[size=18pt]9th August 1992  The New York Times
Olympic Athletics:Nigerian Women's 4X100m Relay team win Bronze medal in  Barcelona 8th Aug 1992[/size]

The winning time was 42.11 seconds, with the Unified Team second in 42.16 and Nigeria winning the bronze in 42.81.


[flash=800,700]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G65ptCwXe_Q?version=3[/flash]


[size=18pt]Beatrice Utondu, Faith Idemen, Christy Opara Thompson and Mary Onyali [/size]








[size=20pt]Nigeria's Men 4x100m relay team win silver medal in Olympic Athletics[/size]
Oluyemi Kayode, Olapade Adeniken, Davidson Ezinwa, Chidi Imoh
[flash=800,700]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLCb6eaMU9Q?version=3[/flash]




[size=18pt]Nigeria's Women 4x100m team celebrate winning olympic bronze medal:[/size]

[size=18pt]3rd October 1992  - ITN News
LAGOS SUFFERS FUEL SHORTAGE DRIVING UP THE PRICE OF TRANSPORT[/size]
Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, is in the grip of a fuel shortage which has driven up the price of transport fares and left commuters stranded.

Most petrol stations in the city had no fuel to sell in early August. Vehicles formed long lines in front of those petrol stations still selling fuel.

Oil industry experts said the shortage was due to the diversion of output from Warri refinery in southeast Delta state to the north after the northern Kaduma refinery was put out of action by fire in mid-July.

Late last month, Petroleum Secretary Philip Asiodu said it may take between six and nine months to get Kaduna back in production.

Nigeria has long suffered fuel shortages caused by distribution problems and the smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring states where prices are many times higher.

1st December 1992 - ITN News
[size=18pt]IBB ACCUSED OF INSINCERITY & CORRUPTION AFTER HE POSTPONES CIVIL ELECTIONS [/size]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuzKj-qontc

As promised democratic 1.12.92 elections in Nigeria have yet again been postponed by the military government of Pres Ibrahim Babangida, amidst allegations of corruption amongst candidates, Ozanne reports on political movements in Nigeria and the chances of the army ever giving up its hold on power and allowing a civilian government.

[size=18pt]16th April 1993 - ITN News
DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS DESTROYED BY FIRE[/size]

A fire in Lagos on Thursday (April 15) destroyed Nigeria's 25-storey defence headquarters.

Nobody was injured in the fire, which started late on Thursday afternoon and burned for about 10 hours. Firefighters were unable to contain the blaze.

The Central Bank building, also in central Lagos, suffered a small fire that was quickly extinguished on Thursday afternoon.

The government-controlled Daily Times alleged on Friday that fugitive plotters of a failed April 22, 1990 coup attempt against President Ibrahim Babangida had hatched plans to sabotage some government buildings.

But Vice-President Augustus Aikhomu who visited the blackened building in central Lagos, said he believed the fire was an accident. He ruled out sabotage.

Most of Nigeria's defence establishment was headquartered in the building. A new building in the central capital, Abuja, is not expected to be completed until next year.

13th June 1993  - The New York Times
[size=18pt]NIGERIANS IN VOTE FOR CIVILIAN RULE[/size]
LAGOS, Nigeria, June 12— After nearly a decade of military rule, Nigeria held its first free presidential election today against a backdrop of social unrest and disillusionment.

The exhilaration many Nigerians felt in 1986, when Gen. Ibrahim Babangida promised a swift return to elective civilian rule, has been supplanted by rising anger and anxiety over the sluggish pace of change.

About 39 million Nigerians are eligible to vote for candidates from two new parties, which the Government created for the election. Both candidates are wealthy businessmen, Mashood Abiola of the center-left Social Democratic Party and Bashir Tofa of the center-right National Republican Convention. And both are reported to have spent millions of dollars of their own money in the contest for a four-year term .

Results of the election will not be known for several days in this country of about 90 million people, the most populous in sub-Saharan Africa,  Distrust of Military

Amid the disappointment, distrust of the military authorities is running deep among opposition leaders and many ordinary Nigerians.

"People are no longer hiding their feelings about the exit of the military," said Pini Jason, a columnist for Vanguard, an independent newspaper. "Nobody wants them around for one day more."

General Babangida has postponed the scheduled date for civilian takeover three times since 1990. At the same time, the authorities have annulled another gubernatorial and parliamentary election, saying the results were compromised by allegations of financial impropriety and vote buying.

In the view of many Nigerians, efforts by the Government to orchestrate virtually every stage of the electoral process is part of an elaborate scheme to elect its own candidates. Perhaps not coincidentally, both Mr. Abiola and Mr. Tofa are widely regarded as close friends and allies of General Babangida, and few political analysts expect either one to stray far from the political and social policies already chartered by the military authorities.

At the same time, there are worries about how genuinely committed General Babangida and his military coterie are to democracy. Indeed, never far below the surface in Nigeria are questions about whether a few disgruntled soldiers are hanging about, waiting to intervene if they decide that civilian rule is too unruly for them. Military Usually in Control

Since Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, fears about military intervention have proved well founded: soldiers have been in control for all but nine years of that period.

For his part, General Babangida has repeatedly assured the country that his commitment to hand power back to elected civilian officials on Aug. 27 is irrevocable. But many say they will believe it only when they see him actually leave the presidential compound in Abuja, the capital.

On Thursday, a ruling from the nation's highest court injected a new uncertainty in the election. Justice Bassey Ikpeme ordered the military Government to delay today's voting. Her ruling came in response to a lawsuit by the Association for a Better Nigeria, a group of private citizens who have campaigned for General Babangida's remaining in office. The association had asserted that the transition to civilian rule had been marred by widespread vote-tampering and corruption -- allegations that Justice Ikpeme agreed should be given a court hearing before the election proceeded.

But on Friday, the national electoral commission dismissed the ruling, declaring that the court had no right to preside over the elections.

But because of the confusion and anxiety, many political experts predicted a low turnout at the polls.

Since the campaign began in earnest last month, the two candidates, Mr. Abiola and Mr. Tofa, have been crisscrossing the country. Both have courted voters outside their natural consistuencies, a tough task in a country riven by ethnic and regional rivalries. Mr. Abiola, who comes from the mostly urban southeast, which is dominated by the Yoruba ethnic group, has traveled extensively in the north. Mr. Tofa, whose natural base is the north, which is mostly Hausa-Falani, has spent much of his time in the south. Ticket Balance Sought

Both have sought to balance their tickets, with Mr. Abiola choosing Babangana Kingibe, a northerner, as his running mate, and Mr. Tofa choosing Dr. Sylvester Ugo, a Igbo Christian from the east. Both Mr. Abiola and Mr. Tofa are Muslims, which is said to worry many Christians.

Nonetheless, the excitement of a real political choice has been tempered by the question whether either candidate is capable of reviving the country's troubled economy.

Whoever wins the election will have to confront a economic austerity program initiated by General Babangida that has been highly unpopular. After the freeing of currency-exchange rates in 1990, the prices of many basics have doubled or tripled in the last two years.

Nigerian economists said they did not know the unemployment rate, but some in Lagos speculated that it was high as 40 percent in urban areas. Inflation has also soared in recent months, while the value of the national currency, the naira, has plummeted.

17th June 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]IBB Suspends Results of Vote That Was to Restore Democracy[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 16— Nigeria's planned return to civilian rule was suspended today when a commission appointed by the military leaders set aside the results of Saturday's presidential elections.

There had been growing indications that the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Moshood Abiola, was well on his way to a resounding triumph over his rival, Bashir Tofa, of the National Republican Convention. Both had campaigned against military rule.

The vote had been heralded by many Nigerians as a historic end to nearly a decade of military rule in Africa's most populous nation. Hope Tainted by Skepticism

The election was to be only the third time since independence from Britain in 1960 that a president would rise to office through the ballot box and not through military action.

But even before today's announcement, there had been considerable skepticism over whether the military leader, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was committed to democratic rule.

[ This skepticism was reflected in Washington. Though the State Department had no official comment on the election, some Administration officials said they were not surprised that problems had arisen.

[ While they said they had no reason to believe that General Baba ngida was directly involved in the delay of the return to democracy, "there is a lot of cynicism about the process that has grown up," one official said, "sort of a dark apprehension that it would never happen." ] 'A Hidden Agenda'

Beko Ransome-Kuti, chairman of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, said today that he had long suspected General Babangida was stalling the shift to civilian rule. "He's always had a hidden agenda," to remain in power, Dr. Ransome-Kuti said.

General Babangida has postponed a return to civilian rule three times since 1990, and the military authorities have annulled a number of gubernatorial and parliamentary elections, saying they had been compromised by financial improprieties and vote-buying.

Since independence, there have been seven successful coups and three of the nation's eight leaders have been assassinated. Two brief periods of civilian rule collapsed after allegations by the military of incompetence and wholesale corruption. A General's Promise

Still, General Babangida has said repeatedly in recent speeches and interviews that come what may, the military will return to its barracks on Aug. 27, the eighth anniversary of the coup that brought him to power.

