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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
NIGERIA: Olusegun Obasanjo sworn in for second term
LAGOS, 29 May 2003 (IRIN) - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was on Thursday sworn in to remain at the helm of Africa's most populous country for another four years, following his controversial electoral victory disputed by the opposition.
With more than 20 African presidents and delegations from Britain and the United States in attendance at the Eagle Square venue in the capital, Abuja, 66-year-old Obasanjo swore to "bear true allegiance" to Nigeria and defend its constitution.
Some 20,000 policemen were deployed to provide security, tightened after opposition threats to embark on mass protests against Obasanjo's 19 April victory they allege was massively rigged. Local and international observers had also noted serious breaches of the electoral process. Troops and police searched vehicles entering Abuja while police helicopters encircled overhead.
"I am indeed delighted to regard the renewed mandate as affirmation that our leadership is regarded as trustworthy," Obasanjo said in his acceptance speech. He promised to draw from lessons learnt in his first term as president to work towards building "a great Nigeria".
"I see my initial assignment as president as trying to heal the wounds from the elections," he said.
Thursday's inauguration marked a significant milestone as one of the few instances of civilian-run transitions in the country's history. Previous attempts in 1964-65 and 1983 were overturned months later by military coups.
Obasanjo's election in 1999 ended more than 15 years of military rule in the country of 126 million people. It also marked the start of a journey on the road of democracy after the military had dominated power in Nigeria for all but a few years since independence from Britain in 1960.
His first four years witnessed the return of relative freedom in a country that had suffered draconian military rule. But it appeared to lift the lid as well off simmering discontent among its more than 250 ethnic groups. Ethnic and religious violence have flared in several parts of the country in the past four years leaving several thousand people dead and tens of thousands displaced.
The economy has also seen little improvement, with latest indicators showing more than 70 percent of the population leaving below the poverty line despite the country's huge oil wealth.
"Four years ago we had no illusion that we will put right in a few years the destruction of two decades," Obasanjo said. "We had no magic wand with which to achieve instant transformation."
However, he promised to continue his fight against the cancer of corruption, work to attract foreign investment into the country and improve the general standard of living of the people.
Among dignitaries at the ceremony were Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Omar el Bashir of Sudan and Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
Theme(s): (IRIN) Governance
[ENDS]
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