Civilian Takes Nigeria Helm

Olusegun Obasanjo became Nigeria's first civilian leader in 15 years Saturday, expressing hope for a prosperous future for a nation tormented by years of dictatorship.

Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who during his 11 months in power has guided Nigeria peacefully through its transition to democracy, handed over power to Obasanjo while Britain's Prince Charles, South Africa's Nelson Mandela and other dignitaries in a crowd of 6,000 looked on.

Â"As your president of a democratic and civilian administration, I believe this is what God Almighty has ordained for me and my beloved country and its people,Â" said Obasanjo to frequent applause. Â"We shall not fail.Â"

Obasanjo also thanked Abubakar for handing over power and having Â"kept his word.Â"

Leading up to the handover, Abubakar urged his civilian successors to seize the opportunity to change their nation forever.

Â"To us all beckons the historic opportunity to break, once and for all, the cycle of instability and mistrust that have wracked our political life since independence,Â" Abubakar said in a nationally broadcast speech on the eve of Nigeria's democratic handover.

Nigeria has been governed by soldiers for all but 10 years since independence in 1960.

He urged his fellow soldiers not to seize power again.

Â"We must forever resist and renounce the seduction and temptation of political power,Â" said Abubakar, who came to power just after the death of Nigeria's brutal dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha and guided the country on an 11-month transition to civilian rule.

As a parting gesture, Abubakar also announced that the junta had outlawed the despised Decree Two, which allowed for imprisonment without trial -- and was a common tool of the Abacha regime.

This morning, thousands filled a square in downtown Abuja in the midst of a heavy police presence to witness Abubakar handing over power to Obasanjo, the first civilian president in 15 years.

A large military parade passed the square as police restricted access to the crowded area. The government asked Abuja residents to stay home and watch the ceremony on television.

Â"Nigeria will try to restore tomorrow our economic life, our political life, our social life,Â" said Owolaei Lawal, a civil servant passing the downtown square before the handover. Â"Nigeria has become a dead nation.Â"

Nigeria has suffered dramatically under military rule and Obasanjo, who won February's presidential elections, faces a wealth of problems in Africa's most populous nation.

But Obasanjo, who 20 years ago became the first -- and until Saturday the only -- Nigerian military leader to voluntarily give up power, insists he will bring prosperity back to Nigeria by eliminating corruption and fighting poverty.

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