Focus On Nigeria @ 47

Nigeria marks its 47th Independence anniversary after gaining independence from Britain on October 1, 1960.

The history of Nigeria is replete with political instability with the military being in the driving seat for most of the time until the transition to democratic governance that brought General Olusegun Obasanjo back to power under the ticket of the ruling party, People's Democraic Party (PDP).

FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA
• Full name: The Federal
Republic of Nigeria
• Capital: Abuja
• Largest city: Lagos
• Monetary unit: 1 Nigerian
naira = 100 kobo
• GNI per capita: US $560
(World Bank, 2006)

• With a physical size of 923,768sq km and a population of about 140 million comprising more than 250 ethnic groups speaking over 4,000 languages and dialects. English is the official language.

• Bordered by the Republic of Benin to the west, Cameroon to the East, Niger and Chad in the North and Gulf of Guinea to the South.

MAJOR ETHNIC CROUPS
Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Kanuri, Tiv, Ibibio, Ijaw, Edo, Efik Urhobo, Udoma, Itsekiri.

MAJOR NATURAL
RESOURCES
Petroleum, Tin, Columbite, Iron-Ore, coal, Bauxite, Limestone, Lead, Zinc, Natural Gas.

MAJOR ACRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
Cocoa, Palm Oil, Rice, Cotton, Groundnuts, Corn, Cassava, Livestock, Sorghum, Cola nuts.

MAJOR RELIGIONS
Islam, Christianity and Traditionalists.

A chronology of key events from independence:
1960 - Independence, with Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa leading a coalition government.

1962-63 - Controversial census fuels regional and ethnic tensions.
1966 January - Balewa killed in coup. Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi heads up military administration.

1966 July - Ironsi killed in counter-coup, replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon.

1967 - Three eastern states secede as the Republic of Biafra, sparking bloody civil war.

1970 - Biafran leaders surrender; former Biafran regions reintegrated into country.

1975 - Gowon overthrown, flees to Britain, replaced by Brigadier Murtala Ramat Mohammed, who begins process of moving federal capital to Abuja.

Obasanjo - first time round
1976 - Mohammed assassinated in failed coup attempt. Replaced by his deputy, Lieutenant-General Olusegun Obasanjo, who helps introduce American-class presidential constitution.

1979 - Elections bring Alhaji Shehu Shagari to power.
1983 January - The government expels more than one million foreigners, mostly Ghanaians, saying they had overstayed their visas and were taking jobs from Nigerians. The move is condemned abroad but proves popular in Nigeria.

1983 August, September - Shagari re-elected amid accusations of irregularities.

1983 December - Major-General Muhammad Buhari seizes power in bloodless coup.

1985 - Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in bloodless coup, curtails political activity.

1993 June - Military annuls elections when preliminary results show victory by Chief Moshood Abiola.

1993 August - Power transferred to Interim National Government.

Abacha years
1993 November - General Sani Abacha seizes power, suppresses opposition.

1994 - Abiola arrested after proclaiming himself president.
1995 - Ken Saro-Wiwa, writer and campaigner against oil industry damage to his Ogoni homeland, is executed following a hasty trial.

In protest, European Union imposes sanctions until 1998, Commonwealth suspends Nigeria's membership until 1998.

1998 - Abacha dies, succeeded by Major-General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Chief Abiola dies in custody a month later.

1999 - Parliamentary and presidential elections. Olusegun Obasanjo sworn in as president.

2003 - 12 April - First legislative elections since end of military rule in 1999. Polling marked by delays, allegations of ballot-rigging. President Obasanjo's People's Democratic Party wins parliamentary majority.

Obasanjo r elected
2003 19 April - First civilian-run presidential elections since end of military rule.

Olusegun Obasanjo elected for second term with more than 60% of vote. Opposition parties reject result. EU poll observers cite "serious irregularities".

2006 May - The Senate rejects proposed changes to the constitution which would have allowed President Obasanjo to stand for a third term in 2007.

