Goodluck Jonathan... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
has ordered the closure of the country's land and sea borders before this weekend's general election, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
The closure will take effect from midnight (2300 GMT Wednesday) until the same time on Saturday, after polling closes for presidential and parliamentary elections.
The ministry said in a statement that the move was designed "to allow for peaceful conduct of the forthcoming national elections."
Nigeria is bordered by Benin to the west, Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
to the east and also had borders with Chad and Niger in the north.
Security is always a major issue at Nigerian elections, with politically linked violence often flaring between supporters of rival parties.
In the last elections in 2011, about 1,000 people were killed in festivities after opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari was beaten by Jonathan for the presidency.
The two men are again contesting this year's election, with many predicting that the vote -- delayed for six weeks because of military operations against Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
-- is too close to call.
On Tuesday, Nigeria's federal police chief ordered the "total restriction" of vehicles between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm on election day, apart from the emergency services and others on "essential duties."