2014 REVIEW: What we gained, what we lost

It has been an eventful year for Nigeria, one Nigerians will not forget in a hurry. Different events marked the year. These in­clude strikes, the appearance of Ebola through a Liberian, Pat­rick Sawyer; constant bombing by Boko Haram; the kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok by the same sect and fall in oil price. There have also been novel political events, like the emergence of All Progressives Congress (APC). Several deaths of prominent persons were also recorded.
As the year draws closer to an end, Saturday Sun takes a bird-eye view of these events, and some others that rocked the country in the year.
2014Polity/Politics

APC lost two states to rival PDP. The states are Ad­amawa and Ekiti. In Adamawa, former governor Mur­tala Nyako was impeached on July 15 and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, who didn’t defect with him to APC, suc­ceeded him following a court pronouncement. Before then, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Umaru Fintiri had a brief stint as the acting governor.
Also in Ekiti State, former Governor Kayode Fayemi was defeated by Ayodele Fayose of PDP during the gu­bernatorial election held on June 21.
January 15, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur re­signed following a face-off between him and the PDP governors, resulting in what was later reported as a forced resignation by Tukur.
January 20, former governor of Bauchi State, Dr Adamu Mu’azu became the national chairman of the party.
March 17, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugu­rated the National Conference comprising 492 del­egates of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, professional groups, political representatives and civil society group, among others, to deliberate on the country’s constitutional challenges.
June 14, former governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun emerged National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
June 9, former Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lami­do Sanusi, against objections by hawks in the presi­dency, was named the 14th Emir of Kano.
July 15, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State was impeached by the state House of Assem­bly. Eighteen out of 25 members signed to impeach the governor. Consequent upon the impeachment, the House of Assembly declared the Speaker, Hon Umaru Fintiri as the new acting governor.
August 27, former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tom Ikimi, crossed over to the PDP.
October 8, A Federal High Court judge in Abuja sacked Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State and ordered that James Ngilari, the former deputy governor to impeached Governor Murtala Nyako, be sworn in immediately. In addition, Justice Ademola Adeniyi ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend preparations for the by-election scheduled to hold in Adamawa State.
October 28, Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal formally defected from the ruling PDP to the opposition APC and few days later his se­curity details were withdrawn by the Inspector General of Police.
November 20, The National Assembly complex in Abuja was thrown into chaos as the police and other security agents battled unsuccessfully to stop House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal from en­tering the chamber. Efforts by the speaker to enter the complex were resisted by security agents. Lawmakers had to remove their shoes and climbed the iron fence to make their way into the chamber.
December 11: President Jonathan and former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari emerged presiden­tial candidates of the PDP and APC, respectively at the national conventions of both parties, which held the same day, but in different cities of Abuja and Lagos, respectively. Jonathan stuck with his vice president, Namadi Sambo as running mate while Buhari after few days of horse trading picked former Attorney Gen­eral of Lagos State, Yemi Osinbajo, as running mate.
Defections
Former chieftain of the APC, a former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, moved to the PDP. Also, former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, left the APC, moving to PDP. Governor, Ali­yu Wammako, from PDP to APC. Former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, also defected to the PDP. Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, left All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the ruling PDP. In Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko also defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the PDP. Former vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, formally resigned from the PDP and joined the APC.
Obasanjo/Jonathan’s cat and mouse relationship
The cat and mouse relationship between former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan, reached its peak this year. Obasanjo made scathing remarks on the performance of his estranged godson, which the presidency replied to. The former president also released his no-holds-barred memoir en­titled My Watch .
The electoral commission, ahead of 2015 general elections, commenced the distribution of the Perma­nent Voters Card and the Continuous Voters Regis­tration exercise

