The Review

March 4, 1998

'deolu — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:12:04 +0000

On this day, Maryam, wife of Nigeria’s former military dictator, Sani Abacha celebrated her 51st birthday with numerous congratulatory messages placed in the print and electronic media to congratulate her. In one of such messages, Inland Bank (whose MD at the time was a certain Isa Yuguda) waxed poetic in a newspaper advert declaring Mrs Abacha as “a special person with a special way of spreading so much happiness and love…who has warmed hearts by being near…who time and time again made somebody else’s dreams come true.”

Yuguda was later sworn in for a 4 year term as Bauchi governor on May 29, 2007. One of his fathers-in-law, Umaru Yar’Adua who as Nigeria’s president was last seen in public on November 22nd 2009. His absence without leave has led to a constitutional leadership crisis. Inland Bank merged with others to form a new bank named Finbank. Mrs Abacha’s husband died in June 1998 and she was recently in the news for frustrating police investigations.

March 3, 2010

'deolu — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:58:47 +0000

Michael Foot

March 2, 1980 in Harare

'deolu — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:47:19 +0000

Zimbabwe (formerly called Rhodesia) became an independent country; ending years of white minority rule under Ian Smith followed by a transition headed by Lord Soames of Great Britain.
Robert Mugabe was elected prime minister and sworn in on this date 30 years ago. He has remained in power ever since, though now in the more powerful role of executive president.

Sharia law comes into force in Zamfara

'deolu — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:29:46 +0000

Exactly 10 years ago today, on the 27th of January, 2000, the governor of Zamfara state in Northern Nigeria signed into law a bill passed by the state House of Assembly to Establish a Shari’ah Penal Code.

At a ceremony in Gusau, the state capital, Governor Ahmed Sani presided over the swearing in of Sharia judges, and the formal opening of the courts.

The state thus became the first in the country to adopt Islamic courts in a move that was described at the time to have more of a political connotation (in checkmating the christian President Obasanjo’s influence) than the advertised religious means of dealing with the vices of alcohol, prostitution, robbery and gambling. Governor Sani claimed that it will only apply to Muslims and Christians were not bound by the penal code.

By 2001, 11 other Muslim-led northern states would have adopted Sharia law.

Reference

January 16, 1966

'deolu — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:23:10 +0000

The coup initated by junior officers of the Nigerian army (including Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna) on January 15, 1966, resulted in the assassination of leading politicians (such as Ahmadu Bello, Samuel Akintola, Festus Okotie-Eboh, Tafawa Balewa) but began to unravel shortly afterwards. The senior heirachy of the military successfully resisted the coup in most parts of the country, and instead of the coup initiators taking power as planned, the head of the Nigerian army, Gen. Aguiyi-Ironsi, took over the reins of government after a meeting in Lagos with remnants of the civilian regime on this date .

A few minutes before midnight on Sunday, January 16, 1966, Ironsi announced as follows in a broadcast:

“The government of the federaion of Nigeria having ceased to function, the Nigerian armed forces have been invited to form an interim military government for the purposes of maintaining law and order, and of maintaining essential services. This invitation has been accepted, and I, General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, the GOC of the Nigerian army, have been formally vested with authority as head of the Federal Military Government and Supreme Commander of the Nigerian armed forces.”

Thus began the era of military rule in Nigeria less than 6 years after independence. The military have ruled the country for almost 30 of the past 50 years.

All this happenned while a Commonwealth Heads of Government summit was holding at the Federal Palace Hotel in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.

Further reading: A review of Ironsi’s biography

January 13, 1970

'deolu — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:24:14 +0000

On this date, Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo of the Nigerian Army accepted the surrender of the Republic of Biafra from Brigadier Phillip Effiong, marking the cessation of hostilities in the civil war that began in May 1967.

Nigeria’s ruler, Yakubu Gowon said at the time that “The tragic chapter of violence is just ended. We are at the dawn of national reconciliation. Once again, we have an opportunity to build a new nation.”

Forty years on, writer, Tolu Ogunlesi in concluding his thoughful reflection on the events on that era, said that “there is no consensus on whether that new nation has seen the light of day.”

January 8, 1984

'deolu — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:25:40 +0000

Still in 1984 , this week saw the…

January 4, 1984 – Buhari justifies coup and scorns Shagari

'deolu — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:59:28 +0000

In justifying the coup that brought him to power, Muhammadu Buhari in a statement in Lagos on January 4, 1984, said the Shagari government had not brought democracy to the country.
“Before apologists for democracy rush to judgement, let them admit that the presidential system of democracy as practised in Nigeria in the last four years had become a veritables millstone around the country’s neck”
He went on to to say a ” continuation of that system would have sunk Nigeria into the abyss of total economic collapse and political chaos”

Buhari contested the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, but lost on both occasions to the ruling PDP party’s candidate.

January 3, 2002 – First Sharia execution (and last)

'deolu — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:39:03 +0000

On this date in 2002, Sani Yakubu Rodi became the first person to be executed under the Islamic Sharia law code in Nigeria. After the first introduction of the

References : 1 , 2 and 3

January 2

'deolu — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:18:37 +0000

On this date in 1984, the new Buhari regime announced that