December 5, 2016 Aliyu Tanko BBC News By turning to Russia and Pakistan to buy war planes and helicopters, Nigeria has shown that it is not dependent on the US. Many thought that after the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the US would relax the arms embargo imposed on Nigeria because of its alleged poor human rights record. But the chances of the embargo being lifted are slim, especially after the military was accused by rights groups of committing widespread atrocities against the minority Shia population in the north and the secessionists campaigning for the creation of Biafra state in the south-east. Only recently a report in Nigeria's Punch newspaper <http://punchng.com/boko-haram-us-blocks-nigeria-buying-aircraft-brazil/>said the US blocked Brazil from selling US-manufactured light attack aircraft to Nigeria when the deal was almost done. Nigeria has shown it has other options and says the warplanes and helicopters it has ordered from Russia and Pakistan are needed to ensure that the gains it has made against militant Islamist group Boko Haram are not reversed. -- Ann Marie "The art of living consists of knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore." -- Mardy Grothe ################################################################################################# Join the African Association of Madison, Inc. for $25 per year. Mail check to: AAM, PO Box 1016, Madison, WI 53701 Phone: 608-258-0261 Email: [log in to unmask] Web: www.AfricanAssociationofMadison.org ################################################################################################# *** Send email to the list: [log in to unmask] *** *** Access AAM list archives: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/AAM.html ***