Nigeria has had its fair share of trials and adversity. The foreign media chastise our country as being corrupt and dangerous. However, this week during a conference held in Abuja to mark 50 years of independence for Nigeria, of which ex-president George Bush and ex-prime minister Tony Blair attended; Nigeria was praised for this week's handover of power to the deputy leader after two months of political deadlock over the president's health. "We believe that the principle of democracy has been served well," said a statement from the US embassy… Finally Nigeria is getting positive global recognition.
Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan is now formally acting president until Umar Yar'Adua can resume his duties. Nigeria is not normally seen as a beacon of democracy - recent elections have been riddled with fraud. The country was ruled by the military for many years and Mr Yar'Adua became the first elected Nigerian leader to be handed power by another in non-military rule in 2007. Relations between the US and Nigeria have been fraught in recent months - especially after a young Nigerian man was caught allegedly trying to blow up a plane over the US in December 2009 and President Yar'Adua went to Saudi Arabia to be treated for heart problems in November, leading to a political vacuum in Nigeria. For two months, the government refused to let Mr Jonathan be recognised as acting president. Although the authorities won a court case that the president was not obliged to hand over power when sick, this week the National Assembly passed a motion recognising Mr Jonathan as the country's interim leader. US ambassador Robin Sanders praised "the leadership shown by the National Assembly, the Governors' Forum, several Ministers, and the courts in finding a way out of the political impasse. The best interests of the country and the future of Nigeria have been well served by this action."
The ceremony in Abuja was not as completely peaceful as we would have liked: A Nigerian rights campaigner has criticised the police for arresting him and his colleagues during a protest over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shehu Sani and 80 others held a peaceful rally to coincide with the visit to Abuja by former leaders of the US and UK - George W Bush and Tony Blair. Mr Sani said police had wrongly claimed that he and others had had no permit. Mr Sani, who was freed on bail, said all the requirements had been met and he called the arrests "very wrong". He and his colleagues, who have also been released on bail, said they wanted to draw attention to the human rights legacy of Mr Blair and Mr Bush. "It was a peaceful protest," he told the BBC. "I was officially invited to the banquet - so I wasn't going to throw any shoes. But the police came and used force to shove me into their vehicles along with about 80 others."They said we needed a permit - but according to the constitution all we have to do is write to the police and tell them about the protest. We had done that." I feel this is unfair, Mr Sani is known for his peaceful protests, so why now should he be arrested, after all he did receive an official invitation to the event. Perhaps, it was all for propaganda, to make international media believe no one opposed to the former Western leaders' proposals, such as the ‘war on terror.’
At the Ceremony, Former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice spoke about the way elections were held in Nigeria, although she too praised the National Assembly in the case of Mr Jonathan’s acting leadership role, she questioned Nigeria's progress in tackling corruption and to urge free and fair elections. "The world is watching," she said. "They are tracking the coming elections very closely. Nigerians demand that this democracy functions in a transparent way that these elections are transparent." Elections in Nigeria - at a local and national level - have been tainted by vote-rigging, electoral fraud, ballot stuffing and intimidation. The world will be watching to see if we have taken heed from our neighboring country Ghana and if we are pushing for a stable transition of governance…I will not only be watching, I shall be praying. Until the elections all I can say is good luck to you Mr. Jonathan!
At least we are not the only country contaminated with controversy, recently, the head of Germany's Protestant church has admitted drink-driving, after she was charged with passing a red light while three times over the legal limit.
Bishop Margot Kaessmann, appointed the church's first female leader last year, was arrested in Hanover at the weekend. She told Germany's Bild newspaper: "I am shocked at myself that I could have made such a grave error." Leaders of the 25 million-strong church are discussing how the incident affects the 51-year-old's official position. Ms Kaessmann, who became the first bishop in Germany to divorce in 2007, allegedly drove her VW Phaeton through a red light in central Hanover on Saturday night while "completely unfit to drive". The mother of four daughters told Bild: "I know how dangerous and irresponsible drink-driving is. I will of course assume the legal consequences." We are all human and we make errors, but the one thing we should take away from Bishop Kaessmann is we should be ready to admit our mistakes and change our ways for the better, that is the first step for the improvement of our attitudes and our country.
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