Nigerian man’s autopsy provides no clues

An autopsy on a Nigerian man who died shortly before a special repatriation flight last week at Zurich Airport has so far revealed no clues as to the cause of death.

The 29-year-old had been on a hunger strike for several days and immediate attempts to resuscitate him after shackles were released were in vain.

The local public prosecutor’s office said on Monday that it now had to wait for the results of laboratory tests to continue its investigation into the circumstances of the death.

The flight to Lagos, which was due to carry the Nigerian, a convicted drug dealer, and 15 other rejected asylum seekers, was cancelled. The Federal Migration Office has since suspended all such flights.

Also on Monday, the Swiss authorities said that up to ten inmates in a detention centre at the airport had gone on hunger strike, but added that their motive for doing so was not clear.

A spokeswoman told the Swiss News Agency that those involved were sending their meals back untouched, but that it was not a full-scale strike.
The detention centre at the airport has room for 106 inmates.

NEWS

swissinfo.ch and agencies

Divide Nigeria in two, says Muammar Gaddafi

Nigeria should be divided into two nations to avoid further bloodshed between Muslims and Christians, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said.

In a speech to students, he praised the example of India and Pakistan, where he said partition saved many lives.

Splitting Nigeria "would stop the bloodshed and burning of places of worship," state news agency Jana quoted him as saying.

A senior Nigerian diplomat said he was not taking the suggestion seriously.

Hundreds of people have died in communal violence in villages around the central Nigerian city of Jos this year.

The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says Col Gaddafi's suggestion is unsurprising given his past form.

Last year, he called for Switzerland to be abolished and for its land to be divided between Italy, Germany and France.

'Historic, radical solution'

Although the violence in Nigeria generally takes place between Muslim and Christian communities, the underlying causes are a complex mix of political, social and economic grievances.

Nigeria is roughly split between its largely Muslim north, and a Christian-dominated south.

Col Gaddafi, until recently head of the African Union, characterised the Jos violence as a "deep conflict of religious nature" caused by the federal state, "which was made and imposed by the British in spite of the people's resistance to it".

He described the partition of India as a "historic, radical solution" which saved the lives of "millions of Hindus and Muslims".

Splitting India in 1947 caused a breakdown of law and order in which at least 200,000 people died. Some estimates say one million people were killed.

About 12 million people were left homeless and thousands were raped.

An attempt by the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria to secede in 1967 sparked a war which left more than one million people dead.

origin

Jos: Slaughter Capital of Nigeria

 

Jos: Slaughter Capital of Nigeria.

The Federal Government of Nigeria owe Nigerians a serious apology for its failure to end the incessant Jos crisis. Re-occurring crisis of this nature is more than enough to bring down governments in the developed countries. Without doubts, the Federal Government, its security agencies and the perpetrators of these crimes should together be held responsible for the Jos massacre. In my opinion, the government should be prosecuted for security failures. The primary responsibility of every government is welfare and security of its citizens. On this occasion (Jos Crises etc) the government has simply failed.

I will advocate serious compensation from the government to those who lost loved ones, even though compensation will not bring back lost relatives. By virtue of the record number of religious crises in Jos and the higher number of deaths resulting from it, Jos has earned for herself, The Slaughter Capital of Nigeria. Just in a space of less than 3 months, over 800 people have lost their lives to religious crises. In January 2010, over 300 people were killed. In this month of March 2010, over 500 were slaughtered. Life is too cheap in Nigeria. I pray that, these killings should be the last. I pray this prayer each time there is a crisis, but I understand that heaven helps those who help themselves. In our own case we have not helped ourselves, therefore heaven might not help us.

To make matters worse, our government has abdicated from their responsibilities (security and welfare). There is no difference between a state sponsored killings and the inaction of our government through their security agencies. Government has no regards for the lives of Nigerians. Government's inaction also runs counter productive to some of their programmes like re-branding etc

I was highly embarrassed when some of my work colleagues (mainly Africans from other countries) confronted me with the news of Jos massacre on March 9^th. Earlier in January (2010), I was also confronted with the same Jos crisis. On each case I was short of words. Imagine if these people were foreign investors or have friends who want to invest in Nigeria. These negative stories will never leave their minds whenever Nigeria is mentioned.

The greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment. On the other hand, soft sentences can boost crimes, an example is the light sentence given to Olabode George. If the government cannot get tougher with punishing criminals and perpetrators of religious crises etc, then they will only be toying with our future. No one is safe. Even the so called "leaders" Nelson Mandela once said that 'Security for few is insecurity for all'

Removing the National Security Adviser is not enough. Heads of other relevant security agencies should also be sacked. Another reason to sack other security chiefs is the way and manner our President was smuggled inside the country like a thief. I read from online news sources that most of our security chiefs claimed ignorance of smuggling of Yar'Adua. We should remember that ignorance is not an excuse in law and therefore cannot be accepted by Nigerians. There (security services) inaction means they cannot justify their wages/salaries etc and there is no point wasting the taxpayers money on whoever cannot justify his/her pay. 

