The Boko Haram mayhem
Boko Haram (western education is evil), is the nick-name given to the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, an Islamic militant group founded by a teacher, Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf in Maiduguri in 2002. The organization. whose initial aim was to propagate and defend Islam, became a terrorist group in 2009 after a clash with the police which left hundreds of its members dead including the founder Yusuf who was allegedly killed by the police.
The clandestine group, which began its spate of destructive insurgence in July 2009, had a field day in 2011, bringing the Nigerian security operatives to their kneels with its orgies of commando-like attacks.
The group began 2011 with a strike on January 28 in which Mordu Gubio, a former Commissioner in Borno and Cousin to Governor Mordu sheriff was killed along with five others. Since that attack, it has been killings for the Boko Haram group. Among the major targets of the year, was the police force headquarters in Abuja on June 17, 2011 and the UN building in Abuja on August 26th 2011. Both attacks threw the activities of the dreaded group on the world terrorist list. On Christmas day, the group attacked a church in Madala in Niger State, killing more than 43 persons.
Subsidy removal tango
The removal of subsidy on petrol on January 1, 2012 by the Federal Government has resulted in several protests across the nation. One death was reported in Ilorin with hundreds of protesters injured in clashes with the police. The organised labour, civil society organisations and some other professional groups have announced plans for a nationwide strike in January.
The Nigeria Labour Congress says it will not discuss with government until the price of petrol is reversed to N65 per litre as against the new price of N141 per litre while government on its part says it will not go back on its decision on the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Fury over Islamic banking
Although economic analysts adjudged the non-interest banking as the most suitable system for a developing economy like Nigeria, but the introduction of the policy caused a huge social uproar which almost threatened the peace and stability of the nation. The granting of the first operating license to an Islamic Bank called Aljaiz to operate in Nigeria by the central bank did not help the raging arguments in the country.
Labour and the minimum wage fraud
Prior to the assumption of office, many of the new state governors had used the promise of paying the new minimum wage as a core campaign strategy. However after the elections only a few states were ready to pay the N18,000 minimum wage.
2011 Presidential Election
The 2011 presidential election witnessed a more vigorous campaign, party alliances, double crossing and more verbal war among the major political parties, than in any other elections in this present democratic dispensation. However, the elections were peaceful and adjudged as free, fair and the best by Nigeria in recent time.
The pensioners plight
Although it seemed the plight of these senior citizens of Nigeria had been getting only a passing glance from the press and Nigerians at large, but 2011 witnessed a surge in the concern and debates over the pensioner's plights following the death of two pensioners during verification exercises in Akure and Ibadan. The pensioner's plight had resulted in rallies, demonstrations organised by the pensioners to show their grievances and also garner public support for their plight.
The group of military pensioners in the south-south region also threatened to blow up oil pipelines if their pension allowances were not paid.
Same Sex Bill
With mounting pressures from foreign allies and international human rights group, the Nigerians legislative houses were confronted with the ugly reality of legalizing the marital union between same sexes.
But it was surprising that for the first time in many decades, the country refused to dance to the tunes of either the British or the Americans, defying all threats to pass a bill which stipulates a jail term of 14 years for the act, and 10 years for anyone who aided the perpetration of such union.
Single term tenure of Six Years
Barely three months into the new administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, a bill seeking to extend the tenures of presidents and state governors from four years to a single six years tenure was being floated. The planned bill was condemned by some opposition parties in the country. The Action Congress of Nigeria described the proposal as, “patently fraudulent, deceptively self serving and a terrible misadventure”.
Bankole and the 6th National Assembly
At the expiration of the 6th National Assembly, a great shocker was revealed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and his deputy were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, for alleged financial misappropriation while in office. The duo has since been charged to court.
Failed banks, nationalised
The shake up in the banking industry came to a climax with the nationalization of three commercial banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on the 5th of August 2011. The deed, which was perpetrated at the close of work on Friday was seen by critics as a big coup, giving that the CBN had earlier reiterated that no bank would be nationalized before the end of September. Among the eight distressed bank, which enjoyed the N620 billion fund injection, Afribank Plc, Bank PHB Plc and Spring Bank Plc were nationalized and renamed Mainstreet Bank, Keystone Bank and Enterprise Bank respectively.