2007 April - Umaru Yar'Adua of the ruling People's Democratic Party is proclaimed winner of the presidential election. BBC NEWS

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua- Nigeria's First Graduate President
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is the first civilian leader in Nigeria to have taken over from another in the country's 47 years history after independence from Britain.

He is also the first university graduate to be elected executive president.

A former chemistry teacher, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, was born in Katsina Town, Katsina State in Northern Nigeria in 1951.

He started his primary education at Rafukka Primary School, Katsina in 1958. He left Rafukka for Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962 from where he completed his primary education in 1964.

Between 1965-1969, Umaru Yar'Adua was at Government College, Keffi in present-day Nasarawa State for his secondary education.

He then moved to the famous Barewa College, Zaria for his Higher School Certificate between 1970-1971. For his university education, Yar'Adua attended the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria from 1972-1975 where he obtained a B.Sc Education/Chemistry. He returned to the same University from 1978-1980 for his M.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry.

Umaru Yar'Adua's working career began at the Holy Child College, Lagos for the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between 1975 and 1976. He was a Lecturer at the Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria between 1976 and 1979. He moved to Katsina Polytechnic, also as a Lecturer in 1979 and was there until 1983 when he left the public service.

Yar'Adua's foray into party politics began when he was a Lecturer and became an active member and mobilizer for the defunct Peoples' Redemption Party (PRP).

During the Transition Programme of President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Yar'Adua was one of the founding members of the Peoples' Front, a political association under the leadership of his elder brother, the late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua.

That association later fused to form the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Yar'Adua was a member of the 1988 Constituent Assembly.

He was a member of the party's National Caucus and the SDP State Secretary in Katsina and contested the 1991 Governorship election, but lost to the candidate of the National Republican Convention.

At the inception of General Abdulsalam Abubakar's transition in 1998, Yar'Adua founded the K34 political association which later teemed up to form the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He contested and won elections as Governor of Katsina State in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003.

Yar'Adua is happily married to Hajia Turai Umaru Yar'Adua and they are blessed with five children.

GOODWILL MESSAGE FROM THE HIGH
COMMISSION

The Acting High Commissioner, on behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria sends warm greetings and congratulations to all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria in Ghana on this auspicious occasion of the 47th Independence Anniversary of our dear country, Nigeria.

I also wish to thank the President, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor and the good people of Ghana for the excellent and cordial relations that has been existing between the two countries and has blossomed to greater heights leading to increased presence of each other in the economies of their two countries.

May I also congratulate President John Agyekum Kufuor and the entire people of Ghana for the recent discovery of crude oil at Cape Three Points in the Western Region.

This discovery, no doubt, will go a long way in stabilizing the economy and the political achievements of the Government of Ghana. It is our hope that Nigeria, as an oil producing nation, will avail Ghana all the necessary technical cooperation to facilitate early exploration.

STATE OF GHANA/
NIGERIA RELATIONS
Today, 1st October 2007, marks the 47th Independence Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. During these years, the state of bilateral relations between the Republic of Ghana and the Federal Republic of Nigeria has continued to grow from strength to strength.

The two countries enjoy very special and excellent relations as a result of long common historical and colonial experiences, dating back to several centuries.

The strong bond of friendship and brotherhood has been re-in forced by years of continuous consultations and collaboration in many fields of human endeavour.

Both countries remain committed to the sustenance of democracy in their respective states, as well as the sub-region.

The leadership of the two countries believe strongly that there is no alternative to democratic rule, while transparency and accountability in governance have remained their guiding principles which they demonstrated by voluntarily submitting themselves for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

APPEAL TO NIGERIANS
As Nigeria celebrates yet another milestone in her nationhood, we call on Nigerians resident in Ghana to be good Ambassadors of Nigeria, as they go about their lawful businesses.

Nigerians must continue to obey the laws, customs and respect the sensitivities of their host communities as they make their contribution to the economic and political development of Ghana.

On this special occasion, the people and Government of Nigeria pray for the continued well being of their brothers and sisters in Ghana, as well as the good health of H.E. President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Long Live Ghana/Nigeria relations.

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