Nigeria, Slouching Toward Nationhood
Nigeria's recent elections mean another four years of incompetent rule by the People's Democratic Party, which has in power since 1999. The main challenge now is to maintain peace and unity between the country’s fractious ethnic groups, while forging ahead slowly with efforts to create a strong national identity.
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ABUJA – Nigerians like political theater, particularly if it is loud, colorful, and has a rich cast of “good” and “bad” characters. Such melodrama abounded from November 2009, when ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua was flown out of the country for treatment, until the just-concluded general elections, Nigeria’s fourth since military rule ended in 1999. According to the official results, Goodluck Jonathan, who succeeded Yar’Adua upon his death and became the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, was sworn in as President on May 29.