Economy
January 18, the Na­tional Automotive Coun­cil announced a new au­tomotive policy for the nation.
Speaking during the event, Minister of In­vestment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, said the move was aimed at facilitating the production of Nige­rian assembled cars and trucks.
February 19, former Central Bank of Nige­ria (CBN), Lamido Sa­nusi Lamido, was sus­pended from office via an announcement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.
In April, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s larg­est economy following the rebasing of the na­tion’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The re­basing of the economy enabled Nigeria to over­take South Africa as Af­rica’s largest economy for the first time in 20 years.
September 30: At a co­lourful ceremony in Abu­ja, President Goodluck Jonathan formally handed over share certificates and licences to the 14 new core owners of PHCN successor companies.
November 17, follow­ing worldwide slump in prices of crude oil, the Federal Government an­nounced plans by the government to introduce austerity measures.
November 27, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Ma­dueke, was appointed as the first female president of Organisation of Petro­leum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Deaths
May 4, Justice Chuk­wudifu Oputa died at 96 following a brief illness. He was retired justice of the Supreme Court of Ni­geria.
June 6, Ado Abdullahi Bayero, Emir of Kano, died after a battle with cancer
July 1, Umaru Dik­ko, former Minister for Transportation, passed away.
October 20, Dr Mrs Adadevoh, the medical doctor who prevented Ebola index patient, Pat­rick Sawyer, from leav­ing the hospital where he was quarantined, there­by spreading the disease, died after contracting the disease from Sawyer.
June 7, Dr Dora Aku­nyili, former Director- General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), who reformed the food and drugs sector died at the age of 59.
April 2014, Amaka Igwe, an acclaimed Nol­lywood producer, passed away at the age of 51
Judiciary
November 20, Mahmud Mohammed was appointed new Chief Justice of the fed­eration to succeed Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar
Health
July 20, Patrick Saw­yer arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, and in­stantly made history as the individual that brought Ebola into Nigeria.
August 1, the virus entered the country’s oil hub, Port Harcourt, when a close contact of the in­dex case flew there, seek­ing care from a private physician.
August 10, the physi­cian, Dr Patrick Enemuo developed symptoms of the virus and died of Ebo­la on August 23, 2014.
August 13, Federal Government sacked all resident doctors in the country following their failure to call off a nation­wide strike.
October 20, the coun­try was declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Strike
July 1, Nigerian Medi­cal Association (NMA) members embarked on a nationwide strike. The striking doctors deserted public hospitals on the account that their de­mands were not met by the Federal Government.
August 25: After 55 days of strike, and with the intervention of the Senate President, David Mark, the NMA called off its indefinite strike.
Workers in the nation’s polytechnics and judi­ciary workers were also on strike for most part of the year.
Insecurity/in­surgency
January 14: At least 31 people were killed and over 50 people injured by suicide bombers in Mai­duguri, Borno State.
February 25: There was public fury following the death of 42 teenage boys at Federal Govern­ment College, Buni Yadi as a result of Boko Haram sect’s attack.
April 14, Boko Haram militants kidnapped ap­proximately 276 teenage girls from a boarding school in Chibok in Bor­no State.
May 20, twin blasts in the city of Jos killed 118 people at a market.
May 21: The White House announced that the United States had sent 80 troops to Chad to help search for the kidnapped schoolgirls.
October 16: The Ni­gerian government an­nounced a ceasefire with the Islamist terror group. It was later discovered that Federal Government negotiators had signed ceasefire with a fake group.
November 28, 120 people were killed in Kano, where a local mosque was bombed by Boko Haram.
December 1, in Dama­turu, during a Boko Ha­ram attack, two female suicide bombers detonat­ed bombs at the central Maiduguri market, killing dozens.
Entertainment
March- 5, popular Fuji musician Alhaji Abass Akande, popularly known as Obesere was arrested following an al­leged rape of one 29 year old Miss Olanike Olaiya. The charge was subse­quently dropped when police investigation re­vealed the allegation was a set up.
August 6, Marvin Re­cord artist Dr. Sid weds heartthrob Simi Osomo,
September 30, Nolly­wood actress, Ini Edo’s marriage crashed, as she took to Twitter to declare her divorce from ex hus­band Philip Ehiagwina.
THE SUN