Nigeria: The Journey, People and Events

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua

2010-01-27T13:47:00.008+01:00

Umaru Musa Yar’adua was born in Katsina Town, Katsina State on 16 August 1951. He started his primary education at Rafukka Primary School, Katsina in 1958. He left Rafukka for Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962 from where he completed his primary education in 1964.

Between 1965-1969, Umaru Yar’adua was at Government College, Keffi in present-day Nasarawa State for his secondary education. He then moved to the famous Barewa College, Zaria for his Higher School Certificate between 1970-1971. For his university education, Yar’adua attended the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria from 1972-1975 where he obtained the B.Sc Education/Chemistry. He returned to the same University from 1978-1980 for his M.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry.

Umaru Yar’adua’s working career began at the Holy Child College, Lagos for the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between 1975 and 1976. He was a Lecturer at the Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria between 1976 and 1979. He moved to Katsina Polytechnic, also as a Lecturer in 1979 and was there until 1983 when he left the public service.

Yar’adua’s movement to the private sector started at Sambo Farms Ltd in Funtua, Katsina State as its pioneer General Manager between 1983-1989. He served as a Board Member, Katsina State Farmers’ Supply Company between 1984-1985, Member Governing Council of both Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology Zaria and Katsina Polytechnic between 1978-1983, Board Chairman of Katsina State Investment and Property Development Company (KIPDECO) between 1994-1996.

Umaru Yar’adua served as a Director of many companies, including Habib Nigeria Bank Ltd. 1995-1999; Lodigiani Nigeria Ltd. 1987-1999, Hamada Holdings, 1983-1999; and Madara Ltd. Vom, Jos, 1987-1999. He was Chairman, Nation House Press Ltd, Kaduna between 1995-1999.

Yar’adua’s foray into party politics began as a Lecturer when he became an active member and mobilizer for the defunct Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP). During the Transition Programme of President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Yar’adua was one of the foundation members of the Peoples’ Front, a political association under the leadership of his elder brother, the late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’adua. That association later fused to form the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Yar’adua was a member of the 1988 Constituent Assembly. He was a member of the party’s National Caucus and the SDP State Secretary in Katsina and contested the 1991 Governorship election, but lost to the candidate of the National Republican Convention.

At the inception of General Abdulsalam Abubakar’s transition in 1998, Yar’adua founded the K34 political association which later teemed up to form the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He contested and won election as Governor of Katsina State in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003.

(culled from http://www.yaradua2007.com)

In December 2006, Yar'Adua became the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP for the April 2007 presidential election through the scheming of the incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo. He later won the presidential election with 70% of the votes, becoming Nigeria's first university educated leader in 40 years. On June 28, 2007, Yar'Adua publicly declared is assets to be NGN856,452,892 and became the first Nigerian President to do so.

He delights in referring to himself as a servant leader with the utmost regard for the rule of law, but his Achilles' heel has been his health. In March 2007 just before the April election, he was flown to Germany for medical reasons. He was absent at the United Nations General Assembly Meetings in September 2009, he had to travel to Saudi Arabia for a brief treatment. Currently, he is still in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for pericarditis (inflamation of the pericardium, the fibrous sac around the heart) since November 23, 2009.

Of his seven point agenda for the development of the country, which are -

1. Adequate provision of power and energy,

2. Better food security and agriculture,

3. Creation of wealth and employment,

4. Provision of better mass transportation system (special emphasis on Rail),

5. Better land reform

6. Better security,

7. Qualitative and functional educational system

He achieved none, in fact some of the issues the have gone worse.

The promise of 6000MW electricity generation by the end of 2009 was unfulfilled. With the aid of the bank turmoil and recent global economic woes, the agricultural sector is worse off than ever and unemployment has increased. The roads are still bad except in Lagos and Abuja for obvious non-Yar'Adua initiated reasons. No change in the contentious 1978 Land Use Act. And insecurity has never been this high since the civil war days, even the Niger Delta amnesty is being threatened by inconsistency on the side of the government. The educational system is still as bad as before the present administration.

Due to the Supreme Court ruling that the Federal Ministries of Nigeria had 14 days, counting from 22 January 2010, to decide whether Yar'Adua is still capable of discharging the functions of his office on the testimony of five doctors including his personal physician, it is being rumoured that the Yar'Adua will be back in very soon.

