YEAR 2012 is year that Nigerians would not forget in a hurry.
It was ushered in by crisis and anguish and ended on a
disastrous note for many Nigerians.
As witnessing deaths of many Nigerians both ordinary and
prominent, 2012 is a year that the country had its baptism of
natural disasters especially flooding, which ravaged more
than 17 states of the federation rendering millions homeless
and destroying farmlands and property worth trillions of
Naira.


Beginning on a strike note
From day one, it was clear to discerning minds that 2012
would be a tough year. How? The Federal Government after
assuring Nigerians that fuel subsidy would not be removed
until April, 2012 chose to start implementing the policy on
January 1, which was a Sunday.
Price of fuel jumped from N65 per litre to between N141 and
N250 in different parts of the country. The Labour, civil
society organizations and many Nigerians embarked on
strike and mass protests and for two weeks, the nation was
on a standstill.
A host of Nigerians who traveled for the Christmas and New
Year celebrations became stranded as transport fares
skyrocketed. Peace returned to the country on January 15,
when the government cut petrol price to N97 per litre and
Labour called off its strike.

Boko Haram’s offensive
After the New Year eve attacks, a series of assaults on
Christian churches and businesses occurred in northeastern
Nigeria.

High-wire politicking
Ordinarily, 2012 was not an election year but a January 27
decision of the Supreme Court unmask the year as of
feverish political contests and conquests. The apex court had on
January 27 sacked five governors namely, Ibrahim Idris
(Kogi), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa),
Aliyu Wammakko (Sokoto) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River),
saying that their tenures expired on May 29, 2011, a
decision that threw the affected states except Kogi open for
grabs. Kogi governorship elections had earlier been On
December 3, 2011.
With the Supreme Court verdict, the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed gubernatorial polls for the
affected states as follows: Adamawa (February 4), Bayelsa
(February 11), Sokoto (February 18) and Cross River
(February 25). States like Edo (July 14) and Ondo (October
20) also had governorship elections in 2012.

The PDP convention and IBB
After the January fuel subsidy protests and retirement of
former Military President, General Ibrahm Badamasi
Babangida from active politics (January 26), came the
National Convention of the ruling PDP.
The convention, which was held on February 10 in Abuja, the
national capital led to the emergence of Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur as the national chairman of the party following a
break-neck politicking and horse-trading among President
Jonathan, the PDP governors and other top stakeholders.

Ojukwu’s burial
The burial of former Biafran leader and two-time presidential
candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in
the 2003 and 2007 elections, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-
Ojukwu, was a major event that lightened up the cloudy
polity in 2012.

Loss of Bakassi
One of the issues Nigeria and Nigerians may live to regret for
a long time is the loss of Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic
of Cameroon following the failure of the Federal Government
to do the needful. Despite outcry from Bakassi indigenes and
some prominent Nigerians including a campaign led by
Vanguard, the government refused to appeal the October 10,
2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling ceding Bakassi
to Cameroon. Nigeria had a 10-year grace to appeal, which
lapsed on October 10, 2012.

Other major events
Other major events of 2012 include the House of
Representatives probe of the fuel subsidy scam and the
ensuing controversies that led to the removal of Hon Farouk
Lawan as chairman of the Subsidy Probe committee over
alleged bribe-taking; House of Representatives probe report,
which indicted the NNPC, CBN, NEITI and audit firms for not
remitting N3.098 trillion to the federation account between
2004 and 2011; the Malam Nuhu-led Petroleum Revenue
Special Task Force report on shady deals in the oil sector in
the last 10 years; the threat of the Reps to commence
impeachment proceedings against President Jonathan in
September if he did not take 2012 budget implementation to
100 per cent; the appointment of Justice Alooma Mariam
Mukhtar as the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN; and
INEC’s massive de-registration of political parties, which has
left only 29 out of 63 political parties in existence.
The porported introduction of N5000 note, Nigeria Stock Exchange,Committee upon Committees,Electricity Privatisation and others.(Edited)

culled frrom http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/2012-a-year-of-high-wire-politicking-and-intrigues/