The Jos crises is also a serious blow to the people who protested on the streets of London, Abuja, and New York that Nigerians are not terrorist(s). What more do we call terrorism than events in Jos. My biggest concern is how to prevent similar crisis in future? Do we have any assurances from the government and its security agencies that such incidents will not happen again? What are government plans for those displaced from their homes and businesses? What about the traumatised children and women? There are a lot more questions than answers. May God bless Nigeria.

Chinedu Vincent Akuta.

An activist and leader of "Support Option A4 Group" Leicester-UK

akutachinedu@yahoo.com

http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/

The Save Nigeria Protest Rally in Abuja

End This Political Crisis Before It’s Too Late

End This Political Crisis Before It's Too Late. His Excellency, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, The Presidency, Aso Rock. Abuja , Nigeria .   Dear Goodluck Jonathan,   As the Acting President and the Commander in Chief, you Must end this political crisis before it's too late. Its mockery of your good office (The Presidency) that you're prevented from seeing your boss. The international community will find it difficult to believe what is happening. By the powers conferred on you as the Commander in Chief, you should summon immediately the Chief of Army Staff, The Director of State Security Services, The Director of Nigeria Intelligence Agency etc, these people will in turn obtain relevant information from the Yar'Adua,s Chief Security Officer, his ADC and orderlies. Whatever information obtained should be broadcast live to the nation.   It will be in the best interest of the ADC and Chief Security Officer to Yar'Adua to furnish their bosses and the nation all they know about Yar'Adua. They owe the nation serious obligation to give account of Yar'Adua,s medical condition as longer as it will help to move the nation forward. They (ADC and CSO to Yar'Adua) should draw lessons from what happened to Al-Mustapha (former Chief Security Officer to late General Abacha) who was cross examined several times about his activities during the Oputa Panel. The present (CSO) to Yar'Adua should remember that he does not have immunity from prosecution. However this present crisis will equally affect him as it will affect other Nigerians directly or indirectly. Therefore, every efforts should be made by all to end the current political tension arising from Yar'Adua,s ill health.     President Yar'Adua is, and will not be the only sick president. When Fidel Castro (Cuban President) became seriously ill, he was televised live on his sick bed when Venezuela 's President (Hugo Chavez) visited him. When late Yasser Arafat (The Leader of Palestine Liberation Organization) was taken to a French hospital before his death, the entire world was kept informed of his situation. Also when former Israeli Prime Minster (Ariel Sharon) was taken to hospital, the world was kept informed. I find it too difficult to understand the secrecy surrounding our president's sickness.   The National Assembly should also summon without delays all the Service Chiefs (Heads of Security Apparatus responsible for guarding Yar'Adua) to come and explain to the nation all the know about President Yar'Adua,s illness. Madam Turai Yar'Adua (first lady) will not have the powers to stop the National Assembly from summoning the Service Chiefs; neither will she have the powers to stop them from appearing before the National Assembly. The National Assembly should take further steps necessary to avoid this political crisis. All their efforts should be televised live to Nigerians.      Mr. Acting President, you should proceed immediately set up a Commission of Enquiry to look into the events that happened while our President was admitted in a Saudi Arabian hospital. The Commission should also look at the suspicious return of our President into the country. Expose those behind this shameful episode. Prosecute if necessary those who might have aided the return of our President without notifying you. This Commission of Enquiry should be televised live to Nigerians just like the Oputa Panel did. The idea is for Nigerians to have their reports themselves because previous reports of several judicial, administrative or commission(s) of enquiry was never made public. Another idea should be to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incident in the future.   You (Goodluck Jonathan) should also disclose to the nation how much the federal government spent on Yar'Adua,s medical trip to Saudi Arabia ? I am asking this question because President Yar'Adua did not spend his personal money. Nigerian tax payers money/the oil money would have been used to off set the medical bills. Remember, the President went with his entourage, and they all were in Saudi for the number of days he spent there. Please remember to add the cost(s) of three government delegations to Saudi Arabia , even though they didn't see Yar'Adua.   The idea of asking how much was spent is because Nigerians deserve to know how their money is being spent. Who knows, the money spent in Saudi Arabia might have been enough to equip at least one hospital in Nigeria . It was the biggest embarrassment that our President went to Saudi Arabia for his medical treatment. To achieve a balance, the federal government should either send every sick Nigerian to overseas for treatment or completely ban overseas medical treatments for government officials, and properly equip our hospitals. I have made this argument several times.   Nigerians at home and in Diaspora should be more than prepared to defend their democracy. Power belongs to the people. This is the time to be on our guard to defend our freedom and democracy. Every effort should be made by Nigerians to stop further political crisis. Political crisis will rather set us back.   Yar'Adua,s issue should not prevent other political parties from starting campaigns for next year (2011) general elections. Opposition political parties should be strategizing by now on how to capture power come next year. Election is less than fourteen months from now; therefore this is the best time for opposition parties to present credible candidates and programmes to challenge PDP led government. I will advice Nigerians to vote credible people and not political party in future elections in Nigeria . Let's not forget to start shadow government/cabinet starting from next year (2011). May God bless Nigeria .   Chinedu Vincent Akuta. An activist and leader of "Support Option A4 Group" Leicester-UK akutachinedu@ yahoo.com http://briefsfromak uta.blogspot. com/       __._,_.___ __,_._,___

