Category: Uncategorized

Overview of Nigeria’s political corruption

From the BBC (a month old):

Nigeria is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Daily, low-level corruption is visible on the street; policeman extorting money from motorists to supplement their meagre wages.
But it is in the world of politics and government, where corruption has been most damaging.

Nigerian prisons

From the BBC:

The ‘notorious’ jails of Nigeria
Prisons in Nigeria are notorious, with many of the country’s 40,000 inmates crammed into massively overcrowded, dilapidated cells in old prisons.
Many inmates have never been convicted of a crime
The most shocking statistic is that some two thirds of all the prisoners in Nigeria have not been convicted.
Many have to wait for years for the case to come to court.
Inside prisons, conditions are squalid and disease is rife; tuberculosis is common.
Human rights groups say inmates often fall ill, some die from a lack of adequate medical treatment.

We visited the Jos prison and didn’t see the actual living conditions other than outside. The men we met with didn’t seem to mind or complain about their living conditions although many said they were simply condemned and that usually meant they’d spend the rest of their life in prison. Another worker told us that the prisoners could be executed at anytime without any warning, usually by a firing squad or hanging.

Gov of Ekiti impeached

From the BBC:

Missing Nigeria governor sacked
Mr Fayose says President Obasanjo is behind his impeachment
The governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria, has been impeached after MPs found him and his deputy guilty of corruption.
Ayo Fayose’s sacking has heightened tensions in the south-western state with riot police deployed in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.
Mr Fayose is the third governor to be impeached since Nigeria returned to multiparty democracy in 1999.
He denies graft and is believed to have fled to another West African country to avoid possible arrest and trial.

Abuja to host independence celebration

From allafrica.com:

Tourism all over the world remains a very important tool in promoting and showcasing the best of culture, places, creativity and economy of a given city, town or country. A celebration of Nigeria’s 46th Independence Anniversary and the 30th Anniversary of Abuja will take place in the FCT. Trust Entertainment has the scoop for you.
The event is set to uniquely place Abuja rightfully as a world class centre of tourist attraction. Expected to grace the events and to ‘rock’, live in Abuja, are President John Kuffor of Ghana as the Special Guest of Honour, who is expected to deliver a key note address on the “Place of Africa in Global Economy”. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, President Olusegun Obasanjo, two other African Presidents and other international dignitaries are also expected to attend.