LAGOS, March 1 (Reuters) – Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan is seen as the front-runner in April elections but the
ruling party will face a tougher battle maintaining its strong
parliamentary majority and regional dominance.

Preparations so far for the general elections give grounds
for cautious optimism that the polls could be more credible and
less violent than previous votes in Africa’s most populous
nation, although the toughest challenges still lie ahead.

LAGOS, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s central bank governor on
Monday criticised calls from the IMF for greater exchange rate
flexibility, saying he did not believe the naira NGN=D1 was
overvalued and that the advice was based on flawed logic.

After ending consultations with Nigeria 10 days ago, the
International Monetary Fund noted in a statement on Thursday
that forex reserves had been falling and said speculation
against the naira could become “intense”. [ID:nLDE71G1O1]

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria wants U.N. backing for military intervention in Ivory Coast to prevent it slipping into a civil war that could destabilize the West African region, Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia said on Monday.

West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened the use of force in Ivory Coast to push incumbent Laurent Gbagbo from power, needs “unequivocal international support” through a U.N. Security Council resolution, Ajumogobia said.

LAGOS, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s $500 million debut
Eurobond is likely to be oversubscribed, with bids pointing to a
yield of 6.5-7.0 percent, sources close to the deal told Reuters
on Friday.

The final subscription for the 10-year bond will be known
once book building closes, with pricing due later on Friday.

LAGOS, Jan 18 (Reuters) – A Nigerian militant group on
Tuesday threatened attacks on fuel depots, telling residents
and workers to move away and saying it would also hit vehicles
transporting petroleum products.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)
warned in a statement emailed to news organisations of a
“ferocious attack” in response to “the handling of the arrest
and detention of our respected brothers”.

LAGOS, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan clinched victory in the ruling party primaries by a
wider margin than many expected on Friday, although he faced
resistance from some parts of the mostly Muslim north.

The win makes him the firm favourite for April elections,
which could see him become the first elected head of state from
the restive Niger Delta, home to Africa’s biggest oil and gas
industry and the nation’s economic powerhouse. [ID:nLDE70D00D]

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria enters the most important three months of its recent political history this week, beginning elections which could chart its path for further reform or plunge its most volatile regions back into violence.

The build-up to presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections in April risks exposing ethnic and religious fault lines in the African giant, whose more than 200 ethnic groups generally live peacefully side by side.

LAGOS, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Nigeria plans to go ahead with its
delayed $500 million debut Eurobond in two to three weeks and
expects a bill to create a sovereign wealth fund to pass under
the current administration, the finance minister said on Friday.

Africa’s top crude oil exporter first announced plans to
borrow in the international bond market in September 2008 but
has put the issue on hold several times, most recently in
December, citing adverse market conditions.

LAGOS (Reuters) – The two main rivals in Nigeria’s ruling party have locked horns over the country’s dwindling oil savings and the state of its public finances, putting the economy back in the spotlight a week ahead of the primaries.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had spent the past few weeks defending itself against accusations that it has not done enough to guarantee national security, after bomb blasts in the capital Abuja and the central city of Jos.

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria’s Lagos state governor has been endorsed to run for a second term by his party, ending speculation that rivals might try to force him from what is arguably the most important political job outside the capital.

Babatunde Fashola will be the sole candidate for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party at the state governorship polls on April 13, party spokesman Lai Mohammed said. The party has run the state since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, and its official candidate is not expected to face a serious rival.