Maiduguri
Maiduguri Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E / 11.833°N 13.15°E / 11.833; 13.15
Country	Nigeria
State	Borno State

Maiduguri, also called Yerwa by its locals,^{[citation needed]} is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad.^[1] Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly with a population exceeding 1 million by 2007.

History[link]

The region was home to the Kanem-Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri actually consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduwuri to the east. Old Maiduwuri was selected by the British as their military headquarters while Yerwa was selected at approximately the same time by Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno to replace Kukawa as the new traditional capital of the Kanuri people.^[1]

Demographics[link]

Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 1,197,497 by 2009 as of 2007.^[2]. Its residents are mostly Muslim including Kanuri, Shuwa, Bura, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups. There is also a considerable Christian population.

Economy[link]

Maiduguri is home to two markets, a museum and is served by the Maiduguri International Airport. Maiduguri has one of the best-equipped universities and hospitals in Nigeria, the University of Maiduguri. It is home to the El-Kanemi Warriors, a football team.

Maiduguri is the principal trading hub for northeastern Nigeria. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing. The city lies at the end of a railway line connecting Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri.^[3]

Communal violence[link]

Several times since the mid 1960s, Maidugri has witnessed outbreaks of large scale ethnic or religious violence. Ethnic and political rivalries caused rioting between rival political supporters in 1966 and 1974, while members of religious sects led intercomunal violence in 1982 and 2001.^[4][5] On 18 February 2006, riots related to the Prophet Muhammad cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten left at least 15 people dead, and resulted in the destruction of approximately 12 churches. Soldiers and police quelled the riots, and the government temporarily imposed a curfew.^[6][7]

Maiduguri was also a scene of major religious violence throughout Northeast Nigeria committed by an Islamist group, Boko Haram, in July 2009, leaving over 700 people dead.

See also[link]

• Railway stations in Nigeria
• University of Maiduguri

References[link]

• Maiduguri: The jewel in the Sahara. IKENNA EMEWU. Daily Sun (Nigeria) Saturday, August 7, 2004.
• "Maiduguri." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. accessed 03 Apr. 2009
• Nigeria's Borno state adopts Sharia. Barnaby Phillips, BBC. Saturday, 19 August 2000.
• Rupert Kawka (ed), Ibrahim Walad, Frauke Jäger, Rupert Kawka et al. From Bulamari to Yerwa to Metropolitan Maiduguri. Interdisciplinary Studies on the Capital of Borno State, Nigeria. Series: Westafrikanische Studien Volume 24. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Cologne (2002) ISBN 978-3-89645-460-7

Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E / 11.833°N 13.15°E / 11.833; 13.15

v t e Borno State Abadam Askira/Uba Bama Bayo Biu Chibok Damboa Dikwa Gubio Guzamala Gwoza Hawul Jere Kaga Kala/Balge Konduga Kukawa Kwaya Kusar Mafa Magumeri Maiduguri Marte Mobbar Monguno Ngala Nganzai Shani

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Goodluck Jonathan
President of Nigeria
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2010 Acting: 9 February 2010 – 6 May 2010
Vice President	Namadi Sambo
Preceded by	Umaru Yar'Adua
Vice President of Nigeria
In office 29 May 2007 – 6 May 2010
President	Umaru Yar'Adua
Preceded by	Atiku Abubakar
Succeeded by	Namadi Sambo
Governor of Bayelsa
In office 9 December 2005 – 28 May 2007
Preceded by	Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Succeeded by	Timipre Sylva
Personal details
Born	(1957-11-20) 20 November 1957 (age 54) Ogbia, Nigeria
Political party	People's Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Patience Jonathan
Alma mater	University of Port Harcourt
Profession	Zoologist
Religion	Christianity

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON (born 20 November 1957^[1]) is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria. Prior to his role as President, he served as Governor of Bayela State and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Early and personal life[link]

Jonathan was born in what is now Bayelsa State to a family of canoe makers.^[1][2] Jonathan holds a B.S. degree in Zoology in which he attained Second Class Honours. He also holds an M.Sc. degree in Hydrobiology and Fisheries biology, and a Ph.D. degree in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt. After earning his degree, he worked as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental-protection officer, until he decided to enter politics in 1998.^[3]

Jonathan and his wife, Patience, have two children. He is a Christian and comes from the Ijaw ethnic group.^[4]

Presidency[link]

Jonathan (fifth from right) standing with other world leaders at a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States in July 2010.

