Southern Nigerian protest turns violent

People in southern Nigeria feel hard done by

By Harouna Bahago in Abuja

Police clashed with southern Nigerian protesters from in the capital Abuja.

The protestors were demanding more regional autonomy within the Nigerian federation.

We want resource control

Protester placard

In line with recent demands by the governors of the southern Nigerian states, the protesters wanted greater control over the region's oil resources.

Federal differences have been one of the driving forces of political tension within Nigeria since independence.

Riot

Trouble started when youths from the Niger Delta region marched into the premises of the national assembly.

As they approached the second gate leading to the main lobby the police threw teargas at the 5,000 peaceful protesters.

President Obasanjo is caught in the middle of demands form the north and the south.

They were jogging, singing and chanting - "All we are saying is give us our rights".

Some of the placards said: "We want resource control".

The protesters, as well as some members of the national assembly, some members of the public and civil servants ran helter-skelter as teargas stung their eyes.

Some protesters physically struggled with the police.

On seeing three lorry loads of anti-riot policemen everybody started running for safety.

Official demands

Southern governors have been calling on the federal government to introduce what they describe as "true federalism".

At two recent meetings, they called on the federal government to hand over control of all mineral resources to the states, which they say are the rightful owners.

People from the southern states feel that they create a lot of the country's wealth, but they do not see much in return as the money ends up in the hands of the federal government.

The northern governors, at a recent meeting in Kaduna, protested against this call for resource control.

The northern governors say that it was the resources of the north that were used for oil exploration in the Niger Delta in the 1950s and 1960s.

Arguing that since federal money was used for oil exploration in the past it is unacceptable for any state to call for a transfer of resource control.