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Sub-Saharan Africa

Obasanjo Fears for Nigeria

By experts and staff

Published
  • John Campbell
    Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
Party delegate and former president Olusegun Obasanjo attends the presidential primaries of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria’s federal capital Abuja January 13, 2011. (Afolabi Sotunde/Courtesy Reuters)

Former Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo warns that the country is going through a “fragile” period and that politicians should not “toy” with Nigeria by taking advantage of ethnic, tribal and religious divisions. He is expressing publicly a widespread concern in the run-up to the 2011 elections--that such divisions exploited by politicians threaten to undermine Nigeria’s stability and democratic development. Obasanjo’s comments follow INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega’s concern last week that the elections may still fail. Obasanjo’s explicit, public warning is unusual for him and reflects the rising tensions during this pre-election period.