to survive.
"If you're not clued up all the time here people can leave you behind," he says.
"When I'm at the market I have to make sure I don't stand out from the locals so that means leaving my British accent behind."
Back at Chicken Republic the lunchtime crowd is starting to arrive. As he watches the poultry depart and the money come in Mr Ogunrinde is also reflecting on the difference between business in Europe and Nigeria.
"Nigeria has been cast in a negative light but if you come back and look on the ground you'll see a serious entrepreneurial mindset which I think is lost in Europe," he says.
"I think this is the beginning of great things for the country." BBC NEWS


22 October 2011
Nigerian reporter death blamed on Islamists Boko Haram

A cameraman for the Nigerian state-run television network has been killed by suspected Islamist militants.
Alhaji Zakariya Isa died after being shot in the head and chest at his home in the northern city of Maiduguri, a military spokesman said.
The authorities in Nigeria have blamed the attack on the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
The sect is thought to be responsible for a series of attacks in northern Nigeria in recent months.
Boko Haram - which means "Western education is forbidden" - usually targets the police and government officials.
However, in recent weeks, journalists have been threatened by the group, which says it wants sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria.
It said it would target reporters after it claimed spokesmen who were not part of the sect were being quoted by the media.
Boko Haram is thought to have carried out the bombing of UN headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, killing 23 people.
The sect launched an uprising in 2009 which was crushed by the military, leaving hundreds dead. BBC NEWS