Former President Umaru Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010. Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Yar'Adua's successor on the following day,^[5] becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State, to serve until the next election, in 2011, at which time he could elect to run again, which he has done. Upon taking office, he cited anti-corruption, power and electoral reform as focuses of his administration. He stated that he came to office under "very sad and unusual circumstances".^[6]

On 18 May 2010, the National Assembly approved Jonathan's nomination of former Kaduna State governor, Namadi Sambo, an architect, for the position of Vice President.^[7][8]

On 29 June 2010, Jonathan launched a Facebook fan-page;^[9] The president said that he launched his page in fulfillment of a promise he made earlier in the year to interact more with Nigerians.

On 2 August 2010 Jonathan launched a comprehensive plan, called the 'Roadmap for Power Sector Reform‘,^[10] aimed at restructuring the power sector and achieving stable electricity in the country. In his speech, the President identified the factors that affected reliable electricity service delivery to include the absence of a sustained and deliberately deployed long term power development strategy, under exploitation of the nation’s abundant energy endowments and the absence of adequate implementation of reforms.

2011 election[link]

On 15 September 2010, Jonathan, in a message on his Facebook Page, said he had finally decided to run for the presidency after wide consultations with various organisations across the country. This single action of his made him the first ever sitting president to declare his re-election bid via social media.^[11] The move came under scrutiny, as it was a northern Muslim candidate's turn to run for the presidency.

On 20 December, he flagged off the national book campaign called 'Bring Back The Book',^[12] and presented his book, My Friends and I: conversations on policy and governance via Facebook to the public. He declared that the fight to bring back the book should be supported by all Nigerians, as the project provided Nigeria a sure path to technological growth. He further said that his government was encouraging a culture of catch-them-young so as to secure the future of the children.

On 14 January, President Jonathan was chosen to run for president by the People's Democratic Party during the election. He won with 77.7% of valid votes cast.^[13][14] On 18 April, Jonathan was declared the winner of the election. His victory was, however, followed by violence in the north over claims of vote rigging.^[15]

Controversies[link]

Ministerial nominations and appointments[link]

In 2011, the Nigerian President failed to nominate and appoint at least 36 indigenes (one for each of the 36 states). This is in breach of article 147 subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999: "...the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each State, who shall be an indigene of such State".^[16]

The President can be taken to constitutional court in Nigeria for noncompliance with Article 147(3) of the constitution.

Removal of fuel subsidy[link]

On 13 December 2011, the 2012 fiscal year's budget removed any provisions for fuel subsidy.^[17] The issue of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria has always been a controversial topic. According to a poll carried out by the Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE- Nigeria), 80% of Nigerians opposed the plan to remove fuel subsidy.^[18]

On 1 January 2012, the Jonathan administration announced the start of a controversial plan to end fuel subsidies.^[19] Many prominent Nigerians have spoken out against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Jonathan administration. Former Petroleum Minister Professor Tam David-West has spoken out and expressed concern that the planned removal of fuel subsidy will squeeze the economy, increase inflation, and hurt both businesses and the public.^[20]

A former military Head of State and a former Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources, General Buhari, urged President Jonathan not to remove fuel subsidy and to tackle corruption.^[21]

General Yakubu Gowon, another former military Head of State, has warned the government that the country's infrastructure should be revived before fuel subsidy removal steps are taken.^[22]

Former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, joined millions of Nigerians protesting against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Jonathan administration, saying that the action is ill-timed.^[23]

Following the The Nigeria Labour Congress' warning that the country faces many strikes, the country unions followed up with strikes that were matched with civil protests from 9–13 January 2012. Protesters and groups called for President Jonathan to resign over the removal of fuel subsidies.^[24][25] After five days of national protests and strikes, on 16 January, Jonathan announced that the pump price of petroleum would be 97 naira per liter.^[26]

1st October 2010 Independence Day Bomb Blast[link]

