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Mohamed Salman
Mr. Holiday
African Studies
16 November 2015
Nigeria: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Introduction
Like other African nations, Nigeria is a country that was shaped, both literally and figuratively, by colonization of the African continent in the late 19 th
century. Under
British rule from 1901-1960, Nigeria struggled to thrive after gaining independence due to its diverse ethnic and cultural groups. These divisions caused the Nigerian civil war that broke out in 30 May 1967 and ended in 13 January 1970. As a result of colonial rule and ethnic division, corruption developed into a core problem in Nigeria. Research and books on Nigeria, such as Purple Hibiscus and The African Experience , describe corruption as a core problem in Nigeria that has played a role in further exacerbating poverty, ethnic division, decrease in freedom of speech and economic strains within the country.
Background Information
With an area of 923,768 square kilometers, Nigeria is ranked as the thirty-second largest country in the world. Situated on the west coast of Africa it shares borders with four countries: Cameroon and Chad in the east, Niger in the north and Benin in the west.
Nigeria’s main rivers include the Niger and the Benue River (“About Nigeria”). The
Niger River enters Nigeria through the north and runs to the center and heads down south

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Others than for its agriculture Nigeria’s land has also gain global attention for its prosperous oil reserves that account for a big portion of their 568.5 billion dollar GDP.
With almost 98 percent of its exports coming from oil, Nigeria has become an important player in the global economy today ( "Oil in Nigeria: A Cure or Curse?" & “Nigeria” ).
Nevertheless, around 61 percent of the 173 million people living Nigeria today make less than a dollar a day (
“Nigerians living in poverty rise to nearly 61%” & “Nigeria”).
Given those facts, how can a country so rich in oil have one of the poorest populations? Corruption seems to provide an answer. The roots of Nigeria’s corruption can be traced back to the British colonial rule. As Great Britain carved parts of West
Africa they had not considered or perhaps did not care to consider the problems that will arise as a result of drawing borders with no regards to the 250 ethnic groups that would be living together (“Nigeria Facts”). As a result, tensions between different tribes mounted over the years causing the Biafra war.
The Biafra war also known as the Nigerian civil war was a conflict that started on
30 May 1967 when the southeastern province of Nigeria wanted to become a separate country known as the Republic of Biafra. The war lasted for three years, during which an estimate between 500,000 to 2 million people died of starvation. The Nigerian government blocked all access of food to the region giving them the upper hand in the war. On January 13, 1970 the Republic of Biafra surrendered the war. As a result of the

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3 war the Igbo’s (people from the region of Biafra located in the southeastern part of
Nigeria) had become excluded from government policies further deteriorating the corruption and increasing the poverty in Nigeria (“Nigerian Civil War”).
Nigeria In the News
In the news Nigeria’s corruption is a reoccurring topic that has been the source of poverty in the country however the newly elected president is confident on his ability to tackle the issue. While Nigeria ranks as the country with twenty-third highest gross domestic product, in a recent reporting, “The World Bank has estimated that as a result of corruption, 80% of … revenues in the country only benefit 1% of the population”
(“Finance and Innovation” & “World GDP ranking 2015 / Data and Charts”). This quote found in a news article further demonstrates the social gap in Nigeria. This 1 percent accounts for only 18,000 people in a country with a population of 173.6 million
(“Nigeria”). Many of the people include in the 1 percent who benefit from these revenues are government officials further reinforcing that corruption does exists in the core of
Nigeria’s political system.
Some politicians such as James Ibori who was governor of the delta state, an area known for its oil riches was accused of money laundering and theft. As the quote form a news article states:
Former Governor James Ibori embezzled an estimated $250 million from people of Delta state, Nigeria…. His salary was only $6,000 a year yet he managed to afford luxury properties. He deposited millions of dollars of stolen money in UK accounts. (Bolden)

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In 2012 Ibori was sentenced to thirteen years of prison, as he plead guilty to stealing $80 million however investigators believe that he has stolen approximately $250 million.
James Ibori is one of the few corrupt politicians who have been trialed in court for their fraud. The newly elected President Muhammad Buhari has made it one of his goals to tackle the problem of corruption as he states, “he plans to aggressively fight corruption that has longed plagued Nigeria and go after the root of the nation’s unrest” (Purefoy &
Yan).
Overview of Purple Hibiscus
In Purple Hibiscus the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie highlights corruption as a major issue in Nigeria that is seen and experienced in day-to-day situations.
Adichie’s book Purple Hibiscus takes place in post-colonial Nigeria and is narrated by the main character Kambili. Her father, Eugene, is a wealthy businessman and newspaper owner who is known for his generosity and his courage to exploit the corrupt Nigerian government through his newspaper. However, at home Eugene is an oppressively religious man who strictly imposes a radical sense of Christianity on his family. Towards the middle of the book, when things in Nigeria begin to fall apart due to political tensions the father decides to send Kambili and her brother to stay with her aunt, a university professor who lives a completely different life from the one Kambili had been exposed to. On this journey Kambili learns to admire her newfound freedom by always drawing comparisons between her life and her aunt’s life.
Through this journey the book highlights several of the issues in Nigeria that are caused by a corrupt government. One of the first instances in the book where corruption

