For the constitutional review bill to become law in Nigeria, both the upper and lower houses of parliament must approve it. On May 16, 2005, the upper House (Senate) rejected it with an unquestionable majority, bringing to an end all debates surrounding amending or modifying the Nigerian Constitution for the next six months. A large number of bloggers keenly followed events surrounding the constitutional review—especially events that centered on amending the constitution to allow the incumbent president seek an extra term in office.

Blogging from the Nigerian capital city of Abuja, Chxta’s World puts forward an article entitled “There is a God” in which it tells of people being “proud to be citizens of Naija [Nigeria]”given that “it has been shown that we have people in the right places who know how to do the right things.” Chxta’s World, like a large number of Nigerian blogs, opposed moves to amend the constitution to give Mr. Obasanjo a third term in office. Chippla’s Weblog, though generally favoring the idea of a constitutional amendment, was also strongly opposed to the idea of a third term. Like a number of blogs, it rejoiced on hearing about the rejection of the bill by the Nigerian Senate.

The blog Pause to Ponder, which is one of a few to have openly supported an extension to the tenure of Mr. Obasanjo, was left asking a great deal of questions after the Senate vote of May 16,2005. In an article entitled: “Suppose OBJ [Obasanjo] third term was a ruse,” it poses loads of questions on the entire constitutional review process, leaving you the reader to decide on them. Nigerian Times, despite being an opponent to the third term agenda, refuses to rejoice on hearing that it had been voted against. Rather, it calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria to probe all allegations of bribery and corruption in respect of the constitutional review process.

Two days before the Senate vote, Naijablog, authored by a Nigerian-resident Briton, expressed fears for the future of Nigeria. It described Nigeria as a country “balanced on knife edge, between continued positive progressions and falling back into the dark old days” as well as a country in which “no one seems to know what is going to happen.” A day after the Senate vote, Naijablog appeared quite optimistic about what the future may hold, given that the country appears to be getting its politics right.

Just Thots By A Naijaman has been quite a vocal opponent in the blogosphere to the constitutional amendment that would have seen the Nigerian president extend his stay in office. It appears disillusioned with the present state of Nigerian society. Furthermore, its satirical portrayal of the chairman of the ruling party in Nigeria, Ahmodu Ali, as well as its questioning of the Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, leave room for much discussion.

The process surrounding the constitutional review process in Nigeria gave rise to new sorts of dramas previously unheard of. While the country’s President was silent on it all the while, the Vice President came out in public against the clause that would allow for three four-year terms. The blog On a Lighter Mode wasn’t surprised by this because in its opinion “these two people [the President and his Vice] are from different worlds, only brought together by similar desires - the quest for power.” Grandiose Parlor while declaring no love for the Vice President had these words for those trying to amend the constitution to keep Mr. Obasanjo in power:

“It is shameful, disgraceful, and undeniably callous of the parties stoking the fire of the third term agenda, particularly the man right in the middle of the controversy [i.e. Mr. Obasanjo].”

Black Star Journal, authored by an American with vast knowledge on African politics, had earlier cautioned on the need for Mr. Obasanjo to resist seeking a third term in office, lest Nigeria become a failed state. However, the blog Obasanjo 2007, authored by Bola Adisa, resident in the commercial city of Lagos, took a contrary view by putting forward arguments as to why Mr. Obasanjo ought to be allowed to continue ruling Nigeria for much longer. Obasanjo 20007’s views were also echoed by Ransome Obem, who stands in deep praise of Mr. Obasanjo’s government.

Few issues in Nigeria have generated as much debate in the blogosphere as that of amending the constitution to allow the incumbent president contest an election that may have seen him serve an extra term in office. While a majority of bloggers found this unacceptable, few felt that it was necessary, given the realities on the ground in Nigeria. With the rejection of the constitutional amendment by the Nigerian Senate three days ago, it appears that Nigerians would now start preparing for an election next year. This would be the first time in their country’s history that the mantle of leadership will be passing from one democratically elected government to another.

“Rising above their regional rivalries and local concerns, all facets of this multi-ethnic society [Ethiopia] pulled together to defeat the Italian invaders who were armed with vastly more sophisticated technology and had the support of all of Europe…The Ethiopian victory at the Battle of Adwa has remained a very important event in the shared recollection of the entire African people. It is the only secular episode in the whole history of Africa that has been celebrated for more than a century with unabated popular enthusiasm.”

Paulos Dandego of Ethiopian Politics laments the deplorable political situation in Ethiopia describing the country as being on a “disturbing journey towards complete totalitarianism.” He also appears unimpressed with a speech delivered to the United States Congress on the situation in Ethiopia by the deputy assistant secretary for African affairs, Mr. Donald Y. Yamamoto:

“Mr. Yamamoto gave the usual lukewarm, wishy-washy speech he’s been giving for the past six month. His testimony made it very difficult to predict what the U.S government plans to do, other than sit on the side lines hoping for a favorable outcome.”

Andrew Heavens of Meskel Square finds bitter excitement at being able to obtain “same-day print-outs of most of the main European and US [newspapers]” in Addis Ababa for the first time. In his opinion, the Ethiopian prints are “in many ways better than the originals” as they use “whiter, cleaner paper [and have a] slightly bigger print.” However, the absence of his beloved daily Sudoku and the relatively high price of the prints makes his joy a little bitter—he states that The Times goes for £ 2.64 as against the London cover price of 60 pence).

