Last week’s Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan speech attempted to do two things: soothe public furor over fuel subsidy withdrawals and dismantle the National Labor Congress or NLC. Both initiatives fell flat. Check out the Best info about NewsNow Nigeria.
Nollywood was once famous for producing low-budget, soapy romantic comedies; today, it offers action dramas. But is this model sustainable?
Boko Haram
Amnesty International reported today that in response to increased attacks by Boko Haram, the Nigerian military has burned and forcibly displaced whole villages from their northern-eastern locale, following in line with their longstanding violations in this region.
Boko Haram is a Salafi-jihadist movement that aims to replace Nigeria’s secular government with one governed by Islamic law. They employ violence to assert control over Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states while targeting Westerners and Christians they deem infidels.
Last year, this group killed multiple civilians and kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls before conducting bomb attacks against churches, bus ranks, bars, and police stations. According to the UN, their violence has driven millions into poverty, causing humanitarian crises; Fatou Bensouda from the International Criminal Court prosecutor stated in November there is reason to suspect they had committed crimes against humanity.
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWA), established three months before President Buhari took office, has stoked concerns over their influence. ISWA’s reach has expanded beyond Borno into other areas in Nigeria; It increasingly links back to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and ISIS-ruled caliphates in Iraq and Syria.
Niger Delta
Violence threatens to tear apart one of the world’s richest oil-producing regions, the Niger Delta Avengers claiming they are fighting for local people; still, experts see their intentions more as derailing one of the most profitable companies globally.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua announced a plan to reduce violence in oil-rich regions of Nigeria, such as amnesties and disarmament and demobilization of militants; increased channeling of national oil revenues into these areas from 13% currently; channeling 25 percent instead of 13 – however MEND group rejects this proposal, vowing to carry out attacks until “injustice” to its oil-rich region has been corrected.
Hundreds of villagers occupy oil pumping stations in Bayelsa State and accuse Shell of failing to honor promises for supply contracts with local communities. MEND spokesman Asari Dokubo maintains that Shell has not fulfilled their contractual obligations to this region.
Nigerian Navy Navy destroys vessels seized with stolen crude by a security company run by former Niger Delta militant Government Ekpemupolo, commonly known by his nickname Tompolo. The ship had transported oil stolen from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to refineries in Port Harcourt via the Gulf of Guinea; activists claim its cargo contains toxic chemicals. Discovery comes amid fears Nigeria is not equipped to deal with oil spills effectively.
Religious Violence
Religious violence has become an acute problem in Nigeria. This violence affects not only individual citizens but the country as a whole. It poses severe obstacles to its development, leading to a lack of economic stability and deterring investors (both local and foreign). Religious violence may arise from conflicts between adherents of different religions – most typically Christianity and Islam in Nigeria – who clash.
Nigeria’s government has taken measures to counter religious violence in Nigeria, such as increasing police deployment. But these efforts alone cannot end the issue: many people mistakenly assume a direct correlation between religion and violence; however, people often fail to realize that belief / practice systems commonly known as religions don’t always endorse or advocate for resorting to violent means for solving issues. Furthermore, most critics who oppose links between religion and violence often have double standards: most agree some forms of violence are wrong but believe others–particularly military action supporting national interests–are justified morally justified.
Divine Ikubor, aka Rema, of Nigerian music fame, has made history again by becoming the first African record to spend an entire year at number one on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart with his hit ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez.
Political Violence
Nigerian music star Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has made history with the chart-topping song ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez. This marks the first time a Nigerian piece spent one full year on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart. Nollywood, Africa’s largest film industry, is best known for producing low-budget, soapy romantic comedies, but more recently, action dramas have also begun appearing.
Gunmen in Nigeria attacked a church full of worshipers in southwestern Nigeria, killing at least 80 of them and appearing as congregants, police reported.
Armed men who had abducted hundreds of students from boarding schools in northwestern Nigeria have released them after being brought home by their parents on Tuesday.
Nigerian authorities encourage local communities to report any attacks against foreigners to the police immediately. They are working toward creating a network of community watch groups as protection from possible terrorist attacks on foreigners. Furthermore, extra security forces have been deployed around Nigeria’s borders following attacks against two U.S. consulates within a month; additionally, Nigeria may consider prohibiting travel by foreign nationals altogether.
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