InfoAnda - High hopes as Nigeria's Jonathan sworn in |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Korea Hydro eyes dollar bond sale -source | 21 May 2009
Rangers return to Fall Classic: Huge third inning finishes off Tigers | 16 October 2011
Kurds demand security after bomb kills 19 in Iraq | 11 September 2009

NKorea scraps contracts with SKorean firms in joint zone | 17 May 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : High hopes as Nigeria's Jonathan sworn in |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Full Focus Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Lockheed says thwarted "tenacious" cyber attack 1:49am EDT Air France crash sparks pilot mystery 27 May 2011 Lockheed says thwarted "tenacious" cyber attack 28 May 2011 Roadside bomb kills seven NATO troops in Afghanistan 26 May 2011 Cooling system restored at Tepco's No.5 plant 12:42am EDT Discussed 94 Obama departs for Europe trip, explores Irish roots 81 Netanyahu speech eyed for sign of U.S.-Israel rift 74 $1 trillion on the table in U.S. debt talks Watched GM pulls the plug Fri, May 27 2011 Scientists revive ancient spider in stunning 3D detail Tue, May 24 2011 Death toll rises in Joplin, Missouri 12:30am EDT High hopes as Nigeria's Jonathan sworn in Tweet Share this By Felix Onuah and Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan begins his first full term at the helm of Africa's most populous nation on Sunday with expectations running high that he will push ahead with reforms and try to... Email Print Factbox Nigerian President Jonathan and Vice-President Sambo Sat, May 28 2011 Related News Timeline: Nigeria's road to democracy Sat, May 28 2011 Analysis & Opinion Palestinians are on the wrong path to statehood Why more investor protection is needed, not less Related Topics World » Nigerian incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan arrives to vote in his home village of Otuoke, Bayelsa state, Nigeria, April 16, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Joseph Penney By Felix Onuah and Camillus Eboh ABUJA | Sat May 28, 2011 9:06pm EDT ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan begins his first full term at the helm of Africa's most populous nation on Sunday with expectations running high that he will push ahead with reforms and try to heal regional rifts. Heads of state from across Africa, foreign dignitaries, religious leaders and traditional rulers are due to attend a swearing-in ceremony and military parade in the capital Abuja to mark the start of his four-year term. The former zoology student won elections last month which, while far from perfect, were deemed to have reflected the will of the people in a nation which had known virtually nothing but military rule and rigged votes for the past half-century. Jonathan emerged from the polls with a credible mandate, having won 59 percent of the vote, but with his ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) chastened by a weaker parliamentary majority and the loss of several powerful state governorships. Many Nigerians said they felt their vote had counted for the first time. The onus to perform is now on Jonathan, who inherited the presidency last year when his predecessor Umaru Yar'Adua died. "The success of the election has upped the game in terms of the expectations of what can be delivered by a Jonathan presidency," said Dapo Oyewole, director of the Center for African Policy and Peace Strategy think tank. "There is going to be a much higher level of scrutiny. Everybody is going to be watching every step he makes." The vote threw religious and ethnic fault lines into sharp relief. Hundreds were killed in rioting in parts of the mostly Muslim north after his victory and his main rival, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has challenged the result. His relationship with his opponents will be key if Jonathan, a southern Christian, is to galvanize support for reforms and govern strongly. The first big test will be his choice of ministers. "It is a delicate balancing act," said Oyewole. "He has to balance out the regional interests to ensure the cabinet displays a federal character, he has to reflect a religious coloration that ensures different parts of the country are carried along, but he is also going to have to reward some of the people that backed him," he told Reuters. OPTIMISM Jonathan is the first head of state from the restive oil-producing Niger Delta and also carries the high expectations of his home region on his shoulders. He brokered an amnesty in 2009 which ended years of attacks on oil facilities, but thousands of former gunmen remain without jobs. "People are very optimistic based on hope rather than reality," said Bismarck Rewane, head of Lagos-based consultancy Financial Derivatives. "If those expectations are not managed, a few months down the road he will be getting the blame for things that are beyond his control," he told Reuters. Jonathan will also have to deal with the growing threat from radical Islamist sect Boko Haram in remote northeastern Nigeria, which has been carrying out almost daily killings and fire bombings of police stations with impunity. Car bombs, claimed by a militant group from the Niger Delta, killed at least 10 people close to an independence day parade in Abuja last October and security was tightened in the capital days ahead of Sunday's ceremony. Joint police and army checkpoints were set up on all roads into the city and helicopters buzzed overhead. Jonathan is serving what would have been the second term of late northern president Yar'Adua and there is an expectation among the northern elite that at the next elections in four years, a northern candidate will take the ruling party ticket. But should Jonathan succeed with his reform plans, particularly privatizing the power sector and ending chronic power shortages, popular opinion could again swing behind him. "People will be looking for tangible results and that will be a key determinant of his political future come 2015," said Oyewole of the Abuja-based think tank. World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Sunday, 29 May 2011
Arab League to seek U.N. seat for Palestinian state |
Ex-Bank of Italy chief sentenced to 4 years in jail |
Iran's Khamenei aide calls Ahmadinejad to order |
China reprimands Vietnam over offshore oil exploration |
Truce in Yemen halts week of deadly clashes |
Afghans say NATO air strike kills 12 children, two women |
Cooling system restored at Tepco's No.5 plant |
Ex-Honduran president Zelaya returns from exile |
Peru's presidential race nearly tied: Ipsos poll |
NATO says destroyed Gaddafi compound guard towers |
Egypt detains Iranian from mission in Cairo |
High hopes as Nigeria's Jonathan sworn in |
Lockheed says thwarted tenacious cyber attack |
Lockheed says thwarted tenacious cyber attack |
No let-up for perpetual music maker Quincy Jones |
French minister quits over sex harassment case |
Three killed in wider Syria military push: witnesses |
Afghan police chief attack planned abroad: government |
Belgrade and Bosnian Serbs protest against Mladic arrest |
Berlusconi risks defeat in local election run-offs |
Power cuts increase hardship in Libyan rebel mountains |
Peru's presidential race very tight: polls |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01