Abuja - Nigerians were jubilant Wednesday after Barack Obama was declared the 44th president of the United States of America.

Many Nigerians stayed glued to their television sets to monitor the election.

The moment Obama was announced to have won Ohio and Pennsylvania, cheering erupted in beer parlours and homes across Africa's most populous nation.

Lai Mohammed, spokesman of Action Congress, Nigeria's main opposition party, whose 2007 presidential candidate is still contesting the election of Umaru Yar'Adua, hailed the poll as an example to other nations.

Abuja - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on Wednesday sacked 20 of his 39 cabinet ministers.

Yar'Adua spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said that the ministers were dropped as part of efforts to rejuvenate Yar'Adua's administration.

He said that the decision, taken after Wednesday's cabinet meeting, was meant to reposition and strengthen the administration to better deliver services to Nigerians.

Abuja - Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said that the power-sharing model used to end the post-election chaos in his own country should not be used as a blanket solution for African states.

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main militant group Wednesday threatened to unleash anarchy in the oil-rich Niger Delta should government officials accused of siphoning off funds in one of the region's states not be dealt with harshly.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Tuesday it had arrested the chief of staff to the governor of Rivers state and the secretary of the state government as it probes irregular withdrawals of large sums from government accounts.

Abuja  - Nigerian militants have released British citizen David Melford, who was abducted two weeks ago, a spokesman for the military in the oil-rich Niger Delta region said Saturday.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the expatriate, who was abducted in Eleme in Rivers State.

Nairobi/Abuja - A Nigerian militant group has said that none of its fighters were among hundreds of youths arrested in the oil-rich yet restive Niger Delta province.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said Tuesday that over 400 youths were arrested following reports that militants were recruiting to replace those killed during a recent upsurge in attacks on oil facilities.