Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I dealt with the issue of violence in Jos, Nigeria, on the Adjournment in the Seanad last night. There has been significant violence in that area and while it looks to be purely Christian-Muslim violence, it is more complex than that. It is not about religious leadership; there are complex issues relating to land ownership and property. There has been widescale violence, the causes of which are multifaceted. They are partly political, partly ethnic, partly religious and partly economic. The EU will try to disperse its election observation resource to ensure it has a full overview, which is what it has done in other cases.

The INEC is making real efforts. The head of the mission, for example, made it clear last year that he was not happy that the voter register they were using was sufficiently robust to have a free and fair election. That is why the election date was put back while the process of voter registration goes ahead. It is highly technical, given biometric details will be taken in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria. I wish the Nigerians well.

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