UPDATE: He died on 5th May, 2010

Nigeria's Electricity crisis

2009-10-09T11:02:00.001+01:00

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with over 140 million people has less than 40% of her population connected to the electricity grid with no electricity supply for more than 60% of the time. Nigeria has no enough electricity generated to meet the demand of her people.
The current administration of President Umaru Musa Yar Adua has put Power and Energy has number one in his seven-point agenda for the development of the nation. He is also currently aiming for 6000 MW electricity generation by December, 2009, but the current generation is at about 3000 MW. Ongoing extensive repair and upgrading is being done on the Shiroro power plants in Niger state and supply of gas to Egbin thermal station is being resumed after disruptions caused by the Niger Delta militants attack on oil and gas infrastructure. The bulk of the electricity crisis has been the structural deficiencies of our power stations and distribution system. The grid is actually powered by hydropower and thermal (which makes use of fossil fuel) power. Within each of these sources, there are structural problems that subtract from the overall efficiency of the energy producing capacity of each type of power station. Also, technological deficiencies are prevalent throughout the power system, both in the generation and transmission. For example, with modern technology, about 40% of the energy consumed in thermal plants can be converted to electricity, but in the absence of this technology (as is currently the case in Nigeria) this figure can be as low as 12%. Of that power produced, there is further loss through transmission. One estimate claims that between 30 and 35% of power generated in Nigerian power stations are lost in transmission. By comparison, power losses across line in the United States usually come to less than 1%, even across greater distances. Illegal users' tapping of the power lines also contribute to inefficiencies in the power system as they remain unaccounted for and even regarded as power loss. Underinvestment in modern technology, lack of modern standardized components and qualified maintenance staff have made the power problem in Nigeria intractable.
Although the government had long ago recognized the need for a better power system in the country, it has had great difficulty funding and organizing the needed restructuring and development. As an attempt to rectify this in 2005, the government divided the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) into two sections, one in charge of the generation of power and the other in charge of the distribution of power. As part of this division, the government sought to privatize the sectors in an effort to finance and organize the needed development of infrastructure. But the workers have vehemently rebuffed this gesture by the government for fear of imminent job loss. NEPA itself claimed that governmental agencies were their biggest debtor with over four billion Naira unpaid electricity bills.
The government's allocation to power has always been inadequate and often underemployed. The present administration is putting a lot into the improvement of the country's power situation by purchasing new power plant units, repairing old units and ensuring gas supply to the gas thermal stations. But if the underlying problems of corruption in the power sector, lack of qualified staff and illegal tapping of power by the consumers are not equally focused on, the problem will only degenerate.

Crude Oil Crisis in Nigeria

2009-10-08T17:33:00.001+01:00

Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of crude in the world and the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Nigeria – Butmen Corporation (a German company) was the first company to explore crude oil in Nigeria as far back as 1908 when traces of it was found at Araromi in the present Ondo state. This pioneering exploration was brief due to the World War 1 (1914 – 1918). But, in 1937 Shell started exploratory activities after been awarded the sole concession rights that covered the whole territory of Nigeria. The company operated under the Mineral Oil ordinance of No. 17 of 1914 and its amendments of 1925 and 1950 which stipulated that only companies registered in Britain or any of its protectorate with their principal officers being British, can explore oil in Nigeria.

Shell intensified its geographical surveys in the late 1940s till 1950s and then discovered its first commercial crude oil in 1956 at Oloibiri in the present Bayelsa State. On 1958, Shell started oil exportation from Oloibiri field at a rate of 5,100 barrels per day (bpd). In other to break shell's monopoly on oil exploration its concession right was reviewed and exploration rights were granted to other companies like Mobil, ELF, Agip, Gulf and Tenneco. By the time of Independence in 1960, oil production had been established and export was over 170,000 bpd.

All these oil production is from a small fragment of the nation amounting to about 7.5% of Nigeria's land mass and known as the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta consists of the present day Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers state with a population of about 31 million people (less than 20% of the nation's population).

