Hillary Clinton attacks corruption and bad governance in Nigeria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made scathing remarks on Nigeria's corruption and bad governance at a town hall meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

Answering a question from a departmental contractor, she described conditions in Nigeria as deteriorating.

"The corruption is unbelievable," she said. "When I did a town hall [meeting in August 2009] in Abuja, people were just literally standing and shouting about what it was like to live in a country where the elite was so dominant, where corruption was so rampant, where criminality was so pervasive."

Nigeria used to have a very high rate of literacy, she added, but in recent years illiteracy was growing and statistics measuring health were declining.

"The failure of the Nigerian leadership over many years to respond to the legitimate needs of their own young people, to have a government that promoted a meritocracy, that really understood that democracy can't just be given lip service, it has to be delivering services to the people, has meant there is a lot of alienation in that country and others."

The town hall meeting in Washington was held to mark the first anniversary of clinton's term of office as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

She suggested that poor governance and deteriorating living conditions had made young Nigerians ripe targets for militants looking for recruits to attack the West.

"Nigeria is facing a threat from increasing radicalization that needs to be addressed, and not just by military means."

Clinton had been asked about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who is being held for allegedly trying to blow up an airliner carrying 300 passengers to the U.S. on Christmas Day. The Al Qaeda group in the Arabian peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Yemeni soil.

Clinton said the U.S. government's information was that Abdulmutallab was disturbed by "his father's wealth and the kind of living conditions that he viewed as being not Islamic enough..."

All Africa

Related stories: Hillary Clinton arrives in Nigeria

Video report of Hillary Clinton comparing Nigeria's election to America's previous election in 2000

President Barack Obama's speech in Ghana in its entirety

U.S. to pressure Nigeria to embrace change

President Yar'adua returns this week

President Umaru Yar'adua's controversial two-month stay in a Saudi Arabian hospital will shortly come to an end when he returns to the country later this week, most likely on Friday, Daily Trust learnt from senior officials in Abuja and Jeddah last night.

The sources said elaborate arrangements have been made for the president's return, including a facelift of his office at the State House.

Sources said in Jeddah said Nigerian diplomatic officials there have been running around in recent days making final preparations for the president's impending departure. Although the officials said Yar'adua's health has improved a lot, it was not clear whether his impending return was hastened by increasing political pressure at home, including the two-week deadline given to the Federal Executive Council by Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice Dan Abutu to take a position on the president's ability to discharge his duties.

Incidentally, the Senate will tomorrow hold a crucial debate on the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution and take a final position on the ill health of President Umaru Musa Yar'adua, which has kept him out of the country for 62 days today.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu North) told Daily Trust last night that the Senate would check what its powers are under the constitution and invoke the relevant sections to deal with the crisis.

After a closed door meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mahmud Yayale Ahmed last Thursday, Daily Trust gathered that Senate gave a Tuesday deadline to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to come up with a concrete solution to the president's absence or face stiff legislative action.

Some senators have been pushing for activation of Sections 143 or 144 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution which could see the president either impeached for refusal to comply with Section 145 or have his health status investigated. Ahead of the debate, Senate has denied allegations that some members of the National Assembly have been bribed to compromise their stance in the matter. Reacting to reports that some lawmakers have been paid to influence their views during the debate, Chairman Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu North) said the allegation is false and unfounded.

He said, "The Senate cannot be compromised. Besides, there is no issue to contemplate settling anybody, outside the few individuals who have become accustomed to the culture of being settled on every issue."

Eze also said, "This is false and the figment of the fertile minds of some fifth columnists who think that by discrediting the National Assembly, they will have a field day in the polity.

"The Senate, being a responsible institution, is and will always be guided by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am aware that our constitution has guaranteed certain freedoms, including the information to hold and impart information. But in exercise of these freedoms we must have respect for other people's freedom."

On the proposed debate on the Presidents' health scheduled for tomorrow in the Senate, Eze said every member shall be entitled to his or her opinion "at the end of which we shall base our action on the aggregate view of all senators.

Even then, we shall be guided by the constitution in whatever we shall do or say. I urge Nigerians to be patient and shun self-seeking people who will always exploit every situation for their selfish gains. I have no doubt that some of the views in the papers were sponsored to cause panic and thereby stampede some people to seek out people for settlement."

Daily Trust

Related stories: President Yar'adua hospitalized in Saudi Arabia

Video - CNN reports on Nigeria's missing president

60 percent of citizens don't have access to banks

A former staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Adviser to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the development and implementation of the Microfinance Certification Program in the country, Peter van Dijk, has revealed that 60 per cent of Nigerians are under banked.

Dijk, who made this disclosure in his paper "Inclusive Finance and Savings Mobilisation" presented at the 4th Annual Microfinance Conference and Entrepreneurship Awards at the weekend in Abuja advised the Nigerian government to use all the technology and knowledge it has to address the situation and reduce poverty among its citizens.

He said Nigeria has the best and most important precondition to build a sustainable and inclusive financial sector.

The country, Dijk added, has many people who are economically active with an economy of scale needed for an improvement outreach but government is yet to integrate this huge potential into building an inclusive financial sector.

"Nigeria has the resources financially and non financially to make a change" he observed, adding that "You now have to take it into you own hands: integrate the huge potential you have with around 60 per cent of your population still being un-under banked, use all the technology and knowledge you have and build an inclusive financial sector which will help to reduce the poverty among your citizens".

Dijk called on the highest executive level of government and in particular, the Federal Ministry of Finance to rapidly make the National Microfinance Policy a coherent document in the sense of the inclusive definition of microfinance and integrate it into the national financial sector development strategy FSS2020.

Leadership

Related story: Video - Nigerian banks

Residents worry about their future in Jos, Nigeria

After the riots fueled by religious conflict between the Muslim and Christian community that left hundreds dead in Jos. Residents worry about their safety when security provided by the military eventually stops.

Related stories: Resurgence of religious riots in Nigeria

Video and transcript of Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf interrogated before his execution

Video report of Islamist attacks spreading across Nigeria

Prank call to Nigerian televangelist

A lot of funny stuff out there on the interwebs, but this definitely takes the cake for now. Rational conclusions for this fellow not to know anything about such pop-culture references are: he just watches The Ten Commandments and a couple of Nollywood movies on his Telly or he doesn't own one. At least, even a Nigerian televangelist thinks the whole midicholorian thing is rubbish.

Related stories: Hitler defends Nigeria

Animated short 'Planes Immigrations Nigerians'

Naija who wants to be a billionaire