By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 12 -- When Nigeria's foreign minister Olugbenga Ashiru spoke to the press after a three hour Security Council debate on Wednesday, Inner City Press asked him to explain Nigeria's position on Palestine's application to the Council for UN membership.
He responded that Nigeria favors the two state solution, but concluded that his country supports a state for Palestine, so how it will vote should be clear. But is it?
He said, "Nigeria, we have always advocated and supported the two state solution... As regards the voting, when that comes, Nigeria is going to vote its national interest. We have always supported the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state. So you should from that know how we are going to vote."
Inner City Press has learned that the next meeting of the Council's Committee on the Admission of New Members will take place in the afternoon of October 13. The October 7 meeting was not announced even by a sign outside the room. Will it be this time?
A Nigerian journalist asked Olugbenga Ashiru about the arrest of editors of The Nation newspaper. He replied that Nigerian are free to write what they like, but "if there is something to answer for" there will be due process "as in other countries." But in many other countries journalists are not subject to arrest, at least usually, for what they write.
The dispute concerns reports that former president Obansanjo wrote to current president Goodluck Jonathan urging changes in the oil ministry. Obansanjo denies writing the letter. But raids and arrests? Watch this site.