Nigeria, with about 90 million people and more than 250 tribal groups, has always been difficult to govern. From 1967 to 1970, the nation was mired in a war to quell secessionists among the mostly Ibo peoples in the Eastern Region known as Biafra.

Despite its great natural resources -- Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer -- the country remains basically poor; per-capita income in 1991 was $250.

The suspension of the election results came in response to a suit filed by the Association for a Better Nigeria, a lobbying group of wealthy business executives, politicians and military officers who have led a highly visible campaign urging General Babangida to remain in office at least four more years.

The association asserted that the transition to civilian rule had been compromised by widespread vote-tampering and corruption, and on Tuesday the group won a court order instructing the national electoral commission not to release election results.

Justice Mohamveg Saleh, the chief judge of the high court in Abuja, the capital, ordered the commission not to publish the results until legal arguments over vote-rigging were heard by the court.

This process could take months, effectively nullifying the election and keeping the military in power.

This morning Humphrey Nwosu, the chairman of the commission, reportedly met with his staff and officials from the President's office to decide how to respond. Late this afternoon Mr. Nwosu issued a statement saying, in effect, that the Government had no choice but to suspend the elections or face being held in contempt of court.

Mr. Nwosu added that he would appeal the court's jurisdiction over the electoral process. Details of Charges

The association's suit charged, among other things, that officials of the Social Democratic Party had bribed delegates to the party's nominating convention to vote for Mr. Abiola. It also said that the campaigns of both presidential candidates had increased tension among Nigeria's many ethnic and religious groups, and that if an election were to occur now, it would was likely to "lead to chaos and a breach of public peace."

It was difficult to assess the accusations.

Many neutral Nigerian analysts said they were not persuaded that these assertions constituted proof of systematic fraud or posed a threat to security. Foreign observers have generally described the elections as free and fair.

Even though the decision to set aside the election results stunned many, the reaction among people milling in Lagos's crowded streets and in bars and restaurants tonight was subdued.

Salle Lamido, of the Social Democratic Party, said on state television tonight, "The court order is very, very contradictory and that shows the futility of the entire thing. The court has not been fair. I believe at the end of the day justice will prevail."

[size=18pt]28th June 1993 - The New York Times
Abiola's Newspapers Call for Defiance of Military Rule[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 27— In what was seen as the strongest challenge to the authority of Nigeria's military rulers in recent memory, a virtual uprising against them was urged today by leaders of the political party whose candidate for president seemed the likely winner in an election this month.

The election was canceled by the military leader, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who explained his decision by citing what he said was evidence of widespread fraud and vote-tampering in the primaries and in the voting on June 12. On Saturday night, General Babangida announced that there would be new presidential elections and effectively barred the two candidates who had run from running again.

Senior officials of the Social Democratic Party asserted that General Babangida had "plunged the country into a much greater depth of turmoil than ever before" and that they "completely reject the idea of conducting any other election."

In a front-page editorial in The Concord, the party called Nigeria's military leaders "unpatriotic and callous in the extreme." A Fiery Statement

"It has become transparently clear, both to Nigerians and to the world at large," the newspaper editorial said, "that the present administration has not been sincere in its prosecution of the transition to civil rule program, and never in fact, intended to transfer power to a democratically elected president."

The statement was seen by political analysts as a virtual call for insurrection. The Concord is owned by Moshood Abiola, who ran for president as the Social Democrats' candidate, and its editorials are widely seen as semi-official policy statements of the party.

Nigeria's military leaders have often acted forcefully against those who challenged their authority, banning a number of publications and detaining without charge hundreds of opposition leaders and ordinary people who they believed posed a threat.

The Concord itself was banned for three weeks last year after printing what the authorities considered an unflattering article about General Babangida. The paper, which has one of the largest circulations in Africa's most populous country, was allowed to operate again only after Mr. Abiola apologized to the President.

1st July 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Nigeria, The Shrinking African Giant[/size]
Once Nigeria was considered the anchor and bellwether of a huge continent. Blessed with clever and energetic peoples, favored with ample oil resources, it is also Africa's most populous country, with 110 million inhabitants. But despite size and wealth, Nigeria lingers in the doldrums, perpetually a country of the future.

This year was supposed to be different. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, a self-installed President since 1985, promised to hand over power in August to an elected successor. Nigeria's armed forces had organized two political parties, one right of center, the other tipping to left. Nigerian diplomats disseminated glossy brochures, filled with diagrams showing how a new federal system would unite the mostly Muslim north with the Christian and animist south.

Alas, it all proved illusory. Twice General Babangida postponed elections. After Nigerians were finally allowed to vote on June 12, the general canceled the result, claiming the poll was marred by widespread fraud. Over the protests of the presumed winner, Moshood Abiola, a wealthy industrialist and publisher, the general promised yet another election in late July, but with different candidates.

7th July 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Anti-Government Rioting Erupts - military kill 11 people.[/size]

Rioters fought police officers and soldiers today as tens of thousands of people set fires and blocked roads to demand an end to military dictatorship. At least 11 people were reported to have been killed.

It was the first report of deaths since protesters in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, began pressing the Government on Monday to recognize the annulled presidential election held on June 12, which was to have ended a decade of military rule.

The reported winner, Moshood Abiola, appealed to people to resist the dictatorship of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and ignore an ultimatum threatening to dissolve Parliament. 'Ignore This Latest Threat'

"Ignore this latest threat by the outgoing military President," Mr. Abiola, a businessman, said in a statement, "and damn the consequences."

Soldiers killed several rioters who set a truck on fire in Ikoyi, a well-to-do neighborhood of Lagos, the Pan-African News Agency reported. The agency, set up by the Organization of African Unity, quoted witnesses as saying the troops had piled bodies into the back of a truck and driven away. Other witnesses said five people had died in the incident.

9th July 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Nigerian Opposition parties reach accord to form interim government[/size]
Officials of Nigeria's two opposition political parties said today that their agreement to form an interim government would raise pressure on Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to return Nigeria to civilian rule by Aug. 27.

As the two parties began efforts to form the interim government, the streets of Lagos were generally calm after four days of violent protests against the military Government's decision to annul the presidential elections last month.

The new political arrangement, announced Wednesday night, called for the two political parties, both of which had been created by the Nigerian military to contest the canceled elections, to form a new interim national government that will organize new elections at a later date. The announcement came after a meeting between senior party officials and General Babangida in Abuja, Nigeria's new capital.

Leaders of the two parties, the center-left Social Democratic Party and the center-right National Republican Convention, said a coalition government was the only way to keep the military to its promise of a return to civilian rule on Aug. 27.




[size=18pt]
25th August 1993 - ITN News
ANTI-GOVT PROTESTS CONTINUE (VIDEO CLIP)[/size]

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1993/08/25/BSP250893004/?s=nigeria&st=2&pn=86&sortBy=date

NIGERIA: ANTI-GOVT PROTESTS: Thousands of people have stayed 25.8.93 at home to demonstrate in favour of democracy. The protests,           expected to last 3 days, come a day before Nigeria's military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, is due to step down in favour of an unelected interim government.







[size=28pt]Summary of Babangida's economic performance[/size]

IBB devalued Naira from N1= $1.13 (inherited from Buhari) to N1=$0.05 (a devaluation of 2,203%)

Under IBB inflation increased from 3.2% (inherited from Buhari) to inflation rate of 54%



http://www.tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/inflation-average-imf-data.html

27 August 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Babangida steps down and hand picks Ernest Shonekan as civilian head  of interim Government[/size]


Ending months of speculation, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria resigned today and a new interim civilian leader was sworn in after eight years of military rule.

Ernest Shonekan, a 57-year-old Harvard-educated businessman, was appointed by General Babangida to head an interim Government in Africa's most populous country. He had been chairman of the Transitional Council, a group created in January by the military authorities to oversee Nigeria's return to democracy.

But Mr. Shonekan's commitment to democratic rule is questioned by the political opposition and even by some neutral analysts. They cite his virtual silence and acquiescence in General Babangida's decision in June to annul Nigeria's first multiparty presidential elections in nearly a decade. General's Friends Will Rule

The 32-member interim Government consists largely of either close friends or longtime political allies of General Babangida and will rule by military decree. By any accounting, the body falls far short of General Babangida's oft-stated promise to transfer power to an elected civilian Government on or before Aug. 27, the anniversary of the bloodless coup he led against the previous military dictator in 1985.

those were interesting and chaotic times i must say.

tpia@:

those were interesting and chaotic times i must say.

Were you in Nigeria then? I cant remember that time being chaotic at all, flawless transition is what I can recollect, and I have photographic memory.


