Nigeria
Citizens,
Society, &
The State
Presentation Outline
III. Citizens, Society, & The State
a) Political socialization
b) Cleavages
c) Civil society and interest groups
d) Political violence
III. a) Political Socialization
Do you remember what political socialization
means?
1) Family
2) Ethnic tribe
3) Church/Mosque
Family
Top left: a poor woman
and her child collecting
contaminated water for
drinking
Left: A wealthy Christian family
from southern Nigeria has political
influence, power, and wealth
Ethnic tribe
Ethnic groups play a
significant role in
Nigerian political
socialization.
Tribalism and loyalty
to one’s nation is
emphasized over
allegiance to the
Nigerian state.
An Igbo family wearing traditional dress
Church/Mosque
More than 90% of Nigerians
are either Christian or
Muslim. About one half are
Christian, while the other
half are Muslim. Places of
worship are major centers
of political socialization.
Left: Christians tend to be pro-American
while Muslims generally hold an unfavorable
view of America and the West.
Top: Both Muslims and Christians do overwhelmingly
support democratic values.
III. b) Cleavages
1) Ethnic cleavages
2) Religious divisions
3) Wealth gap
Ethnic cleavages
• Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, each with
its own language, custom, and culture
• Tensions do flare up and ethnic violence
against another nation/tribe is not uncommon
• In 1967 the Igbo people separated from
Nigeria and declared independence as the
Republic of Biafra; after three years of brutal
civil war the state was reunified in 1970
Left: The short-lived
Igbo Republic of Biafra
Left: Igbo children starving
during the civil war
Top: Massacre at an Igbo hospital by
Nigerian soldiers
After the Biafran Civil
War more states were
created which
splintered the power
of the main ethnic
groups. Separatist
movements have not
disappeared but are no
where near as
prevalent as they once
were or are in states
such as China or Russia.
Religious divisions
• Religion splits Nigeria in half: The North is
Muslim while the South is Christian
• Bombings of churches and mosques occur
frequently and tensions are highest during
elections and near the middle belt
• Islamic fundamentalism and radicalism has
manifested itself in the North with the
appearance of the political group Boko Haram
Top: The results of the 2011 Nigerian presidential election reinforced the religious
divisions. The South supported the Christian PDP candidate, while the North
supported the Muslim CPC candidate
Wealth gap
• Despite its oil wealth, more than 70% of
Nigerians live in poverty
• In fact, this income gap is the largest of the 6
AP case study countries
• Poverty occurs throughout Nigeria but the
North tends to be poorer as all of Nigeria’s oil
is concentrated in the Southern Delta region
Nigeria
The North tends
to be poorer
than the South
with the
exception of
Kaduna and
Kano states
Female literacy is
lower in the
North. This is
partially
explained by
poverty, and by
the influence of
traditional
Islamic values
regarding female
education
III. c) Civil Society and interest groups
• Nigeria has an active civil society and partly free
press
• There are hundreds of different voluntary and
professional associations that operate within
Nigeria and attempt to influence government
policy
• However, some journalists have faced
intimidation, human rights groups have been
restricted at times, and some human rights
activists have been tortured and even killed
Nigeria’s press is partly free which ranks well in its
region but is certainly not up to Western liberal
democratic standards of press freedoms.
Interest Groups
• Nigeria’s interest group arrangement is best
described as an emerging pluralist system
• There are a number of prominent interest
groups which do influence government policy
• However, there still are restrictions on some
interest groups, particularly human rights
groups
Key Nigerian Interest Groups
Nigerian Bar Association Nigerian Labor Congress
National Council of
Women’s Societies
National Association of
Nigerian Students
III. d) Political violence
• Peaceful demonstrations occur throughout
Nigeria
• However, political violence does occur with
regularity, particularly during election years
• This contrasts with more liberal democracies
where political violence occurs only on rare
occasions
The Islamic Fundamentalist group Boko Haram has been responsible
for Church bombings, executions, and tortures throughout Northern
Nigeria. Boko Haram advocates creating a Nigerian theocracy and
separate state in the North
Top left: Boko Haram militants
Top right: victims of a recent
Boko Haram bombing
Niger Delta Violence- Militants in the Niger Delta have
burned oil fields; some want more oil profits; while others
are protesting the environmental damage done by the oil
industry
Top left: Niger Delta militants
Top right: The torching of oil fields in the
Niger Delta