The deployment of foreign (non-Sudanese) troops to the Darfur region of Sudan appears to be a contentious issue in Sudan. Sudan Watch quotes a Xinhua report (of China), which states that the Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir has called on all Sudanese to say no to the presence of foreign troops in Sudan. In the words of President al-Bashir, “foreign intervention is but the old colonization cloaked in the new cloth of the suspicious organizations and arms dealers.” President al-Bashir also

“…lauded the role being played by the Arab countries with respect to supporting peace and rehabilitation in Sudan.”

The Arab League comes in for criticism from the blog Inside Somaliland, which quotes a Sudan Tribune report that asks: “Will the Arabs dare to listen to Somaliland?” It goes on to state:

“The Arab League has the habit of leaving issues to fester until such time when surgical intervention becomes necessary from foreign powers whose interests do not necessarily match those of the Arab world.”

It speaks of a status quo, which Arab nations appear to love, using “energy and resources to ensure that things stay as they are” out of fear of what change may bring.

The Voice of Somaliland in Diaspora-Ottawa says that eminent African scholar, historian and political thinker, Professor Ali Mazrui, has thrown his support behind the independence movement in Somaliland. Somaliland is a self-declared independent region of Somalia. Unrecognized by the wider world, it has managed to remain peaceful with a functional government, unlike Somalia that has been without a central government since 1991. Professor Mazrui urged Somaliland to begin by lobbying Commonwealth countries as it struggles to be recognized as a republic that is independent of Somalia. He also had this message for the people of Somaliland:

“You may consider modifying your name like Somalistan, which has similar ending like those of other Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan etc.”

Professor Mazrui was on an official visit to Somaliland, which began on March 21, 2006.

January 2006: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as the elected president of Liberia. On March 5, 2006, she requested for custody of Charles Taylor from the Nigerian government (according to information on the website of the State House, Abuja). On March 28, 2006, Charles Taylor was declared missing from his asylum villa by the Nigerian government. A day later, he was arrested trying to flee Nigeria. At the time of writing, he should be on his way to Liberia—the Nigerian government appears to have complied with the request of the Liberian government to finally hand him over.

The English-speaking blogosphere has been saturated with in-depth reports and commentaries on the ex-Liberian leader and indicted warlord. We take a look at some of these, written before it was reported that Mr. Taylor had been captured.

The blog GlobalLawAndPolitics laments in the article “The Rise and Fall of International Law in Africa–March 2006” about how “big men” of Africa continue to have their way, fueling a “culture of impunity and corruption that is eroding the continent.” It challenges African leaders to fulfill their human rights obligation by refusing to give refuge to Mr. Taylor.

Transitional Justice Forum describes Nigeria’s behavior following Liberia’s request for Taylor’s extradition as “erratic.” It calls on President George Bush not to go ahead with a meeting with the Nigerian president (scheduled for March 29, 2006) except Taylor is found and arrested.

Black Star Journal describes Taylor’s disappearance as “shock of shocks,” stating that Nigeria ought to have had Taylor arrested and put on a plane to Sierra Leone the moment Liberia requested for him. Africa Beat takes issue with the Nigerian president for failing to have Charles Taylor arrested before publicly announcing his intention to hand him over to Liberia.

Nigerian Times, appearing to have no sympathy for the government of the Nigeria boldly calls on the United States to hold the Nigerian president responsible for Charles Taylor’s disappearance. African Shirts in an article titled “Taylor varnishes” describes the entire situation as a “real muddle.”

David McCullough lashes out on Nigeria over Taylor’s disappearance. He appears disgusted by what appears to be “Nigeria colluding with Charles Taylor” and allowing him escape. McCullough puts Taylor in the class of war criminals like Radovan Karajic of Serbia and calls on “corrupt” Nigeria to clean up its act.

Following reports that Charles Taylor was captured and arrested by the Nigerian police on March 29, 2006, the blogosphere has also been filled with commentaries.

Parenthetical Remarks sums up the general feeling among bloggers in stating: “a bad day for former dictators turns out to be a good day for the rest of us. Taylor will finally get his day in court, likely followed by a lifetime behind bars, right where he belongs.” Mental Meanderings says that Serbia, which is still protecting people like Ratko Mladic could learn a lesson from Nigeria and hand over its war criminals.

Mansel Report sarcastically alludes to the fact that now that Charles Taylor has been arrested, the Nigerian president can expect to have a nice meeting with George Bush where “oil will be discussed…” and “the violence and death [in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria] will be brushed aside at least in private.”

The Counterterrorism Blog while pleased that Taylor was arrested by Nigerian security forces and is to be on his way to Sierra Leone, cautions the American government on its relationship with the Nigerian president calling for a ‘reevaluation of the close and dependent relationship” between Nigeria and the United States.

There are bloggers who see the request for Charles Taylor’s extradition as premature and indicative of pressure from more powerful governments. Grandiose Parlor finds the sudden change of heart by the Liberian leader puzzling. The Liberian president once saw Taylor as being of relatively low priority to her government.