Vol 52 No 13 | NIGERIA Power to the people, profits to the chiefs 24th June 2011 Community control of oil can worsen local strife, to judge by the experience of the Neconde Group, which won the bid for Shell’s 45% of Operations Management Licence...
Vol 52 No 11 | NIGERIAAFRICA The fastest growing family 27th May 2011 The United Nations’ latest projection of world demographic trends* predicts that Africa’s population will reach 2.2 billion by 2050, 24% of the global population. Nigeria’s population, according to...
Vol 52 No 9 | NIGERIA Better elections, dangerous politics 29th April 2011 Fairer voting helps but fundamental reforms are needed to tackle the crisis in the impoverished north The bloody aftermath of Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in the 16 April presidential election will require decisive action from his new government to prevent a dangerous and widening gulf between north...
Vol 52 No 9 | NIGERIA Governors, godfathers and guts 29th April 2011 For ambitious politicians, the exalted office of state governor is worth fighting for, sometimes literally. That made the 26 April gubernatorial elections in 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states a hefty test...
Vol 52 No 8 | NIGERIA A trap for the juggernaut 15th April 2011 The governing party has taken a hit in the National Assembly but Goodluck Jonathan remains favourite to win the presidential vote Parliamentary elections on 9 April showed that Nigerians are no longer willing to be taken for granted by the People’s Democratic Party, which has towered over the political...
Vol 52 No 7 | NIGERIA Results that are fit to print 1st April 2011 This month’s elections will be unique – the ruling class cannot agree on who they want to win Until now, every Nigerian national election has been more or less managed under an elite pact. The richest and most powerful people informally agree to accept the outcome,...
Vol 52 No 7 | NIGERIA Watch the south-west 1st April 2011 The six states of south-west Nigeria may determine the national elections for President Goodluck Jonathan, whose People’s Democratic Party lost much of its following in the region under...
Vol 52 No 5 | NIGERIA So where did the money go? 4th March 2011 Obscure accounts uncover a black hole in state finances as politicians hit the campaign trail promising to end corruption Opposition parties claim that over US$27 billion is missing from state accounts, managed by the People’s Democratic Party government under President Goodluck Jonathan and his late predecessor, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Coming just...
Vol 52 No 4 | NIGERIA A fight for the President’s base 18th February 2011 After a period of calm, political battles have resumed in Ogoniland as the ruling party tries to ensure its dominance ahead of the coming elections Political violence in the Niger Delta is escalating in the run-up to the April elections, threatening to plunge President Goodluck Jonathan’s power base into chaos again and compromising...
Vol 52 No 3 | NIGERIA Bayelsa's fighting chance 4th February 2011 Rivalry between two former loyalists of President Goodluck Jonathan and his People's Democratic Party in his home state of Bayelsa presages fierce confrontations before April's elections. The split in the Bayelsa...