Tpiah, why do you like to lie like this. Is this what they teach you in "suegbe union"

30 August 1993 - The New York Times

[size=18pt]New Leader Shonekan Plans to Free 3 Dissidents; Strikes Continue[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Aug. 29— The head of Nigeria's new interim Government announced tonight that he was ordering the immediate release of three leading pro-democracy advocates who had been detained by the military authorities since early July.

The decision to release the three men -- Beko Ransome-Kuti, a physician and president of Campaign for Democracy, and two lawyers, Gani Fawehinmi and Femi Falana -- was the first major step made by Ernest Shonekan since he took over from Gen. Ibrahim Babangida on Thursday as Nigeria's head of state.

"Beko, Gani and Falana should be released unconditionally and immediately," Mr. Shonekan said in a statement in Abuja, the capital. "Their unconditional released is based on humanitarian grounds." Family Has No Details

A spokesman for Mr. Fawehinmi's family said the family had heard on state television tonight of the Government's intention to release the dissidents, but had not yet received word of their whereabouts or condition.

Sola Ayere, a spokesman for Mr. Shonekan, told Reuters that the authorities had also ordered the release of an unspecified number of journalists who had been detained after the June 12 elections, which General Banangida annulled.

But Clement Akpamgbo, Justice Secretary in the new Government, said the military authorities had issued a decree making it a criminal offense for anyone to declare that the June elections were valid.

This decree seemed to be an attempt to thwart Moshood Abiola, who is widely seen as having won the elections. Mr. Abiola, who has spent nearly a month overseas lobbying foreign governments to impose sanctions against the military authorities, announced over the weekend that he hoped to set up a rival government when he returns, possibly later this week.

A report issued Friday by Africa Watch, a human rights group in New York, said hundreds of labor leaders, academics and workers had been arrested since the elections were annulled.

'had been arrested since the elections were annulled.

"Because of the deplorable conditions of Nigeria's prisons'Because of the deplorable conditions of Nigeria's prisons and detention facilities, as well as the brutal tactics of and detention facilities, as well as the brutal tactics of security agents, there are serious concerns for the safety security agents, there are serious concerns for the safety of all political detainees," the report said.

Dr. Ransome-Kuti was reportedly arrested at his home on the night of July 6. Mr. Fawehinmi and Mr. Falana were arrested the same week.

On July 15, the three men were charged in a local court with sedition and conspiracy to incite violence. The court refused bail and ordered that they be detained until Sept. 30. On July 16, they were told that they were also subject to detention under a military decree that allows the authorities to detain indefinitely anyone who poses a security risk.

Since then, the men have been denied access to their lawyers, families and doctors, despite reports that Dr. Ransome-Kuti and Mr. Fawehinmi were ill and needed immediate medical attention.

The Campaign for Democracy has also mounted strikes and demonstrations against the government.

Today, the second day of a strike by Nigerian unions over the military's installation of the unelected government, a gasoline shortage became worse, nearly crippling Lagos as people lined up for hours at service stations. But assessing the strike's broader impact has been difficult because of a three-day holiday, which ends on Tuesday. Motives Are Questioned

Human rights advocates in Nigeria and overseas reacted guardedly to reports that the three men would be released, saying while they welcomed Mr. Shonekan's decision, they suspected it had been made more with the intent of defusing growing criticism of the interim Government rather than from humanitarian concerns.

"While the release of some political prisonsers by the Government is welcome," said Makau Matua, head of the Human Rights Program at Harvard University Law School, "it does not make the interim Government legitimate.

"The only proper course for the Nigerian military authorities is to allow for the immediate installation of Moshood Abiola, the winner of the June elections."


U.S. BANS LAGOS FLIGHTS

The reputation of the Lagos international airport as being among the world's most uncomfortable, poorly maintained and possibly unsafe places was partly confirmed this month when Washington banned all direct flights between Lagos and the United States, citing chronic security lapses.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration said it took the action after a yearlong investigation of security measures in Lagos, the biggest city in Africa's most populous country.

The decision affects Nigeria Airways, the state-owned carrier, which had four direct flights a week between the Lagos and the United States, and American Trans Air, the only United States carrier with regularly scheduled service.

6th September 1993  - The new York Times
[size=18pt]7 Nigerian UN Troops killed in Somalia as Italian troops stand idle[/size]

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Monday, Sept. 6— Somali gunmen killed seven United Nations peacekeeping troops from Nigeria on Sunday in an attack that provoked the Nigerian commander to blame Italian peacekeepers, United Nations officials said.

Early today, United Nations helicopters attacked strongholds of Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid with antitank missiles. Residents said helicopters had fired at positions along Oct. 21 Road shortly after midnight.

The Nigerian commander, Lieut. Col. Ola Oyinlola, accused the Italians of failing to fire "a single shot" when a company of his men went to Checkpoint Pasta, near the site of the attack early Sunday morning. The checkpoint is at the center of territory controlled by gunmen loyal to General Aidid, who has been accused of previous attacks on peacekeepers. 46 Peacekeepers Killed

The attack, in which seven other Nigerian soldiers and two Pakistani soldiers were wounded, brought the death toll for United Nations personnel to 46 since early June. More than 100 Somalis have died in the violence, private organizations in Mogadishu say.

Although Somali residents said 20 to 30 Somalis were also killed in the attack, reporters at the scene said they had seen only seven Nigerian bodies.

Adm. Jonathan Howe, the United Nations special envoy to Somalia, said on Sunday that the attack was a "premeditated ambush" by General Aidid's gunmen and warned that "this will not go unpunished."

United Nations officials, however, tried to play down accusations by the commander of the Nigeria's 550-member contingent that Italian troops at the checkpoint half a mile away had failed to come to the Nigerians' rescue.

Colonel Oyinlola said two companies of Nigerian troops had been traveling to the checkpoint to man it with Italian troops for a few days before the Italians withdrew when his men were surrounded by a stone-throwing mob. Members of the mob, the Nigerian officer reported, said the Italians had made agreements on manning the checkpoint with local elders about which he knew nothing.

Somali residents said Italian troops held talks with local elders after three Italian soldiers were killed in a July 2 ambush at Checkpoint Pasta, named after an abandoned spaghetti factory.

[size=18pt]25 September 1993 - The new York Times
Moshood K. O. Abiola Returns from exile for a Showdown[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 24— Nigeria's would-be president returned home today to a hero's welcome from supporters and a showdown with the Government he seeks to replace.

Moshood K. O. Abiola, a businessman who has been criticized by some supporters for staying out of the country since Aug. 3, arrived at the Lagos airport aboard an Air France jetliner.

"Now that I am back it is my intention to work with the people and for the people in order to realize the objective of peace and unity within the context of June 12," said an overwhelmed Mr. Abiola, who sobbed during his speech.

In a surprisingly conciliatory note, Mr. Abiola also said he was willing to talk to the government he aims to depose. But he insisted he would settle for nothing less than the presidency.

He was winning the June 12 presidential ballot by a wide margin when the results were annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who was accused of trying to retain power despite agreeing to democratic elections.

The nation was paralyzed by unrest and three sets of general strikes until Mr. Babangida finally resigned on Aug. 26. But Mr. Babangida still refused to recognize Mr. Abiola, and instead appointed a civilian supporter, Ernest Shonekan, to lead an interim government until new elections on Feb. 19.

Mr. Abiola's return has been heavily and favorably publicized by state-owned media, indicating there may be room for a compromise between the Government and the man who seeks to supplant it.

28th October 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Nigerian Pro-Democracy Group Hijack Plane to Niger[/size]

NIAMEY, Niger, Oct. 25— Gunmen demanding democracy in Nigeria hijacked a Nigerian Airways jet today and forced it to fly to neighboring Niger, where they freed all but 34 of the 159 people on board.

The four hijackers said they would set the Airbus 310 on fire in 72 hours unless the Nigerian authorities agreed to their demands.

Those released included Vice President Rong Yiren of China, said Souley Abdouleye, Niger's transportation minister. The Interior Ministry said the people held included Nigerian Government officials and six crew members.

The flight began in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, and was bound for Abuja, the capital. The plane sought to land in Ndjamena, Chad, for refueling but was denied permission and diverted to Niamey, the capital of Niger.

The Niger Interior Ministry said late tonight that the hijackers were demanding enough fuel to fly to Frankfurt.

Initially, the hijackers demanded that Nigeria's military-backed Government resign and name Moshood K. O. Abiola as President. Mr. Abiola was the apparent winner of an election on June 12. But the military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, voided the results and named a supporter, Ernest Shonekan, as head of an interim government.

Mr. Abiola denounced the hijacking.














[size=18pt]11 November 1993 - ITN News
INTERIM PRESIDENT SHONEKAN TELLS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HE WILL NOT GIVE IN TO POPULAR DEMANDS FOR HIS RESIGNATION[/size]
Nigeria's interim president, Ernest Shonekan, told the national assembly in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday (November 11) that he would not give in to popular demands that he should step down.

