New Nigerian cabinet sworn-in

The Nigerian military ruler, General Sani Abacha, has sworn in a new thirty-three member cabinet, one month after he dissolved the previous one.

Nearly half of the new ministers belonged to the old cabinet.

At a ceremony in the federal capital, Abuja, General Abacha told the ministers to see themselves as carrying the baton for the last leg of the present administration.

General Abacha has promised to return Nigeria to civilian democratic rule by October next year but many pro-democracy and opposition groups say the process is flawed and the General, himself, is planning to run for the Presidency.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service