Nigeria: President Jonathan Stops Senate President From Travelling

President Goodluck Jonathan has barred Senate President David Mark from traveling outside the country apparently over the recent threat to internal security of the country.

Nigeria: Jonathan Stops Mark From Foreign Trip on 10/5/2010

Sources at the Senate President’s office revealed that Mark was billed to travel out to Geneva, Switzerland, to attend a conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) but could not make the trip due to recent happenings in the country.

Deputy Speaker Usman Bayero Nafada is representing the Senate President in Geneva.

The source said, “the Senate President was already at the airport when he received a message from the President not to travel out until the security situation in the country is normalised.”

Another source told Daily Trust that “the President is still shocked by last Friday’s bomb blast close to Eagle Square during the 50th anniversary celebration of the country and I believe he needs all the top officials in the country to put heads together to find a solution to the deploring internal security situation.”

Daily Trust gathered that the President has also barred other top government officials from travelling abroad.

Abdul-Rahman Abubakar|5 October 2010| Daily Trust (Abuja)