From Foreign Direct Investment (1 Oct 2005):

    Recent high-profile arrests of prominent Nigerians on corruption charges have buoyed public opinion that the government’s promise to stamp out graft is sincere. Corruption itself is unlikely to disappear soon but the government’s best hope is to win the battle of perceptions, convincing Nigerians and external stakeholders that it has the upper hand in a grinding war that has a long way to go. These small victories, among others, chip away at a firmly entrenched perception of deep-seated corruption in Nigeria. The country is ranked third-last in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. But the government, and the president in particular, is quick to admit that there is a long way to go. Although Nigerian authorities are adamant that ground has been won in the fight against graft, and even suggest that the country’s reputation is worse than the reality, there is a healthy recognition of where they have to take the fight. In particular, it is at the state and local government level that the anti-corruption push is being resisted or failing to reach.

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The Nigerian Communications Commission, in line with section 53 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Act, has on April 7, 2004 issued a Direction to Globacom Limited demanding the payment of a penalty of N34 million to the Commission for flagrantly refusing to reconnect certain private telecom operators 24 days after the expiration of the seven-day period within which to comply.Of the amount, N10 million is the lump sum payment for non-compliance with the preceding Direction of the Commission and N24 million is the aggregate of the sum of N1 million per day for each day of non-compliance.
As a result of complaints received from some operators that they had been disconnected from Globacom’s network, the Commission held a meeting with Globacom on December 13, 2004. Arising from that meeting, the Commission forwarded to Globacom a Notice of Intention to issue a Direction dated January 19, 2005.
Following the failure of Globacom to respond to the Notice of Intention to issue a Direction, the Commission on March 7, 2005 issued a Direction in the following terms:
That Globacom Limited should ensure interconnection of its network with all the affected operators including but not limited to Cell Communications Limited (CELLCOM), Disc Communications Limited (DISCOM), Independent Telephone Networks Limited (ITN), Reliance Telecommunications Limited (RELTEL), XPT Links Limited (XTP), and other PTO’s affected by the disconnection within seven days thereof.
Upon failure to reconnect any of the said operators within seven days, Globacom Limited shall pay to the Commission a penalty in the sum of ^10 million and thereafter the sum N1 million per day as long as the contravention persists.
The seven-day period within which compliance was required by the Commission expired on March 14, 2005. Up till April 7, 2005 Globacom had not migrated any of the affected operators to another switch as it undertook to do at the meeting held on December 13, 2004 or as required by the Commission in its Direction issued on March 7, 2005. The Commission is of the considered opinion that ample opportunity has been given to Globacom to comply with its lawful Direction.
At the expense of repetition, the Commission wishes to stress that the issue of unilateral disconnection of operators without its approval is expressly prohibited by law. A situation where an operator does not only unilaterally disconnect other operators but also refuses to heed a Direction from the Regulator to reconnect them is inimical to the growth of the industry and must be discouraged.

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The system integrates country-based information from FAO’s thematic and statistical databases. Provides country profiles on the state of food, nutrition and agriculture. Particular attention to maps.

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Interactive map of population density in Nigeria

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FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information System >  NigeriaUsing NOAA Satellite image overlayed with state boundaries and state territory sizes.

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An interesting read from 9 March 2006.

In 2006, Africa will witness a new wave of U.S. soldiers landing on the continent for training and other missions, as Washington takes aim at reshaping Africa to better serve America’s security interests. The trend in the Bush Administration’s Africa policy is toward an even greater focus on the so-called War on Terrorism, with emphasis on intelligence gathering, securing "ungoverned spaces" on the vast continent, and pre-positioning soldiers and equipment to project force globally and to deter Al-Qaeda in Africa. But American involvement in actual peacemaking or peacekeeping missions in Africa is far less likely, even as genocide continues in Darfur, Sudan.

The same Africa policy is equally intended to secure access to West African oil, which the Bush Administration now views as a strategic national interest. Imports of African oil are projected to grow from their current 15% of the U.S. total to 25% by 2015. The U.S. already imports more oil from Africa than Saudi Arabia, and within a decade it could become a greater source of oil imports than the whole of the Persian Gulf.

This year, when it comes to U.S. relations with Africa, the pre-occupation of U.S. officials with oil and guns will stand in stark contrast to the expressed concern of the American people regarding the ongoing genocide in Darfur and global health challenges like HIV/AIDS and the bird flu. The Bush Administration’s policy also fails to address Africans’ own concerns with human development, still an urgent priority despite last year’s proclaimed Africa focus.

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