1. Abia 2. Akwa Ibom 3. Bayelsa 4.Cross River 5. Delta 6. Edo 7. Imo 8. Ondo and 9. Rivers

Nigeria is currently the biggest oil producer in Africa with about two million bpd, all generated from the Niger Delta. Though oil exports account for more than 80% of our total export earnings, 85% percernt of this oil wealth is retained by a few comprising 1% of the national population. The pattern of the oil revenue allocation has been a major cause of agitation by the Niger Deltans who claim that the returns of their resource is used to develop the North. They claim that their lands are being snatched from them forcefully without compensation and their source of livelihood (fishing) is been destroyed by recurrent oil spillage. There has been about 7000 oil spills between 1970 and 2000, more than one each day. Also, more than 90% of the natural gas extracted in the oil wells are flared causing more environmental damage.
In a bid to protect their rights and seek justice, many groups both militant and non-militant has emerged in the Niger Delta with most active ones being the militant ones especially Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF). The militant groups are demanding for creation of additional states, amenities and jobs, contracts and oil concessions for faction leaders. And since 2005 they have been destroying oil production infrastructure of different oil companies, kidnapping oil workers for ransom and causing oil production shutdowns of up to 800,000 bpd, threatening the government's plan to increase production to four million bpd by 2010. Only some of those production losses have been offset by recent offshore developments.
Also on several occasion, the Nigerian government has deployed armed forces with heavy equipment to crush the militants, but they only seem to succeed in leveling communities. In 1995 it hung environmentalist and famous writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others from Ogoni for challenging the exploration of oil by Shell on Ogoni soil. In December 1998, the government massacred youths in Yenegoa, the capital of Bayelsa state, for demanding the control of the oil resources exploited on their ancestral lands. A few months later, it also sent troops to flatten Kaiama, a town in Bayelsa state where youths had weeks before made a declaration demanding the people's control of their oil resources. In November1999, the town of Odi, Bayelsa state in Niger Delta was burnt down by soldiers on the orders of the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Several hundred people, including women and children were killed in the streets as they tried to escape from their burning houses. Restive youths, protesting the neglect of the community after four decades of oil exploration in the area had murdered twelve policemen sent to restore order in the town the previous week. Obasanjo, rather than send special forces, dispatched troops commanded by an army colonel, who with a full complement of artillery, bombarded Odi, murdered hundreds, and subsequently torched down the town.
The damage crude oil has done in the Niger Delta is enormous, while the local indeginous people there have seen little if any improvement in their standard of living and still suffer the damage to their natural environment and source of livelihood. Nigeria, who at one time was the world's largest exporter of groundnuts, cocoa, and palm oil, and a significant producer of coconuts, citrus fruits, maize, pearl millet, cassava, yams and sugar cane has been experiencing a decline in agricultural exports since the exportation of crude oil.
That Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources and yet her people remain poor is regarded as resource curse. Looking at all these, one can easily conclude in his heart that maybe Nigeria would have been well off without crude oil.

References
International Crisis Group. "Fuelling the Niger Delta Crisis". http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4394 Retrieved October, 2009.
Wikipedia. "Nigeria". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria Retrieved June, 2009
Wikipedia. "Niger Delta". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_Delta Retrieved October, 2009
Ransome-Kuti, Beko: "The Niger Delta crisis and Nigeria's future" http://www.humanrights.de/doc-en/countries/nigeria/background/niger_delta_crisis.html Retrieved October, 2009
Centre for Democracy and Development(CDD). "The lingering crisis in Nigeria's Niger Delta and suggestions for a peaceful resolution" http://cdd.org.uk/resources/workingpapers/niger__delta_eng.htm. Retrieved October, 2009

