NIGERIA AP