Daura, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerians voted for a new president on Saturday after a week-long delay that has raised political tempers, sparked conspiracy claims and stoked fears of violence. Some 120,000 polling stations opened from 0700 GMT, although there were delays in the delivery of some materials and deployment …
Read More »Nigeria vote delay throws wedding plans into chaos
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Jude Ezeanyagu woke up last Saturday morning and texted guests the final reminders about his wedding the following week in Delta state, southern Nigeria. Then he got a reply. “My friend texted me back, ‘Have you not seen the news? They’ve shifted the elections’,” …
Read More »Nigeria counts cost of postponed presidential poll
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerians on Sunday counted the cost of the last-minute postponement of presidential elections, with predictions the delay could lose the country billions of dollars. The streets of Lagos, the country’s sprawling commercial hub of more than 20 million people, were empty following disappointment and anger …
Read More »Nigeria’s presidential election: the main candidates
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s presidential election that has been postponed, will feature more than 70 candidates but it is ultimately expected to be a head-to-head between just two men. – Muhammadu Buhari (All Progressives Congress) – Buhari’s landmark 2015 election victory over Goodluck Jonathan was the first time …
Read More »Logistical problems force Nigeria election delay
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s electoral watchdog on Saturday postponed presidential and parliamentary elections for one week, just hours before polls were due to open. The two main political parties swiftly condemned the move and accused each other of orchestrating the delay as a way of manipulating the vote. …
Read More »Nigeria: African giant struggling with poverty, unrest
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria, which elects a new president on February 16, is Africa’s most populous nation and leading oil producer but is dogged by poverty and insecurity. – People and penury – More than 190 million people live in the West African nation. The UN estimates it …
Read More »Nigeria: Buhari’s first term
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Muhammadu Buhari was elected president of Nigeria in 2015 on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram jihadists and tackle endemic corruption. As he seeks re-election, here is a look back at key developments in the country during his first term. – 2015: successes against Boko Haram …
Read More »Nigeria since independence
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Key events in the history of Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960: – First coup – In January 1966 the first in a series of military coups takes place amid dissatisfaction with progress after colonial rule. Significantly, it is also triggered by the fact that …
Read More »A look to the future: Nigeria’s first-time voters
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s upcoming presidential elections are the sixth to be held since civilian rule was restored in 1999 and the first to involve voters with no experience of military government. AFP spoke to some first-time voters in Africa’s most populous country to find out what …
Read More »Nigeria files graft charges against Buhari’s former aides
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has filed corruption charges against two former senior government officials and close aides of President Muhammadu Buhari who were sacked for alleged graft, the country’s anti-corruption agency said on Thursday. The appointments of top civil servant Babachir Lawal and Ayo Oke, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, were terminated …
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