Shonekan spoke as thousands of students and workers demonstrated in the former capital, Lagos, and trade unions threatened to strike over huge fuel hikes imposed by his government.

The interim president was appointed by the outgoing military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida, who prompted a crisis by annulling a presidential election in June and installing a handpicked government under Shonekan.

Calls for Shonekan to resign intensified after a Lagos high court ruled on Wednesday that Babangida had no right to appoint a successor after he ended his eight year long rule on August 26.

Shonekan said in a state of the nation address that despite political and legal obstacles, they would still go along to carry out its mandate. "The interim government may be a child of circumstance but it is high time we came to terms with the reality of our circumstances," he said.










11th November 1993 - The New York Times
[size=18pt]A Court in Nigeria Declares Interim Government Is Illegal[/size]  

LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov. 10— A federal judge ruled today that the interim Government appointed by Nigeria's dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was illegal.

However, the crisis provoked by the general's voiding of the presidential election results in June has been accompanied by many court rulings for and against the Government, with none seeming to carry weight.

Judge Dolapo Akinsanya ruled that the head of state, Ernest Shonekan, was sworn in illegally by General Babangida because his appointment was signed after the general had resigned.

[size=18pt]18th November 1993 - The New York Times
General Sani Abacha Ousts Interim President Shonekan and assumes power.[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov. 17— The interim President of Nigeria, Ernest Shonekan, was forced out today by the Defense Minister, who has a long history of involvement in the country's political turmoil.

Government television announced the ouster by Gen. Sani Abacha, 50, who has been considered to be the real power behind the Government.

The ouster of Mr. Shonekan was the result of a meeting of military leaders last week to discuss the country's political turmoil, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The most recent turmoil began after the previous President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, voided a presidential election that was to end a decade of military rule. He resigned under pressure on Aug. 26 and named Mr. Shonekan, an ally, as his successor. But General Abacha, a prominent figure in the coup that ended the civilian Government in 1983 and in the rise to power of General Babangida two years later, was believed by many to be behind General Babangida's resignation as well, an act that led to widespread dissension in the military.

Mr. Shonekan, a former business executive and ally of General Babangida, was widely perceived as a puppet of General Abacha. .

Today's action is the latest twist in the most turbulent period in Nigerian history since the 1967 civil war that resulted in the short-lived breakaway nation of Biafra and led to the death of about a million people.

Nigeria, which achieved independence from Britain 33 years ago, is in the midst of a general strike called by major unions and pro-democracy groups to protest Mr. Shonekan's decision to raise fuel prices sevenfold.

[flash=800,900]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhG3OU8FZZk?version=3[/flash]

November 17, 1993
[size=18pt]Maiden Speech of General Sani Abacha[/size]

Fellow Nigerians, sequel to the resignation of the former Head of the Interim National Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief Ernest Shonekan and my subsequent appointment as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, I have had extensive consultations within the armed forces hierarchy and other well meaning Nigerians in a bid to find solutions to the various political, economic and social problems which have engulfed our beloved country, and which have made life most difficult to the ordinary citizen of this nation.

Chief Ernest Shonekan took over as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces at a most trying time in the history of the country. Politically, economically, and socially, there were lots of uncertainties. Things appeared bleak and the atmosphere was heavy with uncertainties. However, driven by a belief in himself, his countrymen, and love for his country, he accepted to face the challenges of our time. I will, therefore, like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to him for his selfless service to the nation. He showed great courage at taking on the daunting task of heading the Interim National Government and even greater courage to know when to leave.

Many have expressed fears about the apparent return of the military. Many have talked about the concern of the international community. However, under the present circumstances the survival of our beloved country is far above any other consideration. Nigeria is the only country we have. We must, therefore, solve our problems ourselves. We must lay a very solid foundation for the growth of democracy. We should avoid any ad hoc or temporary solutions. The problems must be addressed firmly, objectively, decisively and with all sincerity of purpose. Consequently, the following decisions come into immediate effect:

The Interim National Government is hereby dissolved.
The National and State Assemblies are also dissolved.
The State Executive Councils are dissolved. The Brigade Commanders are to take over from the Governors in their States until Administrators are appointed. Where there are no Brigade Commanders, the Commissioners of Police in the State are to take over.
All Local Governments stand dissolved. The Directors of Personnel are to take over the administration of the Local Governments until Administrators are appointed.
All former Secretaries to Federal Ministries are to hand over to their Directors-General until Ministers are appointed.

The two political parties are hereby dissolved.
All processions, political meetings and associations of any type in any part of the country are hereby banned.
Any consultative committee by whatever name called is hereby proscribed.
Decree 61 of 1993 is hereby abrogated.
A Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), is hereby established. It will comprise:

The Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the federal Republic of Nigeria as Chairman.
The Chief of General Staff as Vice-Chairman
The Honourable Minister of Defence
The Chief of Defence Staff
The Service Chiefs
The Inspector General of Police
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
The Internal Affairs Minister
The Foreign Affairs Minister
Also, a Federal Executive Council will be put in place.

Our security system will be enhanced to ensure that lives of citizens, property of individuals are protected and preserved. Drug trafficking and other economic crimes such as 419 must be tackled and eliminated. On the current strike throughout the nation following the increase in the price of fuel, I appeal to all the trade unions to return to work immediately. We cannot afford further dislocation and destruction of our economy. On the closed media houses, government is hereby lifting the order of proscription with immediate effect. We, however, appeal to the media houses that in this spirit of national reconciliation, we should show more restraint and build a united and peaceful Nigeria.

Fellow Nigerians, the events of the past months, starting from the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, culminating in the appointment of the former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, who unfortunately resigned yesterday, are well known to you. The economic downturn has undoubtedly been aggravated by the ongoing political crisis.

We require well thought-out and permanent solutions to these problems if we are to emerge stronger for them. Consequently, a constitutional conference with full constituent powers will be established soon to determine the future constitutional structure of Nigeria. The constitutional conference will also recommend the method of forming parties, which will lead to the ultimate recognition of political parties formed by the people. While the conference is on, the reorganisation and reform of the following major institutions will be carried out:

The Military
The Police
The Customs
The Judiciary
NITEL
NNPC
NEPA
The Banking Industry
Higher Educational Institutions
This regime will be firm, humane, and decisive. We will not condone nor tolerate any act of indiscipline. Any attempt to test our will be decisively dealt with. For the International Community, we ask that you suspend judgment while we grapple with the onerous task of nation building, reconciliation and repairs. This government is a child of necessity with a strong determination to restore peace and stability to our country and on these foundations, enthrone a lasting and true democracy. Give us the chance to solve our problems in our own ways.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

if you have any archive photos or videos of nigeria please lets have them

[size=18pt]24th November 1993 - The New York Times
ABACHA OFFERS CONCESSIONS TO PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS, NAMES ABIOLA'S RUNNING MATE AS FOREIGN MINISTER[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov. 23— The head of Nigeria's new military Government made a concession today to pro-democracy forces, naming the man apparently elected Vice President in June to be Foreign Minister.

Baba Gana Kingibe, a career diplomat who was the running mate of Moshood K. O. Abiola, a businessman, in the June presidential election, was named External Affairs Minister by Gen. Sani Abacha.

Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the longtime military chief, voided the June election, apparently won by Mr. Abiola, and named an interim leader, who was ousted last week by General Abacha.

General Abacha also named a radical anti-Government lawyer as his Attorney General and the publisher of a respected independent newspaper as his Internal Affairs Minister. Generals or Police Officers

But the rest of his 11-man ruling junta are generals or police officials.

The appointment of Mr. Kingibe is an apparent effort to stanch growing international condemnation of Mr. Abacha's takeover of the Government and his decision to dissolve all the elected federal, state and local legislatures.

Mr. Abacha named Alex Ibru, the publisher of The Guardian, an independent Lagos newspaper, as Internal Affairs Minister.

Mr. Ibru is the first member of a southern ethnic group to hold the important position, which had been held by the politically dominant northern peoples. Voided Results of Election

Nigeria was plunged into civil and political turmoil after General Babangida, who took power in a 1985 coup with General Abacha's help, voided the results of the June election that was to restore democracy after a decade of military rule.

Mr. Abiola, the apparent winner and a member of the southern Yoruba ethnic group, was believed to have been opposed by the northern groups.

Mr. Babangida resigned under pressure on Aug. 26 and named a civilian supporter, Ernest Shonekan, as interim head of state.

Echoing promises made by the previous string of military rulers, General Abacha promised to rule only as long as it took to create a new constitution and move Nigeria to democracy.

The nation has been largely quiet this week, after a strike ended. The strike was called to protest major increases in fuel prices but was called off after increases were partly rolled back.





[size=18pt]5th December 1993 - The New York Times
Abiola's affable meeting with Abacha puzzles Nigeria[/size]
LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov. 30— Nearly two weeks after the coup that brought Gen. Sani Abacha to power, there still has not been a clear statement by Moshood Abiola whether he supports or plans to oppose the country's newest military rulers.

