No independence celebration in Nigeria till 2014 - In a direct response to critics of the 1 Oct. low key celebration of Nigeria's 51st independence at the State House instead of the traditional Eagle Square this year, President Goodluck Jonathan has announced that the 2012 and 2013 celebration will follow the same pattern.

While the federal government considered the celebration of the nation’s 51st independence anniversary inside the Aso Rock presidential villa as a cost-saving measure, the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other political leaders have called it 'a serious error of judgment'.

The critics linked the cancellation of the traditional parade and shifting of activities marking the anniversary from the Eagle Square to the relatively-secure presidential villa to threats posed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and fundamentalist Islamic sect Boko Haram.

They said the government missed a chance to show the world that it is capable of tackling the various security challenges facing the nation.

But President Jonathan said, while rounding off his two-day working visit to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, that the next two independence anniversaries would also be low-keyed.

He said, however, that the 2014 anniversary would be celebrated because it would mark the 100th anniversary of the British amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigerian into one country.

Jonathan, at a joint press conference at the Urugwiro Village, Rwandan presidential villa, slammed politicians who seem to enjoy criticizing every action of government no matter how genuine and reiterated to Nigerians that the action was in the best interest of the country - to save cost.

He said neither MEND or any group could have cowed the government to take that decision, as it was long concluded even before the independence anniversary.

The President also assured that Nigeria was indeed a safe haven for investors, having witnessed the recent visits of important dignitaries like Bill Gates who walk around freely without fear.

Pana 07/10/2011