Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has ordered the retirement of 40 of the military's most senior commanders.

They include the generals in charge of the army's five divisions.

Nigeria has been ruled by the military for 30 of the 47 years since independence but a coup is no longer likely, a BBC correspondent says.

Mr Yar'Adua was sworn in May - the first time one elected leader had handed power to another, although but the elections were widely condemned.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered a similar purge of the military shortly after his inauguration in 1999.

Yar'Adua Picks 2 ANPP Members & 6 Others As Ministerial Nominees

The Senate has received eight fresh nominees from President Umaru Yar' Adua for ministerial appointments, bringing the number of nominees before the Senate to 40.

EFCC Puts Ex-Govs On Notice

EFCC guns for Nnamani, Dariye, Nyame, and Haruna. Yar'Adua backs ex-Govs' arrest.

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is expanding its latest crackdown on former governors, according to indications yesterday.
At least four more ex-governors may be arrested soon in addition to the two — Chief Orji Kalu (Abia) and Alhaji Saminu Turaki (Jigawa)— who were taken in by the commission on Wednesday.

SERAP Commends Yar' Adua

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has welcomed the public declaration of assets by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and asked other elected public officials, including the Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, members of the Senate and House of Representatives, to follow the example of the President. SERAP said what President Yar’Adua has done is unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history, describing the event as an important development in the fight against corruption in the country.

Nigerian Kidnappers Free Little Girl

Kidnappers in southern Nigeria have released a three-year-old British girl who was held hostage for four days.

Kidnapping has become the norm in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger delta region, the BBC's Alex Last says.

But, he adds, this time there was immense pressure on her captors - not just from authorities but also from powerful local militant groups, who condemned the crime.

Yar'Adua's Litmus Test

The strike action successfully paralysed business activities in the country and brought about huge losses in money to several business establishments. However the Yar’Adua administration survived it.By successfully resolving the five-day strike and reaching agreement with labour, Yar’Adua’s administration has established the fact that it is able to negotiate with labour and civil society groups without making undue or unnecessary concessions.

On the other hand the suspension of the strike action by labour even when the government did not reduce the pump price of petrol to N65 per litre, calls to question why in the first place the strike action was embarked upon. This is so when viewed against the fact that government had before the strike made some allowances which reverted the N75.00 price of petrol to N70.00, while kerosene and diesel assumed their previous prices. The government also reversed the VAT rate to its status quo and resolved that it would implement the 15 per cent salary increase for federal workers.

Live Earth - SOS - 07/07/07

Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth.

Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.

Yar'Adua Appeals To Kidnappers

The president of Nigeria has appealed to kidnappers who snatched a three-year-old British girl to release her immediately.
President Umaru Yar'Adua, who is taking a personal interest in the case, vowed the child would be released unharmed.
The president "has directed the security agencies to make every possible effort to ensure that she is returned to her family unharmed and he remains in touch with all efforts being made to secure the girl's release," he said in a statement.

Niger Delta Needs A Clean-up

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - The family of a three-year old British girl abducted in Nigeria began negotiating her release on Friday with kidnappers who have threatened to kill her unless their ransom demands are met.
The toddler, Margaret Hill, was snatched on Thursday morning from the car in which she was being driven to school in Port Harcourt in the oil-producing Niger Delta. This delta issue could be an on-going problem for the new in-coming president. Alot of politicians are urging Yar'Adua to clamp down on the niger delta region as soon as possible.

Veteran Politician Cautions Yar’Adua

A frontline Politician in the second Republic, Chief Francis Okafor has cautioned President Umaru Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. Okafor has asked the president not to listen to those calling for the change of Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed as his Chief of Staff, saying 'they are playing politics with the security of the country'. Chief Okafor who was a Special Assistant to former Minister of Internal Affairs, Alhaji Ibrahim Tahir, made this statement amid rumours of a possible chief of staff change within the cabinet.

A Conflict Resolution Commitee For Volatile Delta

Nigeria's Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday inaugurated a peace and conflict resolution committee for the volatile Niger Delta at a ceremony in Port Harcourt.
The committee is tasked with examining the immediate and remote causes of conflicts in the volatile region and make recommendations to government on how to resolve these.

DMO to submit debt repayment report to Yar’Adua, govs, N/Assembly - Domestic debt now N1.86 trillion

Jonathan Goodluck-A Political Coyote

Is a Nigerian politician and current Vice President of Nigeria. He was governor of Bayelsa State between 9 December 2005 and 28 May 2007. He was sworn in as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Jonathan replaced Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly after being charged with money laundering in the United Kingdom. He was previously the deputy governor of the State. Recently, his wife was indicted by the Nation's anti-crime agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for money laundering related offences. In December 2006, Jonathan was selected as vice presidential running mate to Umaru Yar'Adua for the ruling PDP presidential ticket in the April 2007 elections. On April 20, shortly before the presidential election, a militant attack in Bayelsa State occurred that was described by police as an assassination attempt against Jonathan.
Following the PDP's electoral victory, militants blew up Jonathan's country house in Otu-Eke village in Bayelsa State on May 16, and two policemen were killed in the attack. Jonathan was not present at the time.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Honours in Zoology with a Second class (HONS) Upper division, an M.Sc. in Hydrobiology/Fisheries biology and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Zoology from University of Port Harcourt respectively. Despite the current unforseen past & present mishaps, the "coyote" seems to be trodding along quite well.