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Nigeria among world’s failed countries - Ranks 22nd out of 60 03.05.2006
NIGERIA has been named as one of the failed states in the world. Indeed, the country was placed 22nd on the failed states’ ladder, ranking with such countries as Uganda, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Liberia, among others.
In fact, a country that has just survived a war, Rwanda, fared better than Nigeria on the ranking as it was placed above Nigeria in the failed states’ list.
About 60 countries of the world made the list just released by a United States-based agency, Fund for Peace, in conjunction with Foreign Policy magazine.
Among the factors used to rate Nigeria on this list were the various regional, ethnic and religious crises that had bedevilled the country recently. Prominent among them were the crises in Niger Delta which continue to affect the oil price situation in the world.
Despite large-scale U.S. support, Iraq and Afghanistan also rank among the world’s 10 most vulnerable states. In its second annual “failed states” index, Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace concluded that Sudan was the country under the most severe stress because of violent internal conflict.
Eleven of the 20 most vulnerable countries of the 148 examined in the survey are in Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast, both chronically volatile in recent years, ranked second and third.
Each country was given a score based on data from numerous available sources. A “failing state” was described as one in which the government does not have effective control of its territory, is not perceived as legitimate by a significant portion of its population, does not provide domestic security or basic public services to its citizens and lacks a monopoly on the use of force.
Sudan received low grades in virtually all areas surveyed, including protection of human rights, “group grievances” against the government and numbers of refugees and displaced persons. The western Sudanese region of Darfur has generated well over two million displaced since 2003.
According to the review, the situation in Iraq (No. 4) and Afghanistan (No. 10) deteriorated since 2005, the first year the survey was taken.
“For Iraq, the index category that worsened most was human flight,” the report said. “The exodus of Iraq’s professional class has accelerated, leaving the country without the trained citizens it needs to staff.
The Failed Countries: 1. Sudan 2. Democratic Republic of Congo 3. Ivory Coast 4. Iraq 5. Zimbabwe 6. Chad 6. (Tie) Somalia 8. Haiti 9. Pakistan 10. Afghanistan 11. Guinea 11. (Tie) Liberia 13. Central African Republic 14. North Korea 15. Burundi 16. Yemen 16. (Tie) Sierra Leone 18. Myanmar 19. Bangladesh 20. Nepal 21. Uganda 22. Nigeria 22. (Tie) Uzbekistan 24. Rwanda 25. Sri Lanka 26. Ethiopia 27. Colombia 28. Kyrgyzstan 29. Malawi 30. Burkina Faso 31. Egypt 32. Indonesia 33. Syria 33. (Tie) Kenya 35. Bosnia-Herzegovina 36. Cameroon 37. Angola 38. Togo 39. Bhutan 40. Laos 41. Mauritania 42. Tajikistan 43. Russia 44. Niger 45. Turkmenistan 46. Guinea-Bissau 47. Cambodia 47. (Tie) Dominican Republic 49. Papua New Guinea 50. Belarus 51. Guatemala 52. Equatorial Guinea 52. (Tie) Iran 54. Eritrea 55. Serbia-Montenegro 56. Bolivia 57. China 57. (Tie) Moldova 59. Nicaragua 60. Georgia
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ABUJA, NIGERIA—At a celebratory press conference Monday, President Olusegun Obasanjo announced that Nigeria's troubled but oil-rich city of Warri has been chosen to host the 2008 Genocides.
quote:Annan congratulates Obasanjo.
"Nigeria is excited for this chance to follow in the footsteps of Somalia, Rwanda, and Sudan," Obasanjo said. "Much work remains to be done, but all of the building blocks are in place. Nigeria has many contentious ethnic groups, a volatile economy, and a dependence on food imports. We are well on our way to making 2008 a genocidal year to remember in Nigeria!"
Obasanjo acknowledged that many people considered Nigeria, a relatively stable West African nation, an unlikely candidate to host the Genocides.
"With a multi-party government transitioning from military to civilian rule, Nigeria is not a shoo-in to host the Genocides," Obasanjo said. "But last week's municipal election—with ballot shortages and multiple accusations of vote tampering—showed the world that Nigeria is, indeed, geared up for the unimaginable."
Oni Radhiya, a spokesman from the 2004 Genocide Board, said September's crippling polio outbreak may have helped Nigeria beat out the competition.
"Sudan was a fantastic host this year—the 2004 Genocides have really raised the bar," Radhiya said. "For 2008, many of us on the committee had our eyes on Tajikistan. The country's ongoing ethnic and religious strife made it a strong contender. But there was some concern that the conflict was as likely to simmer down as it was to boil over."
Radhiya added that Iraq was ruled out because the country is unlikely to exist three and a half years from now.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that, after a close examination of all bids, a Nigerian genocide "began to seem almost inevitable."
"Nigeria's stability has been repeatedly threatened by fighting between fundamentalist Muslims and Christians," Annan said. "Five of Nigeria's seven political parties are extremist groups. The nation's ethnic Yoruba, Hausa, and Ibo populations of the oil-rich Niger Delta area also show genocidal promise."
quote:A newly erected billboard in Makurdi.
Annan said he first noticed the full genocidal potential of soon-to-be embattled Nigeria in September, when the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force threatened to shut down oil production.
"With so many poor and powerless people involved in messy, years-old conflicts, the situation is likely to be ignored long enough for things to get really ugly," Annan said. "And, of course, the slow-to-move, ineffectual UN will do everything it can to help shepherd Nigeria into a combined religious, political, and economic disaster of horrific proportions."
According to Nigerian officials, now that their country has secured the bid, the government has much work to do.
"Don't think we'll just sit on our hands and wait for a crippling drought to pit neighbor against neighbor," Nigerian Minister of State Bello Usman said. "No, the next two years will be crucial. We need to default on our $2 billion IMF loan, invest the entire treasury in the overhead-heavy petroleum business, and turn a blind eye to regional guerrilla groups. That'd be a good start. After that, food shipments must fall into rebel hands, armed forces must go unpaid, and the emerging national infrastructure must be allowed to deteriorate."
Added Usman: "There's a lot to accomplish, but I promise you this: By early 2008, ashes will blacken the sky and blood will run in the streets."
According to Red Cross programming director Ellen Schumacher, genocide, once a spectacle that drew the attention of the entire world, has received less attention in recent years, drawing an ever-diminishing Western audience.
"The most glaring problem has been a time-zone issue, since most of the proceedings take place during inconvenient, off-peak viewing times," Schumacher said. "But, as an oil-rich nation, Nigeria is much more likely to build a viewer base in the West. Perhaps the country will even be able to get one of the networks to pony up for exclusive rights."
Hmmmmmm!
[ May 06, 2006, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: Enigma ]
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