During his South African magistrate court trial on 2 May 2012, MEND's (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) former leader Henry Okah came out and insisted that President Jonathan masterminded bomb attacks. He told the court that President Jonathan and his aides organised the October 1, 2010 independence day bomb attacks in Abuja in a desperate political strategy to demonize political opponents, including the former military President General Ibrahim Babangida, and to win popular sympathy ahead of the 2011 elections.^[27]

The Nigerian Presidency has denied the allegations of terrorism levelled against President Jonathan. A media statement was issued on 2 May 2012, acknowledging the accusations from Okah. The statement went on to say that: “The Presidency categorically affirms that these allegations are false in their entirety and without any factual foundation." The Presidency also expressed no interest in commenting further for the time being, but plans to "make a full representation on the matter to the court when the trial opens."^[28][29]

Renaming of the University of Lagos[link]

In May 2012, President Jonathan changed the name of the University of Lagos, renaming it the Moshood Abiola University in honour of the late MKO Abiola. The action received negative feedback from parties involved with the university. The UNILAG Alumni Association commented that although they do not have prejudice against MKO Abiola, they were concerned "that neither the Governing Council nor the University Senate nor any other stakeholder was consulted before the change was announced."^[30]

Security challenges[link]

On 26 August 2011, after the UN building in Abuja was bombed by Boko Haram, Jonathan announced that it was not merely an attack on Nigeria, but on the international community. He told reporters that "we would work together with the UN and other world leaders to ensure that terrorism is brought under control.^[31] On Christmas Day, after a church as bombed and more violence occurred in the north, Jonathan came in for more criticism over the security challenge in the country. Further attacks occurred on Christmas and in early January 2012, claimed by Boko Haram.

In addition to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta's attack on a oil pipeline on 4 February 2012 in Bayelsa,^[32] the Senate President David Mark stated that the security situation in the country is "intolerable."^[33]

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Goodluck Jonathan

Nigeria portal

v t e Presidents of Nigeria (List) First Republic Azikiwe Military regime Aguiyi-Ironsi Gowon Mohammed Obasanjo Second Republic Shagari Military regime Buhari Babangida Shonekan (interim)* Abacha Abubakar Fourth Republic Obasanjo Yar'Adua Jonathan * civilian; headed transition to abortive Third Republic

v t e Nigerian state governors 2003-2007 term Abia Orji Uzor Kalu (PDP) Adamawa Boni Haruna (PDP) Akwa Ibom Victor Attah (PDP) Anambra Chris Ngige (PDP) (nullified) Peter Obi (APGA) Bauchi Adamu Mu'azu (PDP) Bayelsa Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (PDP) (impeached) Goodluck Jonathan (PDP) Benue George Akume (PDP) Borno Ali Modu Sheriff (ANPP) Cross River Donald Duke (PDP) Delta James Ibori (PDP) Ebonyi Sam Egwu (PDP) Edo Lucky Igbinedion (PDP) Ekiti Ayo Fayose (PDP) (impeached) Tunji Olurin (Administrator) Enugu Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP) Gombe Mohammed Danjuma Goje (PDP) Imo Achike Udenwa (PDP) Jigawa Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (APP) Kaduna Ahmed Makarfi (PDP) Kano Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) Katsina Umaru Yar'Adua (PDP) Kebbi Adamu Aliero (APP) Kogi Ibrahim Idris (PDP) Kwara Bukola Saraki (PDP) Lagos Bola Tinubu (AC) Nasarawa Abdullahi Adamu (PDP) Niger Abdulkadir Kure (PDP) Ogun Gbenga Daniel (PDP) Ondo Olusegun Agagu (PDP) Osun Olagunsoye Oyinlola (PDP) Oyo Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja (PDP) (impeached) Christopher Alao-Akala (PDP) Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja (PDP) (reinstated) Plateau Joshua Dariye (PDP) (suspended) Chris Alli (administrator) Joshua Dariye (PDP) (reinstated) Rivers Peter Odili (PDP) Sokoto Attahiru Bafarawa (APP) Taraba Jolly Nyame (PDP) Yobe Bukar Ibrahim (APP) Zamfara Ahmad Sani Yerima (ANPP) See also Nigerian state governors 1999-2003 term and Nigerian state governors 2007-2011 term

v t e Vice Presidents of Nigeria Babafemi Ogundipe† Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey† Olusegun Obasanjo† Shehu Musa Yar'Adua† Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme Tunde Idiagbon† Ebitu Ukiwe† Augustus Aikhomu† Oladipo Diya† Mike Akhigbe† Atiku Abubakar Goodluck Jonathan Namadi Sambo † military

