Welcome to NaijaWeb.com.

Long in the making, we are happy to announce the launch of the web log NaijaWeb.

The site is new but is going to be a little bit different from other blogs you read out there. For one, you can view news snippets from your favorite local and international news sources and proceed to read those of interest to you. Secondly the site brings you summaries of the rantings of top Nigerian blog sites and bloggers. In addition, you get to see the latest naija buzz on twitter and google.

Today is Saturday, the 6th of February. The people of Anambra state of Nigeira go to the polls to elect a new civilian governor. It is only a state election but it is generally agreed that it is going to give us the best preview of the shape of national, state and legislative elections to come in 2011. With (President?) Yar' Adua on his Saudi sickbed, religous riots in Jos and the national shame of the alleged Christmas bomber still fresh in our memories, the timing of the elections could not have been more critical. There is so much political tension in the atmosphere that a military coup is being contemplated in some quarters.

The odds are really stacked against the masses! We all know the history of the party in power, the electoral commission and law enforcement agents. However, in the midst of all these, buoyed by the social media revolution, there appears to be a reawakening of national consciousness among hitherto 'quiet' Nigerians. The 'tweetosphere' has been awash with tweets about the Anambra elections, our missing (ex)president Yar' Adua,  (vice)president Goodluck Jonathan and the Jos religious riots.  Groups are springing up by the day, calling for an end to the status quo, electoral reform or outright  social revolution.

One other group of concerned Nigerians are working to sensitize voters to protect their votes by documenting any form of electoral malpractice that is witnessed by way of pictures or videos and to share it with the world using the internet. This group, pioneered by a Nigerian news site and a Nigerian blog site are also sponsoring some observers to monitor the election and notify the world using continuous updates via twitter and the above-linked websites. We also commend the efforts of a new group who are striving to put the issue of free, fair and transparent elections on the front burner of the national political agenda.

These efforts are really commendable. Nigerians have had the rough end of the stick for so long from thieves and imbeciles masquerading as leaders. It remains to be seen however what impact these efforts will have on the electoral process and Nigeria's political evolution.  You can rant, rave and mobilize online but it is what actually happens on the ground that matters. After years of brutal military dictatorships, Nigerians have become averse to mass rallies and other forms of civil disobedience.  However the recent success of the Save Nigeria Group's rallies in  Abuja and Lagos suggests that this attitude may be changing. Similar rallies were also organized in London and New York.

NaijaWeb is a collaboration of a handful of Nigeria-centered bloggers. So much effort went into building the site. A lot of tweaking and re-designing still needs to be done but we are happy to present it in the current state. With your continued readership, support, comments and suggestions, the site would hopefully continue to evolve.

Uche Ofoma

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