US GOVT SLAMS NIGERIA AGAIN

LAOLU AKANDE
AfricanaNews.com
New York

Nigerians still find it tough to fully assert their rights to change their
governments according to the latest United States' Department of State annual
Human Rights report released early this week in Washington DC.

The annual US report, which is mandated by the US Congress, is considered
critical in the determination of US policy towards countries around the world.
This year's report was no less scathing of persisting fundamental human rights
violations in Nigeria.

For instance, the 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Nigeria
stated that the Nigerian government's "Human Rights record remained poor and the
government continued to commit serious abuses."

One of such, according to the US government had to do with the abridging of
Nigerians rights to vote and possibly change their government. According to the
detailed 23-page report on Nigeria, "Nationwide local government elections held
during the year were not generally judged free and fair and therefore abridged
citizens' right to change their government."

The report also took notice of the fact that in April 2003, President Olusegun
Obasanjo of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was reelected to a 4-year term
after being declared winner in elections that were marred by what international
and domestic observers termed to be serious irregularities and fraud, including
political violence.

According to the report, the elections also resulted in the ruling PDP claiming
70 percent of the seats in the national legislature and 75 percent of the state
governorships. Throughout the year, opposition parties continued to challenge
the election in court.

Specifically, the US government noted thatÂ On December 20, an election tribunal
voided part of the 2003 election results, including the entire result of Ogun
State, President Obasanjo's home state, and found that there was significant
rigging, but by a 3-1 vote, declined to overturn the election.

It was added that the opposition immediately announced that it would appeal the
verdict to the Supreme Court in 2005.

Commenting generally on the state of judiciary independence as an arm of
government, it is the opinion of the US government that although the judicial
branch remained susceptible to executive and legislative branch pressures, the
performance of the federal courts exhibited growing independence.

But regarding state and local judiciary, the US government stated that in 2004
they were significantly influenced by political leaders and suffered from
corruption and inefficiency more than the federal court system.

The report slammed Nigeria's security forces and expressed concern that it
continued to commit extrajudicial killings and used excessive force.

According to the report, there were several politically motivated killings by
unknown persons during the year. Security forces regularly beat protesters,
criminal suspects, detainees, and convicted prisoners. There were fewer reported
incidents of torture by security agents than in previous years. Impunity was a
problem.

On the Shariâ€™a law, the US government noted that Shari'a courts sentenced
persons to harsh punishments including amputations and death by stoning;
however, there were no reports of amputation or stoning sentences carried out
during the year.

Furthermore, the report stated that prison conditions were harsh and life
threatening, and conditions contributed to the death of numerous inmates.
Security forces continued to arrest and detain persons arbitrarily, including
for political reasons. Prolonged pretrial detention remained a serious problem.
The judicial system often was incapable of providing criminal suspects with
speedy and fair trials. Government authorities occasionally infringed on
citizens' privacy rights.

The Nigeria Police Force was not spared. Said the report of the Nigerian police:
Police were unable to control ethno-religious violence on numerous occasions
during the year, and the Government continued its reliance on the army in some
cases. While civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the
security forces, there were some instances in which elements of the security
forces acted outside the law. Members of the security forces committed numerous
human rights abuses.

Regarding freedom of speech and the press, the US government insisted that the
Nigerian government at times restricted these freedoms. According to the report,
the Government at times restricted freedom of speech and press. The Government
continued placing limits on freedom of assembly, citing security concerns. Some
state governments placed limits on some religious rights, and some government
programs discriminated between religious groups.

Continuing, the report said that Government occasionally restricted freedom of
movement for security reasons in areas of unrest and used lethal force at
checkpoints.

According to the US report, domestic violence and discrimination against women
remained widespread. Female genital mutilation (FGM) remained widely practiced
in some parts of the country, and child abuse and child prostitution were
common. Intercommunal violence remained a problem.

It also noted that some militant members of ethnic groups throughout the
country, particularly in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, continued to
commit serious abuses, including unlawful killings. Ethnic and regional
discrimination remained widespread, and localized religious discrimination and
violence persisted.

According to the report restrictions on worker rights continued. Some persons,
including children, were subjected to forced labor. Child labor continued to be
a problem. Trafficking in persons for purposes of prostitution and forced labor
was a problem, and collusion of government officials in trafficking was alleged.
Vigilante violence continued throughout the country, particularly in parts of
the South.

On the economic front, the US government observed that the Central Bank reported
that country's market-based economy grew 10.2 percent in real terms in 2003, but
added that inadequate infrastructure, endemic corruption, and general economic
mismanagement hindered economic growth.

It put the Nigerian population at approximately 137 million, stressing that most
of remainsÂ "rural and engaged in small-scale agriculture, which accounted for
only 35.8 percent of gross domestic product."

Furthermore, the US government noted that increased unemployment was a problem,"
and that much of the country's wealth remained concentrated in the hands of a
small elite.

The report also said corruption, nontransparent government contracting
practices, and other practices favored the wealthy and politically influential,
including a banking system that impeded small and medium investor access to
credit and regulatory and tax regimes that were not always enforced impartially.

It added that wages and benefits have not kept pace with inflation. There were
numerous work stoppages at different levels of government due to salary
nonpayment, with a grim portrayal of the nation's poverty level based the
International Labor Organization (ILO) estimate that 96 million citizens lived
below the poverty line and were vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.

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