By Sunday Adaji…Legal Officer, Lawyers Alert. One of the most controversial Bills before the floor of the National Assembly (the law-making body of Nigeria) is the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Regulation Bill sponsored by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Umar Buba. The bill has been described in many quarters as the most audacious and dangerous bills to make its way into the legislature in recent times. It might be recalled that prior to

Written by Yinka Adegoke For some Nigerians, there’s an inevitable feeling of deja-vu about their country’s former petroleum minister, Diezeani Allison-Madueke, being arrested in London on charges of money laundering. That’s because in 1984, under the rule of current president Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian government tried and failed to abduct another former cabinet minister, Umaru Dikko, in London. Dikko had been accused of looting as much as $1 billion. BBC World Service r

By Wendy Wright NEW YORK, July 10 (C-Fam) Nigeria publicly chastised the UN human rights office for trampling on universally-agreed rights as it seeks to impose same sex marriage and outlaw commonly-held views on homosexuality. The sharp rebuke accused the UN officials of infringing on the right to democracy, religious freedom, and cultural standards that strengthen families. The statement, delivered last week in Geneva, came in response to a report released last month by the

by Frisky Larr If there is anything that many observers agree upon, it is the fact that Muhammadu Buhari could have had a better start into his civilian presidency. Most disheartening and uninspiring was his inaugural speech, which left many people wondering what message he intended to send and why he made the choice to send such a message. The calculation seems obvious. The President simply sacrificed the all-important notion of toughness and popular reassurance at the altar

At least 260 women and children who were rescued from Boko Haram have been moved by the Nigerian military to an undisclosed location, officials said Friday. They were among several hundred hostages rescued by the military from the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of the Islamist militant group, in the past month. Since their rescue, the women and children had been staying at a displaced persons camp in Yola, capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Adamawa state. But officials with Nige

Sunday, May 3, 2015, 9:00 AM CET The following article was written by Graeme Reid, who is director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Program at Human Rights Watch. Before joining Human Rights Watch in 2011, Reid was the founding director of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa, a researcher at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research and a lecturer in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at Yale University. Nigeria’s lively civil soc

By Olusegun Abolaji Ogundeji The dozens of deaths that marred the recent Nigerian elections would be considered shocking by the standards of most developed nations. Compared to past elections, however, the violence this time around was limited, and many observers say social media and technology such as biometric card readers played a big role in minimizing conflict. Online services are credited with keeping people informed during the runup to the elections, promoting the feel

People protesting against xenophobia in South Africa hold placards in front of the South African consulate … By Joe Brock and Nqobile Dludla JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The recall of Nigeria’s top diplomat after a spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa follows several similar spats that expose the two countries’ deep rivalry for economic and political dominance in Africa. Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa Martin Cobham said on Saturday he had been “invited”

By Jerome, Uneje Mary Nigeria 28th April 2015. The atmosphere appeared filled with  of hope and expectations as Pa Josiah (not real name) cast his vote with satisfaction. As he emerged from the polling booth, a smile cracks across his old wrinkled face.  As he hobbles away from the polling booth under the support of his walking stick, he feels a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment being part of the process that will effect the desire of the people in the governance str

The concession of defeat by the Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, marked the first time in the nation’s history that an incumbent leader has been ousted at the ballot box. In a West Africa region that has a mixed record with democracy, and a number of upcoming elections during 2015‑16, political leaders will be looking to learn lessons from the region’s political and economic powerhouse. An incumbent being defeated is not unheard of in West Africa—Benin, Senegal and Côte

By Sibusiso Tsahabalala The attacks on migrant shop owners in Durban this week reminds us the position of foreigner in South Africa is a complex one. After decades of isolation from the rest of the African continent, and the world, during apartheid, South Africa finally opened up to the rest of world in 1994. Under apartheid, South Africa’s immigration mirrored the narrow mindedness and prejudice of the National Party. Several laws made visiting or living in South Africa unpa

By Morgan Winsor @MorganWinsorIBT April 14 2015 Sen. Aisha Al-Hassan (center), the All Progressives Congress candidate of Nigeria’s Taraba state, attends a gathering in the local government area of Ussa on Jan. 21, 2015. News Agency of Nigeria Many Nigerians thought voters in Taraba state would make history by electing the nation’s first female governor. But Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan, known as “Mama Taraba” by her supporters, lost to her main challenger, Darius Ishaku of the

Issued: Monday, 13th April 2015 The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, after observing the State-level elections for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly, which held on Saturday, 11th April 2015, makes the following statement: The Situation Room acknowledges and commends the significant improvements in the electoral process made by INEC.  In the main, the elections went well across the country, notably with about 90% of polling stations opening on time and the Car

By Orebiyi Temitope “Nigeria decides 2015” was the team of the presidential election and senatorial elections held on the 28th day of March 2015. The focus of this work is on the presidential elections held in the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory. It was a period of anxiety and anticipation as supporters of the two dominant political parties; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with its presidential candidate as the incumbent president, Goodluck Ebele J

Culled from the Guardian Ten years after underage marriage was prohibited, 39% of girls are married before age 15, and two remain on death row for killing much older husbands Maimuna Abdulmunini was just 13 when she was arrested for burning her 35-year-old husband to death. The legal process dragged out over five years. Finally in 2012, when she turned 18, Abdulmunini was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Today, despite a court ruling six months ago that the sentenc

On Tuesday 24 February 2015, a bill, Cybercrime Bill passed second reading at the House of Representative – the lower legislative arm in Nigeria. The Bill which seeks to intercept and monitor personal communications empowers security agents to intercept, monitor, and record electronic communications between individuals and seize usage data from Internet Services Providers (ISPs) and mobile networks. It further gives power to security agency to order telecommunication companie

Fact emerging from an investigative report conducted by Daily Trust 13 February 2015; with support of Ford Foundation reveals an inhumane, illegal, and exploitative trend of rape and child trafficking in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, especially in North East Nigeria; mostly ravaged by the 5-year Boko Haram insurgency. And what’s more heart-rending is the fact that the evil is being perpetrated by some mindless individuals in consort with camp officials; under the

By Elvis-wura Towolawi From all indication, it appears the political wind in Benue state is beginning to turn into a whirlwind – with violent repercussion. Last weekend, supporters of both the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Samuel Ortom, and Terhemen Tarzoor, of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in Makurdi; resulting in damage to properties worth millions. Both parties have lived in self-denial and continually traded words over the incid

Nigeria’s National Health Bill was signed into law by the president on December 9, 2014. The Nigerian Senate passed the highly controversial National Health Bill into law following its 3rd reading at the National Assembly. The aim of the Act is to establish a framework for the Regulation, Development and Management of a National Health System, to set standards for rendering health services in the Federation and other matters concerned therewith The Act is set to achieve the U

By ELVIS-WURA TOWOLAWI Election is an indispensable factor that validates democracy and when considered free and fair – confers legitimacy on elected leaders in democracies. Yet, elections tend to be tense and violent in politically volatile societies such as Nigeria. This, of course can be attributed to the way the political gamers play the game. Most of them bent on power view the whole transition process as a ‘win or die’ affair which invariably fans the flame of irregular