Looking back at the year 2013 one can best describe it as a 12-month of more sorrow and little bliss for millions of Nigerians. Our Senior Correspondent, Daniel Abia, picked few events that took place in the country. Particular attention is given to sports, politics, death of prominent Nigerians and the menace of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, among others. He also touched on the death of the greatest African political leader, Nelson Mandela.


Sports

The year, 2013, was a positive one for Nigerian sports, particularly football. When in January, African nations gathered in South Africa for the 13th African Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles of Nigeria were not given any chance to progress in a group that was regarded as “tricky”. Against all odds, the Coach Stephen Keshi-tutored side shamed their critics and out-classed soccer giants like Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Burkina Faso to emerge the continental champions for the AFCON 2013, thereby ending 19 years of barrenness since the country last won the coveted trophy in 1994.

In August, Stephen Keshi, again, travelled to the former apartheid enclave to engage the Bafana Bafana, South African national team, in the 2013 Nelson Mandela Cup. The Super Eagles proved that the Nations Cup feat in January was not a fluke. They won the cup for the first time by beating the host, South Africa.

The Super Eagles crowned their glory by qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. The national team, for the first time, in a long while, saved Nigerians the agony of calculation and permutation in their qualification bid, as it has been the case in time past.

Also, the Golden Eaglets put smiles on the faces of poverty stricken Nigerians in November, following their exploits at the FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) by beating Mexico to lift the trophy for a record four times.

Finally, the Super-sand Eagles added yet another trophy to the collections of the NFF as they won the COPA Lagos Invitational Beach Soccer Tournament last Sunday. They won the cup for keeps.

Politics
May, this year, witnessed a dicey political situation that would direct the course of things in Nigeria. On May 24, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, claimed he was voted the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). He scored 19 votes against the 16 scored by his rival and the governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, who also claimed victory in the election. This development was to mark the beginning of intense political crisis between Amaechi and the Presidency. The situation led to the formation of the PDP Governors Forum headed by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio.

On August 31, seven governors, otherwise known as the G-7 walked out of President Goodluck Jonathan during the PDP mini convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja. They were led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. The group later threatened to open a separate secretariat in Abuja for what they described as the New PDP.

In November, the PDP breakaway governors now called G-5 finally merged with the All Progressives Congress (APC). The ripple effect of this was an exodus of state Houses of Assembly members defecting from the PDP to the APC. But Niger and Jigawa states governors, Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido, respectively decided to stick to the PDP.

In September, the political heat in the country was felt in the House of Representatives when a meeting by the leadership of the Kawu Baraje faction with lawmakers triggered a fight by lawmakers.

A meeting between the seven governors of the New PDP and members of the House of Representatives had ended after a fight broke out.

The governors, alongside the chairman of the faction, Abubakar Baraje, met first with Senate president, Senator David Mark.

A follow up meeting at the House of Representatives with Speaker, Waziri Aminu Tambuwal, and members of the House, degenerated into chaos with supporters of the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP booing Baraje.

The chaos escalated after two members, Dakuku Peterside and Henry Ofongo, from Rivers and Bayelsa states respectively, attacked each other.

Baraje told Mark that President Goodluck Jonathan must give up his ambition for another term.


Rivers crisis
In April, the Felix Obuah-led PDP in Rivers State suspended 27 members of the state House of Assembly believed to be loyalists of the state governor, Chibuike Amaechi.

On July 9, the state House of Assembly was engulfed in crisis when pro-Amaechi lawmakers and those loyal to Education Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, engaged themselves in a free-for-all. The mace of the House was used as a weapon to pummel a lawmaker with blood oozing from his head as a result. The House was later shut and the National Assembly took over its legislative affairs.

Not done yet, on August, the state PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, expelled 18 members of the party, majority of whom were Amaechi cabinet members, for alleged anti-party activities. This marked the beginning of an entrenched political crisis in the state. Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the taking over of the Assembly by the National Assembly was “unconstitutional.” This, therefore, implied that the legislators were free to access the complex and commence sitting. It was another round of clash on Thursday when supporters of the deputy speaker, Hon. Leyii Knwanee, and Hon. Evans Bipi clashed. Police had to teargas them to disperse the gathering storm. These events led Amaechi to finally dump the PDP for the APC.


ASUU strike       
The Federal Government heaved a sigh of relief on Monday when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Chairman, University of Lagos Chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, announced that the union had decided to suspend its five-month old strike.

“We expect the students to resume and expect our members to go back to class immediately after the congress meeting and we expect the government to keep to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” Dr. Ogninaka stated.

The Federal Government and ASUU had reached a compromise during a negotiation brokered by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, on Wednesday, December 11, which led to the signing of the MoU.

