UN Nigeria update

[seanbh <sean.healy@hunterlink.net.au>]

  Via the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional
  Information Network for West Africa (IRIN-WA) Reports mailing list...
  see full reference notes at bottom 
  
  NIGERIA - Abacha pledges to return power to civilians
  Nigeria's military leader, General Sani Abacha reaffirmed on 25 July
  that his government was committed to returning the country to civilian
  rule
  by 1 October 1998 regardless of the dismissive attitude of some "cynics"
  to
  the transition programme. Abacha said that the international community,
  which respected the efforts undertaken by his government to bring about
  peace in the sub-region, should also recognise it's determination to
  honour commitments laid out in the time-table of the Nigerian transition
  programme, AFP reported.  Earlier in the month, Abacha provided a
  revised time-table for municipal, legislative and presidential
  elections. 
  
          NIGERIA - ANC demands apology
  The ruling African National Congress has demanded an apology from
  Nigeria over the Nigerian minister of information's comment that
  President
  Nelson Mandela was the "black man"  at the head of a white country.  In
  a
  statement issued on 28 July, ANC spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said his
  organisation was shocked at the sniping reference to Mandela which had
  offended the entire South African nation and requested an "unreserved
  apology".  The South African High Commission in Lagos earlier had
  registered a diplomatic protest over the remark, the Johannesburg's
  Sunday Independent newspaper reported.  Relations between the two
  countries
  have been strained since South Africa campaigned for sanctions against
  Nigeria in 1995, following the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight
  minority
  rights activists on murder charges. 
  
          NIGERIA - Berkley, California boycotts Nigeria
  The California city of Berkeley on 22 July adopted a resolution banning
  doing business with companies that operate in Nigeria because of the
  country's human rights record. The resolution bans the city from buying
  products from Nigeria and prevents it from contracting with companies
  that do business in Nigeria or with the country's military government. 
  Tunde
  Okorodudu, president of the Free Nigeria Movement, a Nigerian
  pro-democracy group, described the resolution as a "springboard" to a
  possible nation-wide movement, Reuters reported.  Berkeley, a liberal
  university town with 100,000 residents, is the eighth US city to boycott
  Nigeria. It was also the first to apply a systematic boycott on
  companies
  doing business with apartheid-era South Africa and was later followed by
  the entire country. 
  
          NIGERIA - Africa can feed itself
  Lukas Brader, Director of the International Institute of Tropical
  Agriculture (IITA), in Ibadan, south-western Nigeria, said on 22 July
  that farm output was already increasing in some African countries
  because of
  better crop varieties and improved management. Brader predicted that the
  food production in most African countries would increase by three to
  four percent by the year 2000, while some countries like Ghana, Cote
  d'Ivoire
  and Mauritius are already increasing their output by an average of four
  percent annually, enabling countries to feed their people.
  
          NIGERIA - Improvements expected for railway
  Nigeria Railway Corporation officials have announced government plans to
  wipe out the effects of three decades of neglect with assistance
  provided by the Chinese.  According to Greg Ilukwe, the corporation's
  administrator, 10 locomotives, 20 rail cars and five passenger coaches
  have been received so far under an agreement between the Transport
  Ministry and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in an
  effort to upgrade more than 3,500 kms of national rail network.  The
  project, which started in December 1995 is expected to be completed by
  mid-1988, with about 700 Chinese experts spread out across the country
  to be supported by 4,000 Nigerians, reported IPS.  The project will cost
  US$ 10 million dollars which the Nigeria Railway Corporation intends to
  recoup as a result of the expected increase in freight and passenger
  traffic. 
  
  Abidjan, 28 July 1997
  [ENDS]
  
  [Via the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional
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