Abuja - The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, arrived in Nigeria yesterday to meet the new military ruler, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, and encourage democratic reform and respect for human rights.
Mr Annan's visit is the biggest sign yet of foreign confidence in Gen Abubakar and his pledge to hold free elections and end the pariah status Nigeria gained under the dictator, Sani Abacha, who died suddenly on June 8th.
It is part of a concerted international effort to keep oil-producing Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, from missing a chance to end the domination of its politicised generals.
