Goodluck jonathan

Three people were killed in central Nigeria on Monday when soldiers opened fire to quell a fight between Christian and Muslim youths over voter registration for April elections, police and witnesses said.

Clashes between political gangs rather than attacks on oil facilities are the greatest threat to Nigeria's Niger Delta ahead of April elections and the long-term security of its oil output depends on much more than who wins.

Nigeria's fast-moving consumer goods sector is attracting foreign investors as parent companies pump cash into local units to offset slowing growth at home.

Exxon Mobil said on Monday it had restarted 15,000 barrels per day of Nigerian Oso condensate production, which was shut in following a militant raid on an offshore platform on November 14.

U.S. energy firm Chevron said on Monday it had suspended production from an oil pipeline in Nigeria's Delta state, which was breached on Friday. Chevron said it was investigating the damage to the Dibi-Abiteye pipeline, which feeds the Escravos oil stream, but did not comment on how much production would be lost.

Drugmaker Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general to convince him to drop legal action against the company over a drug trial involving children, the Guardian newspaper reported, citing U.S. diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Tuesday hundreds of posts on his Facebook page had helped persuade him to reverse his suspension of the national soccer team from international competitions.

Oil hovered near $80 a barrel on Thursday, after earlier hitting a six-week low as fears that Greece's economic crisis may spread to other European nations raised uncertainty over future global energy demand. The euro fell to a 14-month low, while the U.S. dollar strengthened as skepticism that Greece could deliver on its promises of strict austerity measures dominated financial markets.

Sporadic shooting rang out overnight in the central Nigerian city of Jos and witnesses said at least one person was killed by soldiers enforcing a curfew days after attacks on three nearby Christian villages.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Nigeria to prosecute those behind what it called a massacre of at least 200 Christian villagers and end a cycle of impunity which has allowed instability to persist.

The foiled Christmas Day bomb attack on a U.S. airliner has put further pressure on ailing Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua to either confirm he is fit to govern or hand over to his deputy.