Nigerian Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan

So, Nigeria finally gets some coverage in the media and it’s almost all bad.

I’m not saying that the coverage is completely inaccurate but I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this current political climate as a crisis. The almost 80 days before the senate decided to put Goodluck Jonathan into office was the true political crisis. Most Nigerians are quite thrilled that there’s a leader, some are speechless that it’s a Niger-Delta leader. He may not be the best option, but he is the vice-president as we would have it.

I don’t think that a finger shouldn’t be shook at the country and its leaders, but I think the media needs to pause and promote the positive in all of this. Madness and chaos has been avoided (even if only temporarily). While the courts and the houses continue to work on how they will interpret the country’s constitution, let the rest of the world note that the effort it being made and promote peaceful progress.

Probably for the last time before I leave the country. The curfew has made everyone a little nuts. I have to admit that I really admire these people. I said to my aunt today “It’s so strange, everyone behaves as if this curfew is normal, rushing home from work at 4:30 to make sure they can grab some necessities at the market before 6:00.”  I’m saying this thinking this curfew is a short-term, possibly long-term, pacifier. What did she respond with?

“It is Normal. Josites are used to it. If you had seen the way everyone was terrified during the rioting, in fact, you would understand the happiness they have because of the curfew.”

Touche!

What I didn’t get into was the fact that Jos was under previous curfew for the conflicts that occurred in November 2008 when this one hit. What 2008 conflict? The one that didn’t get much coverage because it happened simultaneously with the Mumbai attacks. Yes. Again, the midnight curfew from 2008’s rioting hadn’t been lifted before rioting broke out again last month! Somehow though these arbitrary curfews manage to calm people. But they’re not fooling me. I don’t actually think everyone hopes that the curfew will be the final resolution. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is just about tired of Jos and its crisis and looking forward to a more tangible and permanent solution.

Just quickly…I think of the things that I’ve experienced in this past year and it seems like luck that I was able to, granted not all of them have been great. From Boko Haram, to pantsbomber, to absentee president, to ethnic/religious conflicts, it’s been a whirlwind of a year. I’ll refrain from turning this into a reflective post, but I have to remark that it’s been what I can only describe at the moment as indescribable. As I continue to wrap up I think of how far I’ve come along in the past year. I’ll try to elaborate another time…maybe.

A little more about the Ashes post.

The first image, of the burned home. The house belonged to my grandmother’s next door neighbor. My family explained to me that the woman was safe.

I heard a story about a boy who watched an angry mob shoot his father and light the body on fire while he watched from his hiding place. The boy went to put his father out once the mob was gone.

I heard of the tenants that now rent our family’s former home in town. They were told my the shop keeper out front of the possibility of the riots breaking out 2 days before they happened. They practiced keeping the doors locked and when the rioters came knocking at the gate, the family bought themselves enough time to escape by climbing over the wall and rocks that hug the back of the house.

I can keep going but there’s really no point. The imagination is probably just as accurate.

I’ve been back in Abuja for a few days now. It’s a completely different world from Jos.

This post was triggered by a sudden memory of an incident I should have documented as soon as it happened but failed to. I’m just happy I remembered it.

Although I can’t remember when exactly this happened (a couple months back), I can remember the expression on everyone’s face. My flatmate and I were leaving a local restaurant sometime after lunch. As we wait to hail a cab, a four passenger taxi, carrying 6, decides to cut through bumpert0bumper traffic by driving on the sidewalk. We inches towards us, I intuitively take a few steps forward. This is where it gets interesting.

My flatmate (FM) doesn’t move for the car. The taxi moves closer, he still doesn’t budge. The taxi moves closer, faster and he moves out of the car, yelling at the driver “Can you not see that this is a sidewalk? It’s not for cars!” I should add here that at this point people are rubber-necking, or better giraffing – as Nigerians may opt to say, and I’m sure rather intrigued by the spectacle. An oyinbo reprimanding a local on driving etiquette. The general reaction is not one that you may presume. The taxi driver responds with “Do you think you are in Europe? This is Africa not Europe!”  FM, is at a loss for words. Local-1, Expat-0. Nope. The crowd agrees with FM and one women in a passing pick-up says “Don’t mind him, sha. He’s a bush man! He’s a fool.” Expat-5, Local-(minus)2. The rest of the crowd had mixed looks of bewilderment, agitation, approval, and even disapproval about the exchange. Me? In addition to being amused, I was partly impressed and partly embarrassed (embarrassed for the onlookers). Admittedly, it was probably better than watching a local football match but I think it would help if locals also took part in correcting locals on their wrongs. It was clear that so many agreed with the oyinbo’s position. One person at a time. I’m sure those that saw it won’t be so bashful, if they ever were to begin with, to say something the next time they witness such absurdity first hand.

