US lessons for Nigeria

TA, NIGERIA, April 29: In hotels and conference rooms across the country in coming weeks, hundreds of Nigerian rulers-to-be will sit down for a course of American-Nigerian lessons in good governance.

Over two months, some 96 quot;trainersquot; 8212; Nigerians and Americans 8212; will hold courses in democracy for hundreds of newly elected officials in 36 states across Nigeria. Home to more than 108 million people, Nigeria, Africa8217;s most populous country, returns to civilian rule on May 29, ending more than 15 years of uninterrupted military regimes. Foreign powers see the May 29 handover as just the end of Nigeria8217;s military rule and not the start of democracy, project organiser Sylvia Fletcher told AFP. The targets of the quot;good governance seminarsquot;, co-organised by the US Agency for International Development and the Nigerian National Assembly, are the 360 members of the new house of representatives, 109 senators, and the thousands of state and local assembly members. The quot;studentsquot; will study and debate such questionsas the meaning of democracy, the need for a separation of powers, the role of the judiciary, and the role of political parties, she said.

quot;Training is perhaps a bad word. It is opportunity for the elected officials to think about their roles.quot; Babatunde Olokun, a first-time representative from Ogun State, south-west Nigeria, attending a course on Tuesday said he believed it would be useful.quot;The principles of democracy are well-known. But what makes it work is a more difficult question,quot; he said.quot;

After all the problems here, Nigeria8217;s leaders need some assistance,quot; he said.