Kanuri people

Extent of the five main Kanuri language groups today.
Total population
4,000,000 (estimate)
Regions with significant populations
Nigeria, southeast Niger, western Chad and northern Cameroon.
Nigeria           3,000,000 (1985) Does not include 200,000 Mangari [1]  Chad 480,000 (1993) 380,000 of which are Kanembu subgroup [2]  Niger 400,000 (1997) Includes 100,000 Mangari, 40,000 Tumari, 20,000 Bla Bla [3]  Cameroon 56,000 (1982) [4]
Languages
Kanuri language
Religion
Islam, Oriental Orthodoxy[citation needed] and African traditional religion
Related ethnic groups
Kanembu people, Manga people

Ali Modu Sheriff, a Kanuri politician and governor of Borno State, Nigeria, 2007.

The farthest extent of the medieval Kanem-Bornu state.

Ceremonial bodyguard of the Sheikh of Bornou in his full regalia, after a drawing by a British visitor in the 1820s. The mounted knight was central to the Bornu state, and many Kanuri people still value horsemanship and horses.

The Kanuri people (Kanouri, Kanowri, also Yerwa and several subgroup names) are an African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former Bornu Empire: Bornu state in northeastern Nigeria, southeast Niger, western Chad and northern Cameroon^[5]. Those generally termed Kanuri include several subgroups and dialect groups, some of whom feel themselves distinct from the Kanuri. Most trace their origins to ruling lineages of the medieval Kanem-Bornu, its client states or provinces. In contrast to neighboring Toubou or Zaghawa pastoralists, Kanuri groups have traditionally been sedentary, engaging in farming, fishing the Lake Chad basin, and engaged in trade and salt processing.^[3]

Names and subgroups[link]

Kanuri peoples include several subgroups, and identify by different names in some regions. The Kanuri language, which derived from Kanembu, was the major language of the Borno Empire Kanuri remains a major language in southeastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon but in Chad it is limited to handfuls of speakers in urban centers.^[6]

The largest population of Kanuri reside in the northeast corner of Nigeria, where the ceremonial Emirate of Borno traces direct decent for the Kanem-Bornu empire, founded sometime before 1000 CE. Some 3 million Kanuri speakers live in Nigeria, not including the some 200,000 speakers of the Manga or Mangari dialect.^[1] The Nga people in Bauchi State trace their origins to a Kanuri diaspora.^[7]

In southeastern Niger, where they form the majority of the sedentary population, the Kanuri are commonly called Beri Beri ( a Hausa name).^[3] The 400,000 Kanuri population in Niger includes the Manga or Mangari subgroup, numbering some 100,000 (1997) in the area east of Zinder, who regard themselves as distinct from the Beri Beri.^[3] Around 40,000 (1998) members of the Tumari subgroup, sometimes called Kanembu in Niger, are a distinct Kanuri subgroup living in the N'guigmi area, and are distinct from the Chadian Kanembu people.^[8] In the Kaour escarpment oasis of eastern Niger, the Kanuri are further divided into the Bla Bla subgroup, numbering some 20,000 (2003), and are the dominat ethnic group in the salt evaporation and trade industry of Bilma.^[9]

Kanuri speak the Kanuri language, or one of its related languages a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Divisions include the Manga, Tumari, and Bilma dialects of Central Kanuri, and the more distinct Kanembu language.^[10]

Inheriting the religious and cultural traditions of the Kanem-Bornu state, Kanuri peoples are predominantly Sunni Muslim.

In Chad, Kanembu speakers differentiate themselves from the large Kanuri ethnicity. The Kanembu are centered in Lac Prefecture and southern Kanem Prefecture. Although Kanuri, which derived from Kanembu, was the major language of the Borno Empire, in Chad Kanuri language speakers are limited to handfuls of speakers in urban centers. Kanuri remains a major language in southeastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, and northern Cameroon^[11].

