Nigeria's Acting Pres. Dissolves Cabinet

In an effort to mark his own authority, acting Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet Wednesday. Jonathan, the vice president who has filled in since February during President Umaru Yar’Adua’s absence due to illness, appears to have made the unexpected move without presenting a clear reason to the public. It is widely believed that he is simply trying to consolidate power—the cabinet had been picked by Yar’Adua—ahead of next year’s election, which could be moved up by about three months. Nobel Prize-winning writer, Wole Soyinka, however, says he believes the dissolution was the right thing to do, despite his well-documented criticism of Nigerian politics. "I think he's been as delicate as anybody who's in charge of country like Nigeria can be," Soyinka said. "In fact, I think he's erred on the overcautious side. This should have happened a very long time ago."