Mr. Abiola, who is presumed to have won last June's presidential elections, has been uncharacteristically reticent when asked to comment on the military's renewed grip on power. Mr. Abiola traveled to Britain last weekend, leaving many of his closest friends and advisers puzzled over his behavior.

The June 12 election was intended to return Nigeria to democracy, but Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the previous military ruler prior to General Abacha, declared the results void. Since then, Mr. Abiola has loudly and persistently insisted that he is Nigeria's democratically elected leader and has begun an aggressive campaign in the courts to overturn General Babangida's decree, as well as giving tacit approval to protests aimed at restoring the vote.

Mr. Abiola's recent lack of candor is particularly striking given his well publicized monthlong tour last summer to several European capitals and to Washington where he asked Nigeria's traditional allies and aid donors to impose sanctions against the country's military leaders. He argued then that the military's iron grip over virtually every aspect of party politics here was inherently undemocratic and potentially explosive, given Nigeria's long-simmering ethnic and religious rivalries.

Mr. Abiola received widespread encouragement from Western politicians, particularly the Congressional Black Caucus in the United States, which publicly supported his effort.

"We are obviously disappointed that the leader of the June 12th process has not been as forthcoming as one would think he should be," said Olisa Abukuba, president of the Civil Liberties Organization, a Lagos-based pro-democracy group. Mr. Abukuba, in fact, speculated that Mr. Abiola may have "advance knowledge of events that led up to the coup and there was some kind of deal in exchange for his report of the Abacha Government."

Jonathan Zwingina, Mr. Abiola's campaign manager, said in an interview that the position of the industrialist is "unequivocal," meaning that he continues to support efforts to put the results of last June's elections into effect.

"Abiola's surrender. Why?" asked a front-page headline in The African Guardian, Nigeria's largest weekly. The article described how Mr. Abiola has bickered with pro-democracy leaders over whether it was still worth fighting the military over its decision to annul the June 12th elections.

According to another account that appeared in some newspapers here, Mr. Abiola had secretly plotted with General Abacha to overthrow the interim, military-backed government of Ernest Shonekan. According to this scenario, General Abacha, once securely installed, would gradually hand over power to Mr. Abiola's closest associates and eventually relinquish the presidency to Mr. Abiola himself.

Whatever the case, pro-democracy leaders were still stunned when, several days after General Abacha's coup, Mr. Abiola was seen on national television conferring with the new military leader. And judging from the affable smiles and laughter between the two men as they left the meeting, whatever political differences they may have had seemed to have been resolved.

"I consider it quite upsetting that Abiola, the leader of a democratic movement, should be one of those paying courtesies to Abacha," said Dr. Peter Ferriera, a former military officer who is active in the pro-democracy movement. "The impression one gets is that he sold out, that he's now one of them."

Significantly, the next day, Mr. Abiola's former Vice Presidential running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe, joined the new military administration as its chief diplomat. Mr. Abiola, questioned later, said the move had his blessing.

After ousting Mr. Shonekan on Nov. 17, General Abacha dissolved the legislature and all other forms of elected government. So far, he has given no hint of if or when Nigeria might return to elected civilian rule.

[size=18pt]12th April 1994  - The NY Times
Super Eagles win African Nations Cup; President Abacha holds receptions for team [/size]



Nigeria sent a strong message on Sunday to Argentina, Greece and Bulgaria, its first-round opponents in the World Cup.

The Nigerians confirmed their superiority in African soccer with a 2-1 triumph over Zambia in the African Nations Cup in Tunisia.

Gen. Sani Abacha, Nigeria's military ruler, held a big reception for the team yesterday when it returned to the country.

Emanuel Amunike, who had been held out of Nigeria's four previous matches in the tournament, scored both goals as Nigeria rallied in a thrilling final.

Nigeria, which will participate in the World Cup finals for the first time, was led by the tournament's top scorer, Rachidi Yekini (five goals).

"We're going to be the surprise package of the World Cup," said Nigeria's coach, Clemens Westerhof of the Netherlands. "We know we have the right kind of quality to do well in the World Cup."

Zambia did magnificently to reach the final. Zambia was the favorite of the Tunisian people because it rebuilt its team after 18 members of its World Cup squad were killed in a plane crash a year ago.

[size=18pt]23 June 1994  - ITN News
MOSHOOD ABIOLA, ARRESTED AFTER PROCLAIMING HIMSELF PRESIDENT.[/size]

Moshood Abiola, the millionaire businessman who defied Nigeria's military government by proclaiming himself president, was arrested on Thursday (June 23) after addressing a rally in Lagos.

In a later telephone call to Reuters, he denied treason charges brought against him by the military authorities.

His aides said he was heading to his Ikeja home after the rally, preceded by a secretly-arranged news conference.

Asked at the news conference how he would actually acquire power when military ruler General Sani Abacha remains the authority in the land, Abiola said: "These things are going to sort themselves out sooner rather than later. You'll be surprised because it will soon happen." Abiola said he was ready to form a government and jobs would be distributed evenly among various interests but that he had to wait for the senate to be convened to submit his cabinet list.

The police declared Abiola wanted after he escaped house arrest and declared himself president on June 11.













6th July 1994 - ITN News
[size=18pt]OPPOSITION LEADER MOSHOOD ABIOLA CHARGED WITH TREASON[/size]

Nigeria's political crisis deepened after the military government charged opposition leader Moshood Abiola with treason on Wednesday (July 6).

Abiola was charged on Wednesday at a federal court in Abuja with trying to overthrow military ruler General Sani Abacha, an offence that carries life imprisonment.

Abiola, the tycoon businessman widely believed to have won 1993's annulled presidential election, pleaded not guilty and complained to the judge of maltreatment.

The judge fixed July 14 as the date for a ruling on Abiola's lawyer's request for bail.

There have been protests in Lagos over the past few days because of the state's failure to present Abiola to court in defiance of a judge's order to do so.

On Monday, dozens of Abiola's supporters demonstrated outside the Federal Court, calling for his release. Police were eventually called in to break up the protest.

Abiola, who is supported by an alliance of pro-democracy groups, politicians and retired generals, proclaimed himself president in June in defiance of Nigeria's military rulers.

@GenBuhari,
I am your fan

[size=18pt]7th August 1994  - The New York Times
Abiola rejects chance of freedom on bail[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Aug. 6— With tensions growing from more than a month of strikes, opponents of military rule in Nigeria are signaling that they will accept no solution to this country's political crisis short of the installation of the man widely believed to have won the presidential election last year.

With most workers in the country's economic capital, Lagos, joining in a strike by employees of the country's vital oil industry this week, Nigeria's mh ilitary leadership has sought a solution to the crisis by offering a conditional release to Moshood Abiola, an opposition leader and the presumed winner in the June 12, 1993, national elections. He has been jailed on treason charges since late June of this year for his attempt that month to claim the presidency.

In a series of maneuvers that surprised even close associates of Mr. Abiola, lawyers and labor leaders who were apparently acting at the behest of the military requested the opposition leader's release on bail before a federal judge in Abuja, the federal capital, on Friday.

Although the request was granted, Mr. Abiola, whose wife says he was not consulted over the petition, declined the offer of freedom because it required him to refrain from meeting with or addressing supporters and would have barred him from leaving the country. Labor Leaders Radicalized

The bail offer appeared to have further radicalized labor leaders who, in the wake of Mr. Abiola's arrest, have emerged as the backbone of an increasingly militant democracy movement.

"Even if they release Chief Abiola unconditionally, discussions must begin for a smooth transition to actualize his presidency before we call off our strike," said Frank Kokori, general secretary of Nupeng, an oil workers union that has joined the strike. "Right now, there is nothing to consider."

Residents of Lagos, a stronghold of Mr. Abiola's Yoruba ethnic group, seemed cheered when Government-controlled radio and television first announced the bail on Friday, hinting in some reports that he had been released.

The hopeful mood quickly turned to anger, however, as word of mouth spread that the proposed release would have virtually required Mr. Abiola to refrain from politics, and offered no solution to the country's crisis. 'Ready to Explode'

"These military folks don't seem to realize that they are playing with fire," said one Lagos resident who gave his name only as Bola as he waited for a bus Friday evening. "They have been playing the people for fools for far too long, now our country is ready to explode."

Labor leaders and residents said they expected that this city would remain on strike next week, despite an announcement on Thursday by the head of the Nigerian Labor Congress, an umbrella organization for many of the country's unions, that a nationwide strike called last Wednesday was being suspended to allow talks with representatives of the military leadership to continue.

For many, this country's deepening crisis has disturbing parallels to the period before the outbreak of a violent three-year civil war in 1967 over the attempted secession of the southeastern region of Biafra. Growing Militancy

Residents of the predominantly Yoruba southwestern part of the country have grown increasingly militant in their demands for democracy, insisting on respect for the results of last year's election, which Mr. Abiola, himself a Yoruba, is widely believed to have won.