Just wanted to share that before I forgot again.

Burned home in the "wrong" neighborhood (Muslim owner, Christian neighborhood)

In the areas that were destroyed it seems as if everything was lost. In others, like where the home above stood, there are very few clues of what happened. I wish I could post everything I saw but I wasn’t even able to snap everything I saw. Hopefully, this kind of gives an idea of how the several blocks of ash look.

What is left of the Bukuru market

Shops that were established in the "wrong" neighborhood (Christian owners, Muslim neighborhood)

People buying and selling (starting over)

I have to admit I was very nervous this morning about what it would be like coming into the city. We left Abuja this afternoon for Jos. Three hours later we entered Jos, towards Rayfield, through Bukuru. The entire neighborhood smelled of smoke. Many of the shops burned down were so obviously burned down strategically. The population in the Bukuru market area is largely Muslim. The shops that were destroyed were Christian, or belonged to Igbo’s. In addition to the religious conflicts there are so many ethnic conflicts at play, too. I asked that we stop the car so that I could take some better photos. The smell of fresh ashes was almost suffocating and the smoke still rose from the debris in what used to be the market.

I take some photos and some people stand by watching. We stand there in shock, some people are on the streets still trying to sell the few goods that they have. All in this neighborhood are Muslim. The ‘others’ have fled. We get back in the car and continue our drive. A few more kilometers ahead, it is as if nothing happened in the neighborhood 3 minutes behind us. Well, if you ignore the 3 checkpoints we drove past. We get to another area of Bukuru and, again, there are countless burned shops. Strategically burned, like the ones in the neighborhood before. The only difference here is that these shops belonged to Muslims, a few belonged to Hausas. But the spectacle itself is no different from the last. I take some more photos from the car. We continue driving. The streets are still busy and we make a few stops.

We head towards my uncle’s home. It’s just past 5 o’clock in the evening. The streets are near empty. There are no okadas (motorcycles), they’ve been banned because they’ve been suspected of increasing the security threat. There are very few cars and Jos resembles a ghost town. At my uncle’s house we have to be sure to lock the doors. It’s an eventful evening. Dinner, talking, eating, laughing, anger, frustration, anxiety, and disappointment. We leave the main house and enter the guest house before they release the dogs for the evening, it’s already near 8 o’clock (too late).

I wish I weren’t so descriptive, but I don’t have any comments. I want to post the photos because I think they speak for themselves but the connection is a bit too slow. I’ll try to include a couple later.

Jos remains in high tension but it’s calming down. Slowly. I’ve heard people say that conflicts have been bloody in the past and have redefined its social and political climates but this most recent unrest has made wounds in a community that has never recovered and now may never heal. My brother’s friend lost his home and is so angry and bitter because of the situation. We saw a small child panhandling and his coldness towards him is indescribable. The paranoia and anger that’s now been cultivated and the air of discontent and malaise that feeds the loathing, even towards the next generation, is something the nation as a whole should be ashamed of, and rightfully so. How can a country stand by and watch its own people destroy themselves? Worse, a country that’s powerful and otherwise competent enough to hold its government responsible for the fact that such a thing was ever allowed to begin brewing.

There are rumors that the conflict may be spreading into neighboring Kaduna State (Zaria city, specifically). I don’t even have a comment for that. I’m left speechless and sadly disempowered. It’s a frustrating situation for someone fortunate enough to leave the madness easily. I can comment and try to “speak” to people about how inherently wrong it is for them to attack one another instead of organizing themselves to tackle the real issues at their roots. At the end of the day, who am I to come in from my cushy arrangements abroad and tell them what and how to do what they need to do? And to some extent they’re right. Globally, we’re all responsible and should all take part in changing things like this, but it’s not that the herds of people coming in with their own ideas and agendas are particularly straightforward and genuine with their intentions. But, I’m digressing…

The 24 hour curfew was lifted a few days ago. The current curfew is from 5pm to 10am. That leaves people with 7 hours during to the day to do what they need to do in the town before the soldiers begin enforcing their rules. What rules? Apparently, those caught in the streets have been made to spend the night at the checkpoint with the soldiers. Yes, that’s right. Imagine spending 5pm to 10am in your car (if you’re fortunate) with the soldiers, in “traffic”, in the cold (yes, it gets quite cold in Jos). I just hope you’re lucky enough to have a snack or two tucked away somewhere. Let’s hope you’re lucky enough for them to let you free from complete humiliation. They’ve been known to make the really stubborn people exit their vehicles to crawl and role about on the ground. Unnecessary, right? Well, there are two ways to look at the soldiers’ behavior. One is that they’re simply cruel and redundant in their “punishment.” the other is that they’re taking a nonviolent approach to strict enforcement of the rules. After all, everyone is aware of the curfew and they generally keep people at checkpoints because they are conscious of their own limitations. I have to admit it’s actually admirable that they’re not so discriminating in their treatment of potential local/domestic “terrorists” (because, everyone could be a suspect, right?), unlike some countries that should and will remain unnamed.

