AGIP Pipelines Hit

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, March 18 (Reuters) - Unidentified attackers blew up an oil pipeline in Nigeria's southern delta, further hitting oil supplies from the leading OPEC nation, authorities said on Saturday. The blast on the Tebidaba-Brass pipeline near Brass Terminal, both operated by Italian oil company Agip, was the latest in a series of attacks on oil installations in the eighth biggest oil-exporting country, which had already reduced supplies by almost a quarter.

Agip, a unit of ENI, confirmed an "act of sabotage" on the pipeline and said an unspecified quantity of production had been lost. One oil industry source said production of 67,000 barrels per day (bpd) had been cut. In a statement issued by ENI headquarters in Italy, the company said: "The situation is under control and operations have commenced to define the extent of the pipeline damage and contain any associated pollution." Militants demanding greater autonomy for Nigeria's poor oil heartland have carried out several attacks and kidnapped oil workers in the past three months.

A police spokesman in the region said no one was kidnapped or killed in the latest attack. Militants are holding three foreign oil workers hostage. Royal Dutch Shell has cut its output by 455,000 bpd and other companies have shut another 100,000 bpd since Feb. 18. The latest explosion brought the total impact of the attacks to 622,000 bpd, 26 percent of Nigeria's 2.4 million bpd capacity.

Opposition Party Rally Broken Up

Lagos, Nigeria, 03/19 - Armed policemen fired teargas to disperse a rally by a newly-registered opposition Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD), in Dutse, capital of Nigeria`s northern State of Jigawa, Friday, the local press reported Saturday.

Some of the party leaders at the rally were also arrested and detained for about two hours for organising the rally without permit.

At least two people, including a party official and a journalist, fainted from the effect of the teargas, but were later revived.

State police commissioner Abubakar Sadauni claimed "The party did not request for permit, instead they wrote a letter informing us of the rally."

He warned that under the Public Order Act the party could not be allowed to hold a rally without permit.

But ACD spokesman Lai Mohammed, said the party was not obliged to obtain a police permit for its rally because the Public Order Act had been voided by the court.

Mohammed blamed the police action on the "intolerance" of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding: "PDP should learn to tolerate opposition."

Most members of the ACD, including former Kano State governor Abubakar Rimi who was among the party leaders detained Friday, left the PDP, which they accused of de-registering them.

There is political tension in Nigeria ahead of next year`s polls, fuelled by the alleged third-term bid of President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose constitutionally-allowed two, four-year mandate expires next year.

Critics claim an ongoing process to amend Nigeria`s 1999 Constitution is part of the third-term ploy.

Obasanjo has not said he will run for another term, but some of his aides and the ruling PDP have publicly called for an elongation of his tenure so he could finish his reform programme.

A parliamentary committee working on the constitutional amendment has recommended three terms of four years each for the President and State governors.

But the recommendation is subject to approval by 24 of the 36 State Assemblies and two-thirds of the PDP-controlled bi-cameral National Assembly.

Census Workers Burn Offices

Hundreds of recruits for Nigeria's upcoming census went on the rampage over wages and burnt down local council offices in thecountry's north, police said Saturday.

Katsina state police spokesman said local census officials in Dutsin-Ma town, about 70 kilometres (40 miles) west of provincial capital Katsina city went on a violent spree Friday after founding out they were getting less money than their national counterparts. "All the offices of key (local) officials were gutted by fire, set by the enumerators protesting differences in allowances between those recruited by the National Population Commission (NPC) and the local government," Adamu Yusuf told AFP. Yusuf said 30 people were arrested after the incident and that no injuries had been reported. Nigeria was gearing up over the weekend for a national census which some fear could reignite ethnic, regional and religious tensions that threaten to tear the country apart. Preparations for the March 21 to 25 exercise, the first independent census since 1991, have already laid bare many of the deep rifts in Nigerian society that have fuelled a seven-year-old wave of unrest that has left 20,000 dead. President Olusegun Obasanjo is determined to find out just how many Nigerians there are -- estimates range from between 120 and 150 million -- despite fierce opposition from various powerful vested interests. A.N.D Africa