Nigerian Civil War

2009-08-13T12:05:00.001+01:00

The Nigerian Civil War was between 6 July, 1967 and 15 January, 1970 as the southeastern part of Nigeria attempted to secede. This was caused by the perceived marginalization of the Igbos who dominated the southeast by the then Major General Yakubu Gowon led military government that created a new 12-state structure in May, 1967. This new structure divided the eastern region into three states, two of them dominated by non-southeastern groups and it also severed the vast majority of Igbo from the profitable coastal ports and rich oil fields that had just been discovered in the region. This exclusion of the southeasterners from power made them fear that the oil revenues would be used to benefit areas in the north and west rather than their own areas. So on 30 May, 1967, Colonel Odemugwu Ojukwu the then military governor of the Igbo-dominated southeast declared independence as the Republic of Biafra.
War began on 6 July, 1967 when the Nigerian Federal troops led by Colonel Shuwa advanced south to retake the secessionist territory. The town of Nsukka in the northern part of the southeast was captured on 14 July. The Biafrans responded with an offensive on 9 July, 1967 moving west into the Mid-Western Nigeria across the Niger river and led by Lt. Colonel Banjo. A division of Nigerian forces led by Colonel Murtala Muhammed stopped them, forced them to retreat and retook Benin City on 22 September. Then Gowon launched another offensive into Biafra south from the Niger Delta to the riverine area using the Lagos Garrison command under Colonel Benjamin Adekunle. The Federal troops were repulsed thrice as they attempted to cross the River Niger in October, many of them were killed and their tanks and equipment were destroyed.
The Federal troops then settled down to a period of a siege by blockading Biafra. Though the Nigerian marines led by Major Isaac Adaka Boro had captured the Bonny, Okrika and Port Harcourt on 26 July, and the port city of Calabar was taken on 18 October by Colonel Benjamin Adekunle led forces. Also, the Biafran capital, Enugu city was captured on 4 October. But the Biafrans continued to resist in their core Igbo heartlands. The Federal troops made little progress at the start o f 1968 until April when they launched an offensive closing in on the Biafrans. Already, the blockade on the Biafran territories was causing widespread civilian hunger and starvation. Many volunteer bodies organised blockade-breaking flights into Biafra, carrying food, medicines and sometimes weapons. There were arms-carrying aircraft that closely follows the aid aircraft, making it more difficult to distinguish between aid aircraft and military supply aircraft. The Biafrans launched in June, 1969 a desparate offensive against the Nigerians in their attempts to keep the Federal troops off-balance, through the support of foreign mercenary pilots continuing to fly in food, medical supplies and weapons. Although the Federal troops were taken off-guard by the surprise, they soon recovered and held off the Biafrans long enough for the offensive to stall out. Then the Nigerian federal forces launched one of their final offensive the Biafrans on 23 December 1969 with a major thrust by the Nigerian marines led by Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo which split the Biafran enclave into two. Another offensive was launched on 7 January, 1970 which led to the surrender of the Biafran forces on 13 January, 1970 with Ojukwu fleeing to Ivory Coast.
During the three-year war thousands of lives were lost with most deaths caused by hunger and disease.

References
"Nigeria".Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved June-2009
"Nigeria". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria. Retrieved June-2009

Nigeria today

2009-08-13T11:50:00.001+01:00

The most urgent issue in Nigeria currently is the issue of democracy, understood not only as an end to military rule but also as the establishment of responsive and responsible political institutions which promote a government that is accountable, prevent corruption, respect human and civil rights, and ensure popular sovereignty.

For most Nigerians however, the pressing problems of everyday survival remain the highest immediate priority. Since the oil boom of the 1970s, Nigeria's economy has been in crisis despite continued expansion in oil production. The SAP has not helped the Nigerian economy much and the political instability since the early 1990s has severely impeded the ability of successive governments to implement economic policies. Without the establishment of an accountable government, the chances of addressing other pressing problems-like the deterioration of living conditions and the collapse of once outstanding educational institutions-are very minimal.

Nigeria is also well endowed with abundant human as well as natural resources to address its problems. Many of its outstanding leaders have been kept in prison or in exile. The solution for addressing its problems and thus consolidate democratic governance in the federal republic lies in having a government that works on the principles of good governance and is most especially, accountable to the Nigerian people. Good governance in Nigeria is thus essential to its stability and growth and that of the economies of West African countries in the Sub-region.

culled from http://www.iss.co.za/Af/profiles/Nigeria/Politics.html

Introduction to Nigeria

2009-08-11T10:48:00.000+01:00

The name Nigeria comes from the river Niger which is one of Nigeria's main river. Nigeria got her independence on 1 October, 1960 from Britain, after about half a century under British colonial rule.

Nigeria is the largest country in West Africa, spanning over an area of 923,768 sq km and is bounded by Benin (773 km) to the west, Cameroon (1,690 km) to the east, Chad (87 km) to the northeast, Niger (1,497 km) to the north and the Gulf of Guinea on the south. The natural resources in Nigeria are petroleum, natural gas, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc and arable land. And the only major natural disasters are periodic droughts and flooding.

Nigeria is by far the most populated country in Africa with over 140 million people (July 2008 est.) and a labour force of over 51 million people. The official currency is Naira (NGN) and kobo (k). Her official language is English, but with about 400 native languages including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulfulde, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, Efik, Edo, Nupe, Ijesa, Ijaw and Ondo.

Nigeria operates a federal form of government with 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory also known as FCT. The president, 109 senators, 360 members of House of Representatives and the 36 governors all have a four-year term but can be re-elected for another term though the president and the governors cannot serve beyond two terms. Though the national capital is Abuja, most economic activities and businesses are in Lagos.

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2009-08-08T12:04:00.001+01:00

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2009-01-08T12:03:00.000+01:00

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