It was gathered that the MoU addressed all the resolutions that the leadership of the ASUU and the Federal Government agreed to in their 13-hour meeting with President Jonathan on November 4, as well as their fresh demands.

ASUU’s demands include the upward review of the retirement age for professors from 65 to 70; adequate funding to revitalise the university system; progressive increase of budgetary allocations to the education sector by 26%; transfer of Federal Government property to universities; setting up of research and development units by companies; and renegotiation of the signed agreement.

The fresh demands include a non-victimisation clause, provision and deposit of N200 billion infrastructure revitalisation funds in an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), details of disbursement of the funds and payment of salary arrears, which have accrued to the teachers during the strike.

The university lecturers have been on strike since July 1, 2013, to demand full implementation of the 2009 agreement it reached with the Federal Government on conditions of service for university lecturers, and funding of infrastructure development in Nigerian universities.


Death of prominent Nigerians
The year, 2013, also witnessed the death of many prominent Nigerians. Just a few will be mentioned here.

Professor Omo Omoruyi died of cancer in October this year in Benin City. He was the director-general of the Centre for Democratic Sudies and a political adviser to former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida. He was 75 years.

Vice Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, former Chief of General Staff under General Abdulsalami Abubakar died in the United States after suffering from cancer for several years. He was aged 67.

Solomon Daushep Lar, first civilian governor of Plateau State and former national chairman of the PDP died in a US hospital of what family sources described as old age-related ailment in October. He was aged 80. In the transition to the Nigerian Fourth Republic, Lar was the first national chairman of the PDP in 1998, a position he held until 2002 when he handed over to Chief Barnabas Gemade. In February 2004, he resigned as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, handing over to Chief Tony Anenih at a caucus meeting in Abuja. In February 2010, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him chairman of the presidential committee tasked with recommending ways to prevent further violence in Jos, Plateau State capital.

Madam Charity Fynface Oba, foster mother of Dame Patience, wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, died in October and was buried in her hometown of Okrika in Rivers State. She died at the age of 67.


Plane crash
A passenger plane belonging to Associated Airlines carrying the body of the former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Agagu, crashed at the Lagos Airport on October 3, killing about 20 people.

It was gathered that the crash occurred at the local wing of the airport, near the cargo shed. The black box of the aircraft revealed that there appeared to have been an argument between the Captain and the First Officer of the Airline.  The contents of the black box also known as Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) according to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in its Abuja’s laboratory, revealed that the computer onboard the plane sent a warning message to the Captain, Yakubu Abdulrahman, shortly before take-off but he ignored the warning.

The First Officer, however, suggested to the pilot to abort take-off but Yakubu Abdulrahman rebuffed the wise counsel and took off. “The First Officer asked if the take-off should be aborted approximately 12 seconds after the ‘eight knots’ callout,” said Captain Mukhtar Usman, Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).


Boko Haram
Scores of civilians and security operatives were killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, who unleashed mayhem on military facilities and areas inhabited by civilians in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The attacks by the insurgents, who entered the troubled city in different vehicles, including an armoured personnel carrier, chanting Islamic slogans, were said to have lasted for about six hours before they were curtailed.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said 24 insurgents were killed in the attack in which two   Nigerian Air Force personnel were injured.

The attack was one of the numerous such violent attacks by the terrorist group on innocent Nigerians at different times.

On the international scene, Nelson Rohlihlahla Mandela, the first black President to be elected under a democratic South Africa, died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95. He was buried on Sunday, December 14, at Qunu, his ancestral mountainous village, amidst national celebrations. Even at death, Mandela pulled over 60 heads of state from across the world and united them in South Africa. His death indeed signalled the glorious end of a fighting, tolerant, uniting and accommodating era. Thatha, as he was fondly called, was an iconic figure with a compelling personality and a towering influence.  He fought with zest for the liberation of South Africa from apartheid and later became the first black President in 1994 to 1999 when he willingly relinquished power.

Mandela was born in Transkei, to a tribal chief. After attending university in Johannesburg, he practised as a lawyer, setting up the country’s first black legal practice. An activist in the African National Congress (ANC) from his 20s, he responded to the banning of the organisation in 1960 by inciting a wave of strikes; when non-violent means made little impact, he formed the Spear of the Nation movement to undertake a campaign of sabotage and guerrilla activities.

Mandela evaded arrest until 1962, when he was arrested and got a five-year sentence for incitement. In 1964, he had a life sentence, following a second trial at which he was found guilty of sabotage and treason. Madiba served 27 years in prison. Even at death, he remains the greatest political leader of the 21st century.