The country's predominantly Muslim north has largely continued to support the military, an institution its residents have long dominated.

The southeast, where most of Nigeria's oil is produced, meanwhile, has grown increasingly restive over what many of its residents say is an unfair distribution of wealth favoring the two other regions. Nigeria receives 80 percent of its export earnings from the sale of oil.

"We are already hearing reports about guns being distributed around," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who recently carried a message here from President Clinton urging the restoration of democracy. "If this situation degenerates, it will make Rwanda look like a birthday party."






[size=18pt]24th August 1994 - ITN News
Nigeria win gold medal in women's 4X100m relay at Commonwealth Games in Canada[/size]

Mary Onyali, the 200 metres silver medallist, anchored the Nigerian women's team to victory in the 4x100 metres relay in a Games' record of 42.99 seconds. Australia were second in 43.43, denying Cathy Freeman the chance of a third gold medal, with England third in 43.46.

[size=18pt]7th September 1994 - The NY Times
General Abacha Assumes Absolute Power[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 6— A day after defeating a pro-democracy strike, Nigeria's military ruler banned several newspapers today and decreed that his Government had absolute power.

Nigerian oil workers ended a two-month strike on Monday after failing to force the military Government of Gen. Sani Abacha to step down.

The workers had demanded that General Abacha surrender power to Moshood K. O. Abiola, a businessman and politician who is widely believed to have won the annulled 1993 presidential election. Mr. Abiola is in jail awaiting trial on treason charges.

One decree sets General Abacha above the courts, denying them any jurisdiction over his military Government. The first victim of the decree was a lawsuit filed by a five million-member labor federation, the Nigerian Labor Congress, challenging the military's dissolution of its executive committee. A high court judge dismissed the case today, saying she no longer had jurisdiction.

Another decree allows detention of people for three months without charges. General Abacha appears intent on keeping in jail the dozens of human rights activists, labor leaders and pro-democracy politicians arrested in the last few weeks.

The most prominent prison inmate is Mr. Abiola, who was arrested after he declared himself president on the anniversary of the election in June.

Democracy advocates responded to General Abacha's decrees with frustration.

"They unfold an era in which no Nigerian is sure of his or her freedom or sanctity of life," said Gani Fawehinmi, a lawyer who is defending dozens of jailed dissidents.

General Abacha closed three newspaper and magazine groups, including the most influential and respected in the country, The Guardian of Lagos. The others are Concord, which Mr. Abiola owns, and Punch.

The Medical Association of Nigeria said that Mr. Abiola is critically ill, and it threatened to take "exceptional measures" if he is not freed by Saturday. Doctors were reported to be considering a strike.

Mr. Abiola's trial has been delayed because the Government could not persuade a judge to hear his case.











[size=18pt]23rd March 1995 - ITN News
ABACHA RE- LAUNCHES "WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINE" FIRST LAUNCHED BY BUHARI'S REGIME[/size]

More than 10 years ago, Nigeria's military rulers launched what they called a War Against Indiscipline.

It was meant to persuade unruly Nigerians to cross the road in the right place, refrain from dropping litter and generally improve their behaviour. The campaign had only a limited success.

Now, the latest military government has revived the scheme, under an even more grandiose title -- the War Against Indiscipline and Corruption.

A special task force has gone into action on the streets of the West African nation's biggest city, Lagos, arresting unfortunates whofail to use pedestrian bridges to cross the road or who hawk their goods in the streets.

Culprits are sent for trial at special mobile courts, where they face fines or jail sentences of up to three months.










@opokonwa
Thanks for the kind words

I am stilll looking for sources of historical photos and videos to accompany News stories.
Please let us have the links

[size=18pt]28 March 1995 - The New York Times
International Human Rights Group accuses Nigeria of waging a 2-Year War on Ogoni people[/size]

AMINIGBOKO, Nigeria, March 24— Two years ago, when a handful of villages were destroyed and residents began fleeing a wave of killings in the oil-producing Niger River Delta country near this small town, the Government and refugees gave starkly different explanations of the violence.

For Nigeria's military authorities, the killings were an example of the kind of inter-ethnic hatred that has long afflicted the overcrowded farming and fishing lands of this region, and occasionally exploded in tribal violence.

For the Ogoni people, however, a mostly poor 500,000-member ethnic group that shares its lands near the outlet of the Niger River with the work crews and rigs of foreign oil companies, the violence was clearly the work of soldiers bent on silencing their protests over their tiny share of the revenues generated by some of the continent's richest petroleum fields.

Now, in the first independent accounting of the two-year rash of violence in Nigeria's oil-producing southeast, Human Rights Watch says it has collected the accounts of both victims and participants in attacks on the Ogoni.

In a report published this week that largely corroborates the victims' claims, Human Rights Watch, based in New York, says Nigeria's military has conducted what amounts to a two-year war against the Ogoni that has involved repeated attacks on Ogoni hamlets, shooting of unarmed villagers, gang Desecrates of women and burning of homes.

In one of the worst of the attacks, in May 1993, according to the report, a Nigerian soldier said his company had been told they were being sent to repel an incursion by troops from neighboring Cameroon.

"When we arrived, they told us to shoot everyone who crossed our path," a Nigerian soldier who took part in the attack on an Ogoni village told Human Rights Watch. "I followed my orders until I realized that the approaching civilians were Nigerians."

The accounts of army-led drives against the Ogoni come at a time of growing calls, in Nigeria and abroad, for sanctions to isolate the dictatorship of Gen. Sani Abacha.

At the heart of the campaign of violence, residents of the delta region say, is a conflict that has pitted the interests of the Ogoni against the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. For years the Ogoni have been at the forefront of demands by many of Nigeria's ethnic minorities that the Government do more to protect their environment and share more revenue with oil-producing lands in the southeast.

The Ogoni, in addition to accusing Shell of destroying their lands, say the company has ordered army reprisals or provided support in the form of money and intelligence to the military in its campaign against them.

Shell officials at the company's sprawling operational headquarters for eastern Nigeria in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state, deny both assertions, saying they have voluntarily withdrawn from Ogoni areas.

"I have made it quite clear that we are not prepared to spill one drop of blood, even for a million barrels," said Egbert Imomoh, a Shell general manager. "We are not in a hurry, and will return only when we are welcome."

At the same time, however, officials of Shell Nigeria say the company's conflict with the Ogoni is spreading to other ethnic groups in the region who harbor many of the same complaints against the company. Shell says that in several areas of the Niger Delta its equipment has been sabotaged and its workers have been taken hostage.

Nigeria's military Government has repeatedly denied any involvement in reported atrocities in Ogoniland, ascribing any killings to local conflicts and terrorism by the Ogoni themselves.

Last May, in what Nigerian and international human rights groups describe as a politically inspired frame-up, the authorities arrested Ken Saro-Wiwa, an Ogoni who is one of Nigeria's most distinguished writers, on charges he had killed Ogoni leaders.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa, who has been held in military jails since his arrest and deprived of visits for most of that time, is being tried for the murders before a military-run tribunal in Port Harcourt.






[size=18pt]31st March 1995  - The New York Times
Abacha Allows Obasanjo to be detained under House-Arrest in his Ota farm after intervention of Former US President Jimmy Carter[/size]

LAGOS, Nigeria, March 26— Whenever he has sensed a challenge since seizing power 18 months ago, Nigeria's latest military dictator has consistently relied on two reflexes: dismissals and mass arrests.

The dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, who rules by decree, has dissolved labor unions and jailed their leaders, dismissed dozens of army officers, repeatedly shuffled his Government, shut down newspapers and even reached deep into the bureaucracy to fire anonymous civil servants.

Rarely appearing in public and trusting of few, General Abacha has a penchant for security that sometimes passes for paranoia, probably arising from his experience at the center of several past coup plots.

If little is known of his motives or political thinking, most Nigerian analysts and foreign diplomats agree that General Abacha, the sixth military ruler since independence in 1960, is the purest expression yet of the army leadership's obsession with absolute power and the wealth it brings.

When he took power in November 1993 by deposing Ernest Shonekan, a civilian who had been named President after the cancellation five months earlier of the first democratic elections in a decade, General Abacha declared that his aim was to prevent the breakup of the country and to restore democracy. But rarely has Nigeria been so divided or the path to civilian rule been so uncertain.

In the latest wave of repression, earlier this month, General Abacha's aides declared they had uncovered a coup plot involving prominent politicians and mid-level army officers. Diplomats say as many as 400 officers have been detained, many at secret locations where they are thought to be subject to torture.

Facing complaints in the Nigerian press and from foreign diplomats of a witch hunt and an absence of due process, the Information Minister denied in an interview with the BBC that there were any political detainees, saying, "Everyone who has been arrested knows why he is in jail."