Has Nigeria's First Lady Seized Control of the Nation?

Amid rumours about President's health, confusion reigns over who is in charge

By Daniel Howden in Lagos

Saturday, 6 March 2010

• • NORMAL
  • LARG
  • EXTRA LARGE

AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Demonstrators protested in Lagos before the return of the president after one month in Saudi Arabia following a medical check-up. His wife is now at the centre of a dispute over access to the ailing leader

• ENLARGE

Mounting anger in Nigeria at the mystery surrounding the health of the country's president has led many to question who is really in charge of the African giant: its elected leader, the acting president or the first lady?

Turai Yar'Adua, a former schoolteacher and long-time wife of the president, is accused of making a power grab and taking charge of the oil-rich nation along with a cabal of advisers.

The 53-year-old first lady has denied all access to her husband since his night-time return to Nigeria last week, following a three-month absence at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Three attempts to visit Umaru Yar'Adua – whose medical condition has not been publicly explained – by the acting president Goodluck Jonathan have been rebuffed.

The 67-year-old president has not been seen in public since November and is believed to be so critically ill that senior sources believe it is "highly unlikely" he can recover. After months of emergency treatment for what was supposed to be pericarditis, Mr Yar'Adua was brought home and kept in the grounds of the presidential villa inside an ambulance for nearly a week while an intensive-care unit was hastily built inside.

The only people believed to have seen him are his wife, the family's head of security and the Saudi medical team which has accompanied him back to Nigeria. The strict secrecy over the president's health and absence of any formal authority on the part of the first lady to restrict access to the head of state has prompted one law firm in Abuja to sue her and her kitchen cabinet of advisers for violating the constitution.

Africa's most populous country has been destabilised by a prolonged power vacuum which has endangered peace efforts in the Niger Delta, has frozen badly needed reforms and has forced Nigeria's convoluted power struggles into the public domain. The confusion has also threatened the gentlemen's agreement in the ruling party under which the majority Muslim North and predominantly Christian South take turns in the presidency.

The mother of seven has been accused by some in the media of launching the "Turai coup", of plotting to take the vice-presidency and by others of endangering her husband's health in a desperate bid to hold onto power. She has, however, made no public statement thus far.

Attention has turned already to the race for the vice-presidency in the event that Mr Jonathan formally takes the top job. Mrs Yar'Adua is thought to want the job for herself or for one of her two sons-in-law who are already state governors.

Whoever takes the vice-presidency ahead of next year's election would then be the frontrunner for the top job, analysts said.

The first lady has been able to see off attempts this week to limit her husband's remaining authority despite his medical condition, as she won the backing of Nigeria's powerful state governors.

Turai's apparent skill at the political game in the capital Abuja has prompted a re-examination of a first lady previously thought to be a modest successor to the brash senior wife of Olusegun Obasanjo who came to be known as "greedy Stella".

Mrs Yar'Adua was born to a modest family in the north state of Katsina and educated at a government school. She met and married the man who would be president when he was still a chemistry teacher.

But her new family, the Yar'Aduas, was already part of the political elite in Nigeria even though her husband was seen as the least likely member to enter politics. His elevation to the presidency was a surprise, especially as he had spoken of his desire to return to teaching. His elder brother, Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, was a party leader and powerful figure. When Yar'Adua senior was asked to endorse his younger brother's bid to be governor of Katsina State he is said to have asked who really wanted the job, Umaru or Turai?