In the early 1980s, the Kanembu constituted the greatest part of the population of Lac Prefecture, but some Kanembu also lived in Chari-Baguirmi Prefecture. Once the core ethnic group of the Kanem-Borno Empire, whose territories at one time included northeastern Nigeria and southern Libya, the Kanembu retain ties beyond the borders of Chad. For example, close family and commercial ties bind them with the Kanuri of northeastern Nigeria. Within Chad, many Kanembu of Lac and Kanem prefectures identify with the Alifa of Mao, the governor of the region in precolonial times.^[6]

Originally a pastoral people, the Kanuri were one of many Nilo-Saharan groups indigenous to the Central South Sahara, beginning their expansion in the area of Lake Chad in the late 7th century, and absorbing both indigenous Nilo-Saharan and Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) speakers. According to Kanuri tradition, Sef, son of Dhu Ifazan of Yemen, arrived in Kanem in the ninth century and united the population into the Sayfawa dynasty. This tradition however, is likely a product of later Islamic influence, reflecting the association with their Arabian origins in the Islamic era. Evidence of indigenous state formation in the Lake Chad area dates back to the early first century B.C. (ca. 800 B.C.) at Zilum.

Religion[link]

Kanuri became Muslims in the 11th century, Kanem became a centre of Muslim learning and the Kanuri soon controlled all the area surrounding Lake Chad and a powerful empire called Kanem-Bornu Empire which reached its height in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when they ruled much of Central Africa.

Traditional state[link]

Following the downfall of the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Scramble for Africa in the 19th century, the Kanuri were divided under the rule of the British, French and German African empires.

Despite the loss of the Kanuri led state, the Shehu of Borno continues as ruler Emirate or Sultanate of Borno. This traditional Kanuri/Kanembu Emirate at Borno maintains a ceremonial rule of the Kanuri people, based in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, but acknowledged by the 4 million Kanuri in neighboring countries. The Shehu ("Sultan") of Borno draws his authority from a state founded before 1000 CE, the Kanem-Bornu Empire.^[12] The current ruling line, the al-Kanemi dynasty, dates to the accession of Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi in the early 19th century, displacing the Sayfawa dynasty which had ruled from around 1300 CE. The 19th Shehu of Borno Mustapha Umar El-Kanemi, died in February 2009, ^[13] and was succeeded by Alhaji Kyari Garbai.^[14]

Political leaders[link]

In Nigeria, famous post-independence Kanuri leaders include the politicians Kashim Ibrahim, Ibrahim Imam, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Baba Gana Kingibe, former GNPP leader Waziri Ibrahim, and the former military ruler, Sani Abacha. In Niger, Kanuri political leaders include the former Prime Minister of Niger Mamane Oumarou, and the former President of Niger, Tandja Mamadou.

Kanuri regionalism in Nigeria[link]

A Nigeria specific small Kanuri nationalist movement emerged in 1950s, centred around Bornu. Some "Pan-Kanowri" nationalists claimed an area of 532, 460 km² for the territory of what they called "Greater Kanowra", including the modern day prefectures of Lac and Kanem in Chad, Far North Province in Cameroon and the departments of Diffa and Zinder in Niger.^[15]

In 1954, the Borno Youth Movement (BYM) was founded, and played a role as a mass regionalist political party up through the end of colonialism though it petered out in at independence.^[16][17]

References[link]

• Kanuri. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed 2 April 2009.
• Martin J. Malone. Society-Kanuari. Ethnographic Atlas: University of Kent at Canterbury and University of Durham (England, UK). (No date). Accessed 2009-04-02.
• Lange, Dierk: "Ethnogenesis from within the Chadic state", Paideuma 39 (1993), 261-277.
• Rüdiger Köppe Verlag online (2008) Koeppe.de (27. November 2008)
• Peter Fuchs. Fachi: Sahara-Stadt der Kanuri. 2 vols, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden (1989)
• Peter Fuchs. Fachi: Das Brot der Wüste. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden (1983)

External links[link]

• The Kanuri Studies Association. University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.