Nigeria News highlights - 15-18 Sep 97

[stephen.mills@sfsierra.sierraclub.org]

  News Highlights (Tuesday September 16)
  WE ARE READY FOR NEGOTIATIONS, SAY SHELL, MOBIL
  Royal Dutch/Shell group and Mobil Corporation said yesterday that they 
  have the capabilities to run Nigeria's petroleum refineries and that 
  they were ready for negotiations if invited to do so. A spokesman for 
  Mobil in Lagos was quoted as saying: "Mobil's position is that we have 
  the capability of running the refineries and would be willing to sit 
  down and talk about it if we were asked." Another spokesman for Shell 
  also in Lagos was equally quoted as saying: "We have done a report 
  looking at all the issues and what can be done to improve the running of 
  the refineries."
  
   
  US SOFTENS ON NIGERIA
  The Clinton administration yesterday softened its hard-line posture on 
  Nigeria with its pronouncement not to oppose the country's quest for a 
  permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. Speaking on a 
  WorldNet programme yesterday, the newly appointed United States 
  under-secretary for political affairs and former ambassador to Nigeria, 
  Mr. Thomas Pickering, said the US was not averse to Nigeria getting the 
  seat as long as the Organisation for Africa Unity (OAU) endorsed her 
  candidacy. The US under-secretary, while expressing Washington's support 
  for the reforms proposed by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan in 
  July, dispelled a rumour that US was ganging up against Nigeria's 
  candidature in the world body.
   
  CARRINGTON WARNS AGAINST ABACHA CANDIDACY
  The outgoing Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, Mr. Walter 
  Carrington, has warned that unless the present military regime evolves a 
  credible transition programme that would not see the Head of State, 
  General Sani Abacha, succeeding himself, his country would maintain 
  sanctions on Nigeria and continue to oppose the regime. The outgoing 
  Ambassador in an exclusive interview published in the current edition of 
  a Lagos-based weekly magazine, Tell, stated that Nigeria would be 
  treated like the Gambia and Niger, where military despots metamorphosed 
  into civilian presidents under spurious transition programmes.
  
  News Highlights (Wednesday  September 17)
  
   
  NIGERIA PLACED 25TH IN GLOBAL OIL PRODUCTION
  The NNPC is placed at the 25th position in the current ranking of the 
  world's largest oil producers. In the latest edition of the "OPEC 
  Bulletin", the NNPC's placing was based on the corporation's crude oil 
  reserves and output, gas reserves and output, refinery capacity and 
  product sales volumes. OPEC said the ranking of the world's top 50 oil 
  companies carried out by the influential Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, 
  placed Saudi Arabia's  Aramco in the first position.
  
   
  ABACHA RESTATES PROMISE TO HAND OVER NEXT YEAR
  The Federal Government is unwaveringly committed to restoring democracy 
  to Nigeria in line with its transition from military rule to civil rule 
  programme, Gen. Sani Abacha said yesterday. Receiving a report of the 
  Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in Abuja, the Head of State 
  said the observations of the committee about the lapses in pursuing the 
  transition programme so far would be useful. Gen. Abacha said he was 
  happy that the shortcomings observed by the committee were put in the 
  report, adding that they would assist the government in pursuing the 
  transition programme.
  
   
  News Highlights (Thursday  September 18)
  
   
  NIGERIA DERAILS, SAYS CARRINGTON
  Outgoing United States Ambassador, Mr. Walter Carrington said in Lagos 
  yesterday that Nigeria has derailed from the path which could enable her 
  realism her potentials as a great nation. Mr. Carrington who spoke in 
  Lagos at the Business Luncheon Series of the Island Club said unless the 
  country joined the international trend towards democracy and respect for 
  human rights, it would continue to be off the road to becoming the 
  respected and undisputed leader of Africa. The policy of the United 
  States towards Nigeria today, Mr. Carrington explained was aimed at 
  helping her realise its long deferred potential.
   
  SOYINKA, GAMBARI CLASH IN NEW YORK
  The planned renaming of a New York street after assassinated Alhaja 
  Kudirat Abiola yesterday in New York triggered a verbal cross-fire 
  between officials of the Federal Government and prominent opposition 
  figures living aboard in exile. The cross-fire lasting three hours saw 
  the two groups taking diametrical positions on the matter in their 
  presentations before the New York City Committee on Park, Recreation and 
  Inter-Group Relations. Five people spoke each from either side. Prof. 
  Wole Soyinka led the opposition group at the hearing, while Prof. 
  Ibrahim Gambari, Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United 
  Nations led the government.