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Papa told us, the politicians were corrupt, and the Standard had written many stories about the cabinet ministers who stashed money in foreign bank accounts, money meant for paying teachers' salaries and for building roads. (Adichie 24)
This quote reveals that some of the Nigerians in positions of power do not advocate for the welfare of the society but rather for their own selfish benefits. Some politicians when put in power see themselves as being superior to society and therefore they embezzle money that does not belong to them. As shown in the news article above, former
Governor James Ibori has embezzled an estimated $250 million and depositing them into foreign bank accounts. As stated in the quote, the money these politicians embezzle is meant to be used in the public sector, such as building roads and paying teachers’ salaries. With a corrupt government money needed to enforce these public needs will be placed in the pockets of the politicians, restraining the Nigerian economy from growing to its maximum.
To deal with this problem, Kambili’s father tries to tackle the issues through his newspaper the Standard . A news editor, Ade Coker, who works for the Standard , questions the integrity of the government through his writing. He reveals that the government will go to any lengths necessary to silence those who speak negatively about the government and its actions. In recalling a conversation with her father, Kambili says:

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Papa told me soldiers had arrested Ade Coker. His arrest was because of the big cover story in the last Standard, a story about how the Head of
State and his wife had paid people to transport heroine abroad. (Adichie
38)
This quote illustrates the restrictions to the freedom of speech and press in Nigeria. Just like Ade Coker some people in Nigeria are aware of the government’s corruption but they are unable to speak up or write about it because they would be putting their lives at risk.
Ade Coker is later murdered in the book by government authorities.
As Kambili continues to discover a different area of Nigeria she consistently draws comparisons between the privileged life she lives and the underprivileged life most
Nigerians have. During one of her many car rides with her aunt, an underpaid professor at the university, the aunt explains her financial restrains, she says, “I don’t have enough fuel in the car to reach even the ninth mile, and I don’t know when fuel will come. I cannot afford to charter a taxi” (Adichie 149). Although the Nigerian government is capable of relying 98 percent of their exports on oil they are unable to supply their own people with sufficient fuel. This shortage of fuel drives prices of fuel within the country up, which thereby increases the cost of transportation. Additionally, one would expect a professor at a university to be capable to at least afford their transportation. This quote reveals the uneven distribution of oil within a country known for its resources as well as the uneven distribution of wealth due to corruption.
Overview of corruption in Africa
In The African Experience , Vincent B. Khapoya discusses the issues that have developed across the African continent due to corruption. The first main issue the book

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He says “There is an expectation for people in public office to take care of people from their areas” (Khapoya 204). For a country like Nigeria, where there are more than 250 ethnic groups, a leader who favors his tribe will not be effective. African countries need leaders who will not be biased towards the people of their tribe but rather leaders who question those with profound support towards only their ethnic groups.
Khapoya proposes a solution that he believes will help countries deal with corruption. He explains that countries should have debates “in which rules are drawn up to prevent corruption from generating bitterness among citizens of different groups and creating a vicious circle in which each generation of leaders seems bound to repeating what the predecessors did” (Khapoya 205). People in Africa are aware of the corruption and its negative effects however most African leaders do not discuss the steps that governments need to take in order to deal with this problem.
Future Conclusions
Major social, political and economic issues in Nigeria such as income gaps, lack of freedoms, bias support towards one ethnic group and limited economic growth will continue to hurt Nigeria as long as corruption remains unaddressed and the conditions that allow it to thrive are not properly addressed. With over a 100 million Nigerians

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8 living below a dollar a day, poverty remains to be the biggest concern both in Nigeria and across the continent. Unfortunately, as both Khapoya and Adichie highlight in their books, poverty is a result of corruption. It is only when corruption decreases that poverty will decrease. Furthermore, freedom of speech is a basic human right that most Nigerians are not entitled to as a result of a corrupt government. When Ade Coker in Purple
Hibiscus questions the integrity of government he is arrested and later killed.
As a result of its colonial history, ethnic tensions and divisions are another problem that needs to be addressed in Nigeria. As Khapoya stated, those in power tend to favor those who belong to their ethnic tribe. Leaders should work on creating a society where merit is more important than culture.
Ultimately, the economy will continue to perform below its capabilities, as the distribution of wealth remains an issue. Khapoya provides a solution, that there be a debate in which leaders discuss steps needed to avoid each generation of leaders from making the same mistakes that lead to the sorts corruption highlighted in the news and in
Purple Hibiscus . If Nigeria’s new president remains committed to tackle corruption, then
Nigeria will certainly be better equipped to provide to its citizens in an adequate manner.

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Works Cited
“About Nigeria.”
African Historians . 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple Hibiscus. Chapel Hill: Algonquin of Chapel Hill,
2003. Print.
Boulden, Jim. "How Corrupt Nigerian Politician Was Brought to Justice in the UK."
CNN . Cable News Network, 9 May 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Kennedy, Rita. “Major land & Water Features of Nigeria.” Travel Tips. Web. 13 Nov.
2015.
Khapoya, Vincent B. The African Experience. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice
Hall, 1998. Print.
"Nigeria." Nigeria Home. The World Bank . Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
"Nigerian Civil War." New World Encyclopedia . 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
"Nigeria Facts.” National Geographic . Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
"Nigerians Living in Poverty Rise to Nearly 61% " BBC News. 2012. Web. 13 Feb.
2015.
"Nigeria Overview." The World Bank . Web. 12 Nov. 2015.k
"Oil in Nigeria: A Cure or Curse?" Global Citizen . 31 Aug. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
“Working in Nigeria.”
Internationals . Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
“World GDP Ranking 2015 / Data and Charts.”
Knoema . Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
Yan and Purefoy. "Nigeria Vote: Muhammadu Buhari Beats Goodluck Jonathan." CNN.
Cable News Network, 1 Apr. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

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