But few Nigerians seem to believe the story of a coup plot. "Almost none of the names allegedly connected to the coup are officers commanding troops," said Abayomi Ferreira, a retired colonel who has called for restoration of democracy.

Though Nigerians have become accustomed to military purges, many say the inclusion of two former leaders in the latest sweep seems to have backfired, causing consternation among General Abacha's own constituents and bringing calls from abroad for the isolation of Nigeria.

The detention of one officer, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, the former military head of state, brought an unusual warning to General Abacha from the United States "against taking any summary measures against those arrested that could be construed as outside the bounds of international norms."

Traditionally Britain, Nigeria's former colonial ruler and one of its leading trading partners, has been much quieter about military abuses than Washington has. But General Obasanjo's arrest brought public criticism from London as well.

During a visit here last week, the former President Jimmy Carter met with General Abacha to seek General Obasanjo's release. But instead of letting him go, the Government put the former leader under house arrest at his farm near Lagos.

[size=18pt]13th July 1995 - NY Times
Abacha Military Tribunals continues trials of Coup Plotters as US pleads for leniency for Obasanjo[/size]


ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 12— With reports from Nigeria that secret tribunals have begun sentencing and possibly executing opponents of the military Government, there have been rising calls internationally for the release of political prisoners and the respect of human rights.

In recent days, Nigerian newspapers have repeatedly hinted that at least 18 military officers and 5 civilians have been secretly convicted of plotting to overthrow the Government of Gen. Sani Abacha and given long prison terms or death sentences. According to a report in The Times of London last week, some detainees may have already been executed.

Helping to fuel the international furor over the trials, in which there has been no public airing of the charges or right to appeal, is the inclusion among those charged of a former President, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. According to several Nigerian press reports, a military tribunal gave General Obasanjo and his former deputy, Gen. Shehu Musa Yaradua, 25-year sentences.

A Nigerian Army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Fred Chijuka, called such reports "dangerous speculation." But General Chijuka and other officials have refused to provide any information on the whereabouts of General Obasanjo and have declined to say whether judgments have been reached against those charged.

The trials come after nearly two years during which Government opponents have been locked up without being charged, judicial orders to produce those arrested in court have been ignored and newspapers have been closed.

International rights groups say the slide into repression, the worst the country has known since independence from Britain in 1960, results from General Abacha's bid to clear the political landscape of critics after the jailing last year of Moshood K. Abiola, the apparent winner of Nigeria's last democratic presidential election, in 1993.

General Obasanjo, who is retired from the military, is the only one of Nigeria's several military presidents to have relinquished power voluntarily. His organization of elections in 1979 and his subsequent work with President Jimmy Carter in resolving international conflicts made General Obasanjo one of his country's best respected citizens.

In one of the strongest warnings in an unusually sustained round of international condemnations, the British Overseas Development Minister, Lynda Chalker, warned last week that Britain was considering barring Nigeria from the Commonwealth.

Five rights monitors, led by a former Canadian Foreign Minister, Flora MacDonald, are visiting Nigeria to prepare a report to the Commonwealth that is to be delivered in November at the group's annual summit meeting.

Coming on top of Dame Chalker's warning, the State Department has stepped up its criticisms of the Nigerian Government, calling it "unwilling to meet a basic international standard of free and fair trials." American officials have boycotted Government functions in Nigeria.

Germany, Russia, Japan and the European Union have also warned of possible sanction or pleaded for the release of political detainees.

Nigeria's military leaders have so far shown little interest in these appeals, however, and have frequently expressed contempt for their critics.

"I wonder why this same Britain, which wreaked havoc on our national life, is now telling us what to do," a minister without portfolio, Wada Nas, told reporters in Kaduna last weekend.

Diplomats say they know of no credible evidence that either General Obasanjo or General Yaradua have plotted against General Abacha. But, they add, each man has been a thorn that the dictator has been eager to remove.

According to this view, General Obasanjo infuriated General Abacha by reportedly holding political discussions abroad and was suspected by the military ruler of presenting himself as a potential symbol of national unity.

General Yaradua, the diplomats said, may have been arrested for leading a movement within the recent Constitutional Conference to demand an early end to military rule. General Abacha convened the conference last year to determine the terms for a return to civilian rule.

Asked about the possible motive for the arrests, Bolaji Akinyemi, a former Foreign Minister whose brother, Akinloye, is among those charged with plotting, said from his exile in London: "Abacha wants to silence all of those who have a voice. His plan is to stretch out the transition for a time and then remove his military uniform and declare himself the civilian president of Nigeria."




Re "The Fantasy Coup," Bob Herbert's Aug. 14 column on Nigeria: Gen. Sani Abacha's Government came to office to restore order at the request of Chief Moshood K. O. Abiola and other politicians who were worried by the turmoil of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

After achieving this objective, the Government renewed the democratization process, resulting in the National Constitutional Conference, the drafting of a new Constitution and the lifting of the ban on political activities. The country is now calm awaiting announcement by the head of state on Oct. 1 of a program that will lead to elected government. The political atmosphere belies the story of a country about to disintegrate.

The economic problems highlighted by Mr. Herbert are mainly a result of Nigeria's high population growth rate. However, through tight fiscal policies General Abacha's Government has contained runaway inflation, stabilized the local currency and achieved a $382 million budget surplus in the first quarter of 1995.

The measures taken by the Government against coup plotters are designed to maintain this stable situation and to prevent bloodshed. The decision to arrest Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and Maj. Gen. Shehu Musa Yaradua was painful to General Abacha because he respects both men. Among the coup plotters are many former aides who worked with him.

However, in making final decisions on the current trial, General Abacha, a humane man, will take into account appeals for clemency and the overall interest of Nigeria.

It is unfair to blame Nigerians alone for distributing drugs, when Nigeria neither produces nor processes such drugs. Because of the effective antidrug measures taken by General Abacha's Government, drug trafficking through Nigeria has been substantially reduced. ZUBAIR M. KAZAURE Ambassador of Nigeria Washington, Aug. 21, 1995






2nd October 1995 - ITN News
[size=18pt]Prosecution witnesses against Ken Saro Wiwa, claims to have been bribed by Shell; Abacha announces he will remain in power for another 3years(video clip) [/size]

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1995/10/02/BSP021095032/?s=nigeria&st=2&pn=81&sortBy=date


NIGERIA: The military dictator General Sani Abacha has 2.10.95 announced that he intends to hold onto power for another 3 years. There is concern about the fate of opposition activist Ken Saro Wiwa and human rights in the country.





[size=18pt]10th November 1995 - ITN News
NIGERIA: KEN SARO-WIWA EXECUTED (video clip):[/size]

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1995/11/10/BSP101195043/?s=nigeria&st=0&pn=29&sortBy=date

10.11.95
Nigeria has ignored Internatioal opinion and executed writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and other human rights activists. The Commonwealth Conference has now suspended Nigeria from the Commonwealth in protest.

Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni tribe who claimed their land was being polluted by the oil industry.








[size=18pt]11th November 1995 - The New York Times
Abacha Executes Ken Saro-Wiwa ; Nigeria gets International Criticism[/size]

Nov. 10— Nigeria's military Government today executed Ken Saro-Wiwa, one of the country's leading environmentalists and authors, provoking international protests and calls for punitive measures against Nigeria.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa, 54, a prominent critic of the Government who was arrested last year on charges of murder that he had steadfastly denied, was hanged with eight co-defendants at the prison in the eastern city of Port Harcourt at 11:30 A.M., the official Nigerian press agency said.

The executions, which followed an outpouring of appeals for clemency, drew a swift international response.

The United States, Britain and other countries withdrew their ambassadors, the Commonwealth countries were considering whether to expel or suspend Nigeria and the World Bank announced it would not support a $100 million loan to Nigeria for a huge project to develop liquefied natural gas.

The White House called on the United Nations to condemn the executions and consider an embargo on sales of military equipment to Nigeria. But it stopped short of calling for the action that would sting most -- sanctions on the oil exports that provide virtually all of Nigeria's foreign income.

South Africa's President, Nelson Mandela, called the executions a "heinous act." In Washington, the White House issued a statement that deplored the Nigerian Government's "flouting of even the most basic international norms and universal standards of human rights."

Nigeria went ahead with the executions despite the multitude of calls for leniency, which reflected an increasingly cloistered siege mentality among the country's military rulers, diplomats said.

For the last several years Mr. Saro-Wiwa, a popular author, playwright and television producer, has been one of the Government's most articulate and determined critics. He had built a campaign against environmental damage by oil companies and for a fairer share of Nigeria's immense oil wealth for the regions where it is produced.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa's organization, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, grew to become the largest political organization in the 350-square-mile homeland of the Ogoni. This ethnic group, to which he belonged, includes 500,000 people who live in the oil-rich but desperately poor swamplands of Delta State.