Because of her husband's persistent health problems, family friends and colleagues remember her playing a significant role in the running of the state.

source

DEMOCRACY.......NIGERIAN

(End This Political Crisis Before It’s Too Late)

End This Political Crisis Before It's Too Late. His Excellency, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, The Presidency, Aso Rock. Abuja , Nigeria . Dear Goodluck Jonathan, As the Acting President and the Commander in Chief, you Must end this political crisis before it's too late. Its mockery of your good office (The Presidency) that you're prevented from seeing your boss. The international community will find it difficult to believe what is happening. By the powers conferred on you as the Commander in Chief, you should summon immediately the Chief of Army Staff, The Director of State Security Services, The Director of Nigeria Intelligence Agency etc, these people will in turn obtain relevant information from the Yar'Adua,s Chief Security Officer, his ADC and orderlies. Whatever information obtained should be broadcast live to the nation. It will be in the best interest of the ADC and Chief Security Officer to Yar'Adua to furnish their bosses and the nation all they know about Yar'Adua. They owe the nation serious obligation to give account of Yar'Adua,s medical condition as longer as it will help to move the nation forward. They (ADC and CSO to Yar'Adua) should draw lessons from what happened to Al-Mustapha (former Chief Security Officer to late General Abacha) who was cross examined several times about his activities during the Oputa Panel. The present (CSO) to Yar'Adua should remember that he does not have immunity from prosecution. However this present crisis will equally affect him as it will affect other Nigerians directly or indirectly. Therefore, every efforts should be made by all to end the current political tension arising from Yar'Adua,s ill health. President Yar'Adua is, and will not be the only sick president. When Fidel Castro (Cuban President) became seriously ill, he was televised live on his sick bed when Venezuela 's President (Hugo Chavez) visited him. When late Yasser Arafat (The Leader of Palestine Liberation Organization) was taken to a French hospital before his death, the entire world was kept informed of his situation. Also when former Israeli Prime Minster (Ariel Sharon) was taken to hospital, the world was kept informed. I find it too difficult to understand the secrecy surrounding our president's sickness. The National Assembly should also summon without delays all the Service Chiefs (Heads of Security Apparatus responsible for guarding Yar'Adua) to come and explain to the nation all the know about President Yar'Adua,s illness. Madam Turai Yar'Adua (first lady) will not have the powers to stop the National Assembly from summoning the Service Chiefs; neither will she have the powers to stop them from appearing before the National Assembly. The National Assembly should take further steps necessary to avoid this political crisis. All their efforts should be televised live to Nigerians.    Mr. Acting President, you should proceed immediately set up a Commission of Enquiry to look into the events that happened while our President was admitted in a Saudi Arabian hospital. The Commission should also look at the suspicious return of our President into the country. Expose those behind this shameful episode. Prosecute if necessary those who might have aided the return of our President without notifying you. This Commission of Enquiry should be televised live to Nigerians just like the Oputa Panel did. The idea is for Nigerians to have their reports themselves because previous reports of several judicial, administrative or commission(s) of enquiry was never made public. Another idea should be to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incident in the future. You (Goodluck Jonathan) should also disclose to the nation how much the federal government spent on Yar'Adua,s medical trip to Saudi Arabia ? I am asking this question because President Yar'Adua did not spend his personal money. Nigerian tax payers money/the oil money would have been used to off set the medical bills. Remember, the President went with his entourage, and they all were in Saudi for the number of days he spent there. Please remember to add the cost(s) of three government delegations to Saudi Arabia , even though they didn't see Yar'Adua.  The idea of asking how much was spent is because Nigerians deserve to know how their money is being spent. Who knows, the money spent in Saudi Arabia might have been enough to equip at least one hospital in Nigeria . It was the biggest embarrassment that our President went to Saudi Arabia for his medical treatment. To achieve a balance, the federal government should either send every sick Nigerian to overseas for treatment or completely ban overseas medical treatments for government officials, and properly equip our hospitals. I have made this argument several times. Nigerians at home and in Diaspora should be more than prepared to defend their democracy. Power belongs to the people. This is the time to be on our guard to defend our freedom and democracy. Every effort should be made by Nigerians to stop further political crisis. Political crisis will rather set us back. Yar'Adua,s issue should not prevent other political parties from starting campaigns for next year (2011) general elections. Opposition political parties should be strategizing by now on how to capture power come next year. Election is less than fourteen months from now; therefore this is the best time for opposition parties to present credible candidates and programmes to challenge PDP led government. I will advice Nigerians to vote credible people and not political party in future elections in Nigeria . Let's not forget to start shadow government/cabinet starting from next year (2011). May God bless Nigeria . Chinedu Vincent Akuta. An activist and leader of "Support Option A4 Group" Leicester-UK akutachinedu@ yahoo.com http://briefsfromak uta.blogspot. com/ . __,_._,___