Nigeria at the crossroads

Nigeria is going through a difficult time. There is a

political impasse the resolution of which is difficult to

predict. New African reports that for three months, from

November last year till February this year, Nigerians have

been in the dark about what was going on with their

president, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, except

that he left to visit a Saudi hospital because of some

medical condition. Apparently, every official delegation

that went to find out what was ailing the president 'was

blocked by his wife, Turai. And that was that.'
In spite of his condition being serious, as rumours had it,

the ailing president did not write to the legislature

authorizing power to his vice as required by the
constitution. Perhaps he was too sick to do that. But then

neither did the legislature deem it fit to impeach him on

the grounds that 'it would not do to impeach a sick

man.' New African reports that 'eventually, the
legislators reached a compromise and made Jonathan [his

vice] the acting president.' Shortly afterwards the

president was sneaked back into the country. Not even the

vice president, now acting president was informed. The

president's chief press secretary has since confirmed

that the president is indeed alive and that his vice can

continue as the acting president. As New African asks,

'What is one to make of it all?' How is the vice
president, now acting president, Mr.Goodluck Jonathan going

to manage all this? Has he the ability to do so? Are there

forces other than Nigerian politics that will shape how

everything turns out? In a set of four articles: Nigeria at

the crossroads, Imagine another Nigeria, Nigeria must not

fail and Death and destruction in Jos, New African wraps it

up. The piece 'Focus on Nigeria' goes well to
complement the politics with the economic issues,
particularly of oil and banks that are at the heart of

Nigerian politics.