When the movement's members began to demonstrate for an end to oil spillages by Royal Dutch/Shell and for a share of the revenues from the oil pumped from their land, international human rights groups say, Nigerian troops began mounting a kind of scorched-earth campaign against the Ogoni, burning villages and committing murders and Desecrates.

Shell, Nigeria's largest oil producing company, has acknowledged frequent spills but has said the Ogoni movement exaggerated their impact.

After four pro-military traditional leaders were killed last year, Mr. Saro-Wiwa and several associates were quickly arrested for the crimes. But his defenders say he was framed and did not receive a fair trial.

Deeply unpopular, the current Nigerian leaders have little to show for over two years of near-absolute power in what was once one of Africa's most prosperous countries and is now one of its most miserable.

The head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, issued a clemency order last month lifting death sentences in a reported coup plot involving a former head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, and dozens of other former officials, army officers and journalists. Diplomats and Nigerian analysts said the order had created profound tensions among senior officers who interpreted the lifting of the sentences as a dangerous sign of weakness.

"These guys know that they have their backs against the wall," a Western diplomat said of Nigeria's leaders. "There are people in the ranks who are against them, there are people in their own circles who are having doubts, and with the population against them and now the world against them too, they must feel that to show any softness is to commit suicide."

The executions drew outraged reactions at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in Auckland, New Zealand, a regular event that brings together Britain with its former colonies.

Hours after the announcement of the executions, Prime Minister John Major of Britain and President Mandela each called for the expulsion of Nigeria from the 52-member organization.

"I would recommend every move to indicate to the Nigerian Government that we totally condemn what they have done," Mr. Mandela told reporters in Auckland.


[flash=800,800]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-rLX1UYBE?version=3[/flash]


[size=18pt]

Ken Saro Wiwa[/size]

[size=18pt]13 November 1995
World community decides how to impose economic sanctions on Nigeria (video clip)[/size]

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1995/11/13/BSP131195010/?s=nigeria&st=0&pn=29&sortBy=date


NIGERIA: ECONOMY/SANCTIONS: With the world discussing what action to take against Nigeria following the hanging of 9 human rights activists, C4N looks at the economic state of the country and the effects of any likely sanctions.






[size=18pt]19th  January 1996 - ITN News
PRESIDENTIAL PLANE CRASHES, IBRAHIM ABACHA, SON OF NIGERIAN RULER AND 13 OTHERS KILLED - GENERAL ABACHA ORDERS ENQUIRY[/size]

Nigeria has formally set up a board of inquiry into the crash of a Presidential plane in January which killed the son of military ruler General Sani Abacha.

An official statement in the capital Abuja said the 11-member all-military board was headed by Air Vice-Marshall J.Y. Kontagora, commander of the air force training wing and a member of the Provisional Ruling Council.

National Security Adviser Ismaila Gwarzo, who inaugurated the board of inquiry, said it had two weeks to complete its assignment.

The British-made Hawker Siddeley 125 had been travelling from Lagos to Abacha's northern hometown Kano when it crashed, killing 28-year-old Ibrahim Abacha and 13 others.

A previously unknown group calling itself United Front for Nigeria's Liberation claimed it sabotaged the plane to step up a campaign to topple Abacha. The claim has not been independently verified.

Opposition groups have dissociated themselves from the front and offered Abacha their sympathies.

Nigeria has been in crisis since June 1993 when the army annulled a presidential election that was to end a long period of military rule and restore democracy.

















[size=18pt]12th April 1996   - The New York Times
Saudia Arabia Bans  Nigerian Pilgrims[/size]
April 11— Saudi Arabia, citing epidemics sweeping West Africa, has banned all Nigerians from entering the kingdom to make the annual pilgrimage to the Islamic world's two holiest shrines.

More than 70,000 West Africans have been infected with meningitis since January, with more than 9,000 deaths. Nigeria has been hit the worst, with 40,000 cases and more than half of the deaths.

More than 31,000 Nigerians have registered to make the pilgrimage this year.





7th May 1996  - The New York Time
[size=18pt]Nigeria and Cameroon Clash Over Bakassi Peninsula on the Border[/size]

. .LAGOS, Nigeria, May 6— Nigerian and Cameroonian forces fought all weekend and into this morning in the latest outbreak of violence over the small Bakassi peninsula, which lies between the two countries, officials at Nigerian defense headquarters said today.

The officials said long-range artillery, helicopter gunships and gunboats had been used, and diplomats said more than 50 Nigerian soldiers had been killed and a number taken prisoner in the most recent fighting. No information was available on Cameroonian casualties.

Both sides lay claim to the Bakassi region, which is on the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, and which has plentiful fish stocks. Their first military confrontation there was in February 1994.

The Nigerian Government said Cameroon had set off the most recent clashes, which are in their third week, by attacking a Nigerian patrol vehicle in Bakassi and killing one soldier. The Cameroonians deny that accusations and accuse the Nigerian military of provoking them.

The rival claims to the area are based on different interpretations of complex colonial treaties.

The issue of possession of the peninsula was taken on by the International Court of Justice in The Hague at Cameroon's request in 1994.

But in the interim, Nigerian and Cameroonian forces stationed in Bakassi have been separated by only a small creek, and from time to time minor clashes have broken out.

In March the court urged both sides to respect a cease-fire pending a ruling on the issue, and both countries agreed in principle to honor the cease-fire.

Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, said on Sunday that Cameroon's foreign partners, whom he would not identify, might be urging it to attack Nigeria.

Diplomats indicate that France is trying to get the Cameroonian President, Paul Biya, to Paris for talks on the matter. French diplomats say France wants to play a conciliatory role.

Mr. Ikimi, too, referred to France, saying that it "has substantial interests in Nigeria as it does in Cameroon, and it would be in their interests to insure the conflict does not escalate."





9th May 1996  - The New York Times
[size=18pt]Abiola's Wife Charged[/size]

. .LAGOS, Nigeria, May 8— The wife of the man who is believed to have won Nigeria's annulled presidential elections in 1993 and who is now in prison, was charged today with publishing false documents.

Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Mashood K. O. Abiola, was held overnight and questioned by the police about documents claiming that her husband is Nigeria's rightful President. One of the documents also called for the Nigeria's current leader, Gen. Sani Abacha, to give up power. Mrs. Abiola was released on bail pending a trail set for May 28. If found guilty of all charges she could face up to seven years in prison.

Mr. Abiola has been in detention for almost two years. He was arrested and charged with treason in 1994 following his claim to have won the presidency in the 1993 election.

Mrs. Abiola has been active in helping to mobilize international pressure against the current Government, and has been a critic of Nigeria's military rulers.

Mrs. Abiola has been involved in a dispute over which lawyer should represent her husband. A court in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, ruled today that Mr. Abiola should appear in court on Friday to choose a lawyer to represent him.






14th May 1996 - The Baltimore Sun
[size=18pt]Nnamdi Azikiwe,91, Nigeria's first president  Dies 11th May 1996 [/size]

Nnamdi Azikiwe,91, Nigeria's first president who was a champion of the struggle for African independence, died Saturday in eastern Nigeria, the News Agency of Nigeria reported yesterday. He had been admitted to the hospital for some time with an undisclosed illness.
Mr. Azikiwe was a champion of African nationalism and a master of compromise in his country's turbulent politics.
Widely known as "Zik of Africa," the politician, scholar, poet and journalist helped to end the Biafran civil war that had plunged his Ibo people into mass suffering. He was sworn in as Nigeria's first president in 1963 when it became a republic after independence from Britain in 1960.

[size=18pt]5th June 1996 – ITN News
NIGERIANS PROTESTS AT SHOOTING DEAD OF ABIOLA’S WIFE, KUDIRAT. (VIDEO CLIP)[/size]

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1996/06/05/BSP050696009/?s=nigeria+azikiwe&st=2&pn=77&sortBy=date

Demonstrations have been staged in Nigeria over the shooting of the wife of leading political dissident Mashood Abiola, Kudirat Abiola.

[size=18pt]3rd August 1996 - The New York Times
Chioma Ajunwa leaps to Olympic Long Jump Gold medal[/size]

Ajunwa launched into her approach, lifted off and landed in a place she had never considered -- first place -- with a leap of 23 feet 4 1/2 inches. The jump was an African record. And through six rounds of competition at the Olympics, it would not be surpassed as Ajunwa became the first Nigerian to win a gold medal and the first African woman to win an Olympic field event.

Fiona May of Italy won the the silver with a jump of 23-0 1/2. Joyner-Kersee, the 1988 Olympic champion, courageously overcame a hamstring injury, drawing on her fierce resolve on her final jump to vault from sixth to third at 22-11 3/4. She retires now with three gold medals, one silver and two bronzes, along with the reputation as the greatest female athlete in track and field history.

''I never thought I'd come here to get a medal,'' said Ajunwa, a 25-year-old policewoman from Lagos, Nigeria. ''I was very surprised. It takes a lot to come out of nowhere to beat an Olympic champion.''