It’s like two different worlds, too. Abuja and Jos. Strange because they’re only about a 3 hour drive apart but there were people in Abuja that had no clue as to what was happening in Jos. Everywhere you go there’s hardly any news coverage instead public areas with televisions are tuned into European football matches and they’re completely packed with people whose attention seem to be focused solely on overpaid football ‘stars’ who likely have little or no interest in what football teams exist in Nigeria, let alone the recurring ‘ethnic’ conflicts in a funny sounding town called Jos. It may be the case that I’m just being a bit overly cynical. Oh well.

I spoke with my family today and they told me that there are still some homes on fire. Remnants of last week’s madness.

Burned home in Jos (from the Telegraph)

For some reason, this posted a day late…oops.

…and no one is running.

Why? Probably because there’s a 24 hour curfew throughout the city. Yes. Mom, dad, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandma are all stuck in the madness.  Violence erupted on Sunday in Jos, capitol of Plateau State. You’ve probably already guessed the nature of it. Muslims vs Christians. At least that’s what it is being disguised as. We all know that at the root of these kinds of situations is frustration from things people have the right to be frustrated about. Poverty, idleness, corruption…the list goes on and on. Resources and land. All you need is the proper trigger. And to keep fueling the violence? All you need is an efficient way to divide people. It’s just too unfortunate. I feel like a called this a couple weeks ago. Complete lawlessness, and it’s being exploited.

I know I’m lucky. Or am I? I was close to traveling to Jos Saturday but decided to stay behind. My mother and father however have been in touch with me. Their spending their holidays indoors on 24-hour curfew. They say they hear gunshots and the town is ablaze. The smell of smoke from the burning homes, churches, mosques, and businesses fills the houses they’re hiding out in.

What exactly is happening? I alone have heard of 5 deaths, so definitely the body count being provided by the BBC and Reuters can’t be accurate. It’s definitely more than a couple dozen. The army was sent in but apparently they are few, and have been instructed to not fire their weapons at anyone. Around here this can be both good and bad. So, instead, they’re walking through the streets firing into the air (That can’t end well either, right?). I think the situation requires a better plan than that. My family told me today that the troops hadn’t entered some areas until around 2:00pm yesterday (Tuesday). I’m shocked that any were sent at all considering that the president hasn’t necessarily declared a state of emergency. Not that he’s in good condition to do so. As for the vice president, I’m surprised that he’s sent in the Nigeria police force considering that he hasn’t necessarily been given any presidential authority (which I guess is why he hasn’t mobilized the troops as commander-in-chief).

It’s really messy. The governor is reluctant to declare a state of emergency because that generally means that the military will replace his authority so unfortunately people must stand by and watch their homes and property burned down while everything “naturally” fizzles out.

My heart really goes out to the people of Jos.  Muslim, Christian, indigenous, immigrant, young, old, rich, and poor alike. In Haiti we have people struggling to cope with natural disasters and here in Jos it’s man-made. If anyone questions whether Nigeria is a potential breeding ground for terrorism, especially with negative light following the failed X-mas day plane bombing attempt by a certain Umar Farouk, can they really be blamed? After all, in simplest terms, there are individuals (Nigerians) that choose to terrorize the innocent. It’s just sad.

Nigeria President Yar’Adua budget signature ‘forged’

I didn’t mention in my previous posts that the president (of Nigeria) is still MIA. I see a pattern (of lawlessness). Here’s another read for you.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8445776.stm

President Umaru Yar’Adua has suffered ill-health for several years Allies of Nigeria’s ailing president forged his signature on the country’s supplementary budget last month, opposition politicians have alleged. They have written to the police asking them to investigate the forgery claims. The government said President Umaru Yar’Adua signed the budget despite being treated for a heart condition in Saudi Arabia. Mr Yar’Adua has been away for six weeks, fuelling fears of a power vacuum in Africa’s most populous nation. Doctors say he is suffering from acute pericarditis – inflammation of the lining of the heart. He also has a long-standing kidney complaint. In a bid to dispel fevered speculation over Mr Yar’Adua’s health, ministers have insisted the president is recovering from treatment. Information Minister Dora Akunyili said the president had spoken to his colleagues over the telephone on Tuesday. Several court cases have been launched demanding that power be officially handed to the vice-president. And one group of activists has even suggested the president should be declared a missing person, and a search party should be sent out. ‘Utter dismay’ In the latest move, an umbrella group for the main opposition parties known as the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has demanded that the police investigate the alleged forgery. The group’s lawyer, opposition official Femi Falana, said in the letter that the CNPP had tried to verify claims by the government that the budget had been taken to Saudi Arabia for the president to sign on his sick bed. “To its utter dismay our client (CNPP) has confirmed that the signature of the president and the seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were forged by some persons in the presidency,” the letter read. “Our client has instructed us to request you to use your good offices to set the engine in motion for the investigation and prosecution of those who carried out the nefarious act.” The CNPP said it would take the issue to the federal court next week if the police failed to act. Mr Falana, who is also senior opposition activist, is behind one of the court cases being brought against the government. He wants judges to annul all decisions taken by the cabinet during the president’s absence. In the other cases, one activist wants Mr Yar’Adua to be sacked because of his ill health and the Nigerian Bar Association is demanding that power be handed over to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan. The courts have asked for the three cases to be merged, and the consolidated case is due to be heard next week.

The number keeps going up. But what’s of major interest to me is that Nigeria is on the list. Either I’ve been in Nigeria too long or I’ve been out of the US too long. I didn’t realize just how far everything has escalated since pantsbomber made headlines. I understand the need for extra security, but lets make sure it’s done well and not just hastily, right? Most importantly… will I be subjected to a full-body x-ray. Yikes! Can I choose who will be viewing me on the screen? After all, previous security efforts obviously failed.

Seriously, I’m just still so fascinated by all of the developments on this. More comments later. Read away! Here’s the link to the story on the BBC website:   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8438803.stm

The new screening came into effect on Monday

TOUGHER US AIR SCREENING FOR ‘SECURITY-RISK’ COUNTRIES

The US has introduced tougher screening rules for passengers arriving by air from 14 nations which the authorities deem to be a security risk.

Travellers from Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Cuba will be among those facing body pat-down searches and carry-on baggage checks.

It follows an alleged attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day.

US President Barack Obama has been under pressure to make visible security improvements.

He promised to act quickly to fix flaws in the security system, in the wake of the alleged bomb plot.

WHERE NEW MEASURES APPLY Flights from Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria (countries classified by US as state sponsors of terror) Also, flights from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen Q&A: ‘Jet bomber’ case Profile: Al-Qaeda in Yemen Attack stokes Yemen terror fears

The new security directives came into effect on Monday.

But the BBC’s Jane O’Brien in Washington says it is unclear whether a pat-down could have found the device investigators say the alleged would-be bomber, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had in his underwear.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement the new rules apply to travellers coming from or via countries on the US state department’s sponsors of terrorism list – Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Random checks

The other nations whose passengers face enhanced screening are Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

This is very dangerous – all of a sudden people are labelled as related to terrorism because of where they’re from Nawar Shora American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

As part of the new guidelines, passengers travelling from any other foreign country may also be checked at random.

The main suspect in the alleged airliner plot is Nigerian, and Yemen-based militants have said they trained and equipped him.

Hours after the measures were announced, there was an alert at Newark International Airport near New York City as a man entered a secure area without being screened.

Terminal C was locked down and passengers were evacuated from the secure area, while some flights were grounded.

The man was not found, but officials said every passenger was fully re-screened.

Civil rights activists criticised the new measures.

Nawar Shora, of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told US media: “This is extreme and very dangerous.

“All of a sudden people are labelled as related to terrorism just because of the nation they are from.”

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead for full body scanners to be introduced at Britain’s airports.

Embassies shut

The machines are expected to be installed at London’s Heathrow Airport and other hubs within weeks.

YEMEN FACTS Population: 23.6 million Capital: Sanaa Language: Arabic Major religion: Islam Oil exports: $1.5bn/24.5m barrels (Jan-Oct 2009) Income per capita: US $950 Country profile: Yemen

Also on Sunday, both the US and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen, citing security threats.

John Brennan, the US deputy national security adviser, said an al-Qaeda offshoot had “several hundred members” in Yemen.

Last week, a Yemen-based group called al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula urged Muslims to help in “killing every crusader who works at their embassies or other places”, as it claimed the alleged US plane bomb plot.

The US mission in Sanaa was the target of an attack in September 2008 which was blamed on al-Qaeda and in which 19 people died, including a young American woman.

On Saturday, Gen David Petraeus, head of US military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, visited Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh to pledge US support for the fight against al-Qaeda.

The visit came a day after the general announced that the US would more than double counter-terrorism aid to Yemen this year.