USAfricaonline.com, first African-owned U.S.-based professional newspaper to be published on the internet, is listed among the world's hot sites by the international newspaper, USAToday. USAfrica has been cited by the New York Times as America's largest African-owned multimedia company. 8303 SW Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77074. Phone: 713-270-5500. Cell direct: 832-45-CHIDO (24436)

---

Transcript CNN International interview with Nigeria's President Obasanjo and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu on Democracy and Security Issues

On the Prof. Chinua Achebe project, log on to www.Achebebooks.com •• CLASS magazine 'the Ebony magazine for Africans in north America'

---

www.PhotoWorks.Tv : Our community's digital domain for your pictures and special events

---

Special to USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston, USAfricaonline.com, CLASS magazine, and The Black Business Journal

Nigeria's 2007 elections: progress with familiar problems, violence....
By Chido Nwangwu (Founder and Publisher, USAfricaonline.com)

Nigeria's latest march into another transition is making progress but beset with familiar problems in some constituencies. Hence, the INEC extended voting hours against the harsh realities of late starts, missing voters registers and ballot boxes.

Moreso, incidents of armed men attacking police stations and partisan violence have all combined to raise immediate issues affecting the conduct and handling of Nigeria's April 14 elections; especially in the south, southwest; and in the north where 2 voting booths and an INEC office were burnt. As at 2pm Nigerian time, the spate of violence had left at least 17 dead in Nigeria's south as Nigerians go to the polls to choose state governors for 36 states and members of state houses of assembly in the first of two elections. Next voting is next Saturday April 21, 2007 for office of the president and members of the National Assembly, comprising 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives.

Overall, USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine reporters inside Nigeria are reporting that the elections are progressing with thousands if not more disenfranchised due to INEC's logistical problems, the actual acts of partisan political violence and threats of violence. USAfrica reporters note too that voting has not taken place in parts of Anambra, Kwara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano, Bayelsa, Rivers and Ondo states. The killing in a mosque of a radical Islamic cleric has left some tension around the voting and politics.

Nigeria's Senate President Ken Nnamani, a member of the ruling PDP in his home state of Enugu for the elections said on television that "Many of us have not voted and we have no chance of voting...Any person being declared a winner as far as Enugu is concerned has no mandate of anybody. People believe that the result has already being predetermined." He is Nigeria's number 3 person in order of succession. He has fallen out recently with Nigeria's president Olusegun Obasanjo particularly on the controversial Petroleum Tax Development Fund (PTDF) on which issue a properly constituted Senate committee indicted Obasanjo and his embattled deputy Atiku Abubakar over wrong-doings in the management of the fund.

The committee has also recommended that both of them should be referred to the Code of Conduct Bureau for further action. Nnamani has been at loggerheads with his state Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani (they are not related). The latter is a strong supporter of Obasanjo's third term agenda and other projects.

In many areas, voting have been done with large contingents of soldiers and policemen taking orders from the Obasanjo presidency. On Friday April 13, 2007, one such order was the "picking up" of a troubling young 'god-father' and key player in Anambra's contentious politics Chris 'Esele' Uba from his residence in Enugu to Abuja for restrictions (until the elections are over). But some cynics think the Uba issue is a diversion or at best, nemesis for the controversial godfather who alleges his older brother who is President Obasanjo's confidante and PDP governorship candidate Andy Uba is behind his problems. Andy has the support of the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alex Ekwueme.

The Imo State PDP candidate (endorsed by various legal orders, having won the primaries and also affirmed by the Supreme Court) Ifeanyi Ararume was restrained by the Police ahead of this election. Hence, one result is in for the 2007 elections. The ruling PDP preferring anyone but Ararume in Imo State decided not to field any candidate if not Obasanjo's pick and backer of Obasanjo's failed unconstittional 3rd term bid, the businessman Charles Ugwu. The PDP suspend Ararume, depriving him a platform since he could not run as an independent. The undemocratic decision gave APGA's Martin Agbaso an edge. By Monday or Tuesday, the numbers will be in -- with the certainty that the PDP is one Governor less into 2007.

Such issues and actions-- especially in his home state of Anambra compelled the world acclaimed author of Things Apart and several other books, Professor Chinua Achebe to note that Nigeria's President retired General Olusegun Obasanjo, has since 1999 taken Nigeria "as low as she has ever gone." Achebe recalls that "Perhaps the strangest of these events took place in my own state, Anambra, where a governor was kidnapped by a criminal gang who claimed that they had 'fixed' the election and earned the right to receive the state budgetary allocation."

"Whatever the merit of this bizarre story the governor refused to turn over the allocation to these thieves and began to spend it on building roads and bridges which nobody had done in decades. He began to pay pension to retired civil servants who had not been paid in years. Anambra State was transformed overnight. No where else in Nigeria had such a change happened. Governor Ngige became the people's governor."

In a statement, titled "The clouds are gathering,", Achebe added that this assessment "will surprise foreign 'friends' of Nigeria who may believe the myth that Obasanjo has been fighting to end corruption in the country and to bring democracy to its citizens. Nigerians know better." "President Obasanjo has had the opportunity to rule Nigeria for three years (1976-79) as an unelected military dictator and later for two terms of eight years as a retired general/civilian (1999-2007). People don't exactly remember what Obasanjo did in his first civilian incarnation. His second coming, however, was a different matter. He unfolded a gigantic scheme for staying in power beyond his tenure. He set up agencies with long titles like the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent National Electoral Commission. It soon became clear, however, that these devices were not intended to curb the crimes they enumerated but to go after people who disagree with the President, especially on his desire to extend his tenure."

While Nigerians and the international community await the vote counts, Obasanjo's assertions about putting in place a credible transition and voting arrangement in place especially the high hopes and actual planning and execution by INEC are already taking their first harsh test on the dynamic power-play and violent terrain of Nigeria's politics; it is a terrian which usually and typically defies most development and political logic and textbook planning.

In Nigeria, we exepect the unexpected!

Any how, it seems fit that as a street-level prologue to Nigeria's democracy Nigerian-style, its own president Obasanjo, himself a retired army General and former dictatorial ruler of Nigeria (1976-1979) proudly said a few weeks ago that for him and his party (the PDP), the April 2007 elections and campaign call for atavistic brutishness requiring in his words the methods of "a do or die affair." It's afterall a political jungle out there. We're keeping the tally of the "do" and the "die". Nigeria we hail thee....

In comparison, while Liberia's Madam President Sirleaf represents the manifestation of the triumph of popular constitutional methods and emerging institutional democratic values in Africa, retired General Obasanjo's imperious, know-it-all, emerging project for a sit-tight  presidency in Nigeria remind us all of the 1970s old Africa where constitution-tweaking soldiers (his colleagues) and power drunks  funnily believed their country's sun rose and shone at their hideous and idiosyncratic say-so. We won't go back there; no; not now that we  have the great Nelson Mandela as our icon, historical benchmark and reference point. Obasanjo makes it difficult for Obasanjo to be a statesman; no doubt, he's a regional leader.

As a specialist on US. and Africa public policy and cultural issues, here are things I'll suggest President Bush tell President Obasanjo, in a short, sweet but realistic summary: Full commentary here

DIPLOMACY Walter Carrington: African-American diplomat who put principles above self for Nigeria (USAfrica's founder Chido Nwangwu with Ambassador Carrington at the U.S. embassy, Nigeria)   Osama bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's stability. By Chido Nwangwu How Obasanjo's self-succession charade at his Ota Farm has turned Nigeria to an 'Animal Farm.' By USAfricaonline.com contributor Prof. Mobolaji Aluko LITERATURE: Why CHINUA ACHEBE, the Eagle on the Iroko, is Africa's writer of the century. DEMOCRACY'S WARRIOR Out of Africa. …The cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on his crusade against public corruption and press censorship in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By John Suval. POLITICS and POLICY African Union: Old wine in new skin? Why Nigeria and Africa's leaders are leading us to nowhere. By Professor Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, contributing editor of USAfricaonline.com, author of the highly-acclaimed African Literature in Defence of History: An Essay on Chinua Achebe and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. NEWS INVESTIGATION: The Marc Rich Oil Deals in Nigeria OIL in NIGERIA: Liquid Gold or Petro-Dollars Curse? Obasanjo's Biafra and anti-Igbo battles running past 33 years. By Professor Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, USAfricaonline.com contributing editor of USAfricaonline.com, author of the highly-acclaimed African Literature in Defence of History: An Essay on Chinua Achebe Obasanjo's obsession with Biafra versus facts of history. By Prof. Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe Should Africa debates begin and end at The New York Times and The Washington Post? No Lindhs' Mandela comparison is foolish and scandalous.                         Why Bush should focus on dangers facing Nigeria's return to democracy and Obasanjo's slipperyslide. Obasanjo's late wake to the Sharia crises, Court's decision and Nigeria's democracy. By Ken Okorie Obasanjo's own challenge is to imbibe "democratic spirit and practice," By Prof. Ibiyinka Solarin Is Obasanjo really up to Nigeria's challenge and crises? By USAfrica The Newspaper editorial board member, attorney Ken Okorie. This commentary appears courtesy of our related web site, NigeriaCentral.com Obasanjo's late wake to the Sharia crises, Court's decision and Nigeria's democracy. By Ken Okorie Sharia-related killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967. By Chido Nwangwu. Jonas Savimbi, UNITA are "terrorists" in Africans' eyes despite Washington's "freedom fighter" toga for him. By SHANA WILLS Nelson Mandela, Tribute to the world's political superstar and Lion of Africa   Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's burden mounts with murder charges, trials ARINZE: Will he be the FIRST BLACK AFRICAN POPE? By Chido Nwangwu HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY How far, how deep will Nigeria's human rights commission go? Johnnie Cochran will soon learn that defending Abacha's loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case. By Chido Nwangwu

APPRECIATION A young father writes his One year old son: "If only my heart had a voice...." TRIBUTE A KING FOR ALL TIMES: Why Martin Luther King's legacy and vision are relevant into 21st century. Why Chinua Achebe, the Eagle on the Iroko, is Africa's writer of the century. By Chido Nwangwu Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a standard of artistic excellence, and more. By Douglas Killam DEMOCRACY DEBATE CNN International debate on Nigeria's democracy livecast on CNN. It involved Nigeria's Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, Prof. Salih Booker and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. Transcripts are available on the CNN International site. USAfrica The Newspaper voted the "Best Community Newspaper" in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors and readers of the Houston Press, reflecting their poll and annual rankings. Tragedy of Ige's murder is its déjà vu for the Yoruba southwest and rest of Nigeria. By Ken Okorie What has Africa to do with September 11 terror? By Chido Nwangwu Should Africa debates begin and end at The New York Times and The Washington Post? No NEWS INSIGHT CNN, Obasanjo and Nigeria's struggles with democracy. Why Obasanjo's government should respect CNN and Freedom of the press in Nigeria. Jonas Savimbi, UNITA are "terrorists" in Africans' eyes despite Washington's "freedom fighter" toga for him. By SHANA WILLS Lifestyle Sex, Women and (Hu)Woman Rights. By Chika Unigwe Africa suffers the scourge of the virus. This life and pain of Kgomotso Mahlangu, a five-month-old AIDS patient (above) in a hospital in the Kalafong township near Pretoria, South Africa, on October 26, 1999, brings a certain, frightening reality to the sweeping and devastating destruction of human beings who form the core of any definition of a country's future, its national security, actual and potential economic development and internal markets. 22 million Africans HIV-infected, ill with AIDS while African leaders ignore disaster-in-waiting What has Africa to do with September 11 terror? By Chido Nwangwu Africans reported dead in terrorist attack at WTC September 11 terror and the ghost of things to come.... Will religious conflicts be the time-bomb for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule? Bola Ige's murder another danger signal for Nigeria's nascent democracy. In a special report a few hours after the history-making nomination, USAfricaonline.com Founder and Publisher Chido Nwangwu places Powell within the trajectory of history and into his unfolding clout and relevance in an essay titled 'Why Colin Powell brings gravitas, credibility and star power to Bush presidency.' AFRICA AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS Beyond U.S. electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic republic hold lessons for African politics. CONTINENTAL AGENDA Bush's position on Africa is "ill-advised." The position stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of Texas, George Bush where he said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his presidency has been questioned by USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was neither validated by the economic exchanges nor geo-strategic interests of our two continents." These views were stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of 'Inside Politics 2000.' Nwangwu, adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35 million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for Governor Bush's ill-advised position which removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be elected president. By Al Johnson Rtd. Gen. Babangida trip as emissary for Nigeria's Obasanjo to Sudan raises curiosity, questions about what next in power play? 110 minutes with Hakeem Olajuwon Nigerian stabbed to death in his bathroom in Houston. Cheryl Mills' first class defense of Clinton and her detractors' game  It's wrong to stereotype Nigerians as Drug Dealers Private initiative, free market forces, and more democratization are Keys to prosperity in Africa Apple announces Titanium, "killer apps" and other ground-breaking products for 2001. iTunes makes a record 500,000 downloads. Steve Jobs extends digital magic USAfrica The Newspaper voted the "Best Community Newspaper" in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors and readers of the Houston Press, reflecting their poll and annual rankings.