Vol 54 No 16 | NIGERIA Amaechi takes on Jonathan 1st August 2013 The battle for control of wealthy Rivers State is a personal struggle for power in the Niger Delta but has the makings of a national crisis For many of those listening to Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s address to the Chatham House think-tank in London on 24 July, the speaker may have appeared just another ambitious...
Vol 54 No 15 | NIGERIA The Delta catches fire again 11th July 2013 Rampant oil theft, spills and a pipeline shutdown focus attention on Shell’s operations as a political crisis looms The Niger Delta faces a new round of turmoil as politicians and their business allies jostle for power at the centre of the country's oil industry. On 10...
Vol 54 No 15 | NIGERIA The Bodo spill hits companies and politicians 11th July 2013 The aftermath of the fire could result in costly litigation for Shell and further erode President Goodluck Jonathan's presidency The latest fire and pollution incident at Bodo may leave Royal Dutch Shell open to hugely costly damages. A landmark United Nations Environment Programme report in 2011 estimated...
Vol 54 No 14 | NIGERIA Inside the presidential fight 5th July 2013 Opponents – within and outside the ruling party – are undercutting President Jonathan’s authority as he prepares for the 2015 elections Two factors – rampant factionalism in the governing People’s Democratic Party and a coherent opposition alliance are changing the calculus in Nigerian politics. For the first time in... READ FOR FREE
Vol 54 No 14 | NIGERIA The governors and the insurgency 5th July 2013 Quieter streets along with fewer attacks and bombings suggest the declaration of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states is holding back, for now, the momentum of...
Vol 54 No 11 | NIGERIA Blocking the great reform bill 24th May 2013 Partisan wrangling and commercial manoeuvring have derailed plans to make the oil and gas industry more efficient and accountable Efforts towards comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry are in tatters some five years after the first version of the Petroleum Industry Bill was presented to...
Vol 54 No 11 | NIGERIA An insurgency without the oil 24th May 2013 With Map: Recent Boko Haram activity: bombings, shootings, kidnappings, jailbreaks At face value, the declaration by President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, dominated by appointees from the oil-rich Niger Delta, of a state of emergency in north-east Nigeria and plans...
Vol 54 No 11 | NIGERIA Lagos leniency 24th May 2013 A Lagos court has sentenced Azim Aghajani, the Iranian convicted on 13 May of importing 13 containers of infantry weapons, to only five years, along with his Nigerian...
Vol 54 No 9 | NIGERIA Opposition on all fronts 26th April 2013 A new political alliance to confront President Jonathan is gathering pace as security conditions – north and south – deteriorate The newly united opposition parties – the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) – have joined forces to condemn soldiers for what...
Vol 54 No 9 | NIGERIAUNITED STATES Law suits unravel 26th April 2013 The United States Supreme Court decided on 17 April to back a lower court’s refusal to hear a suit brought by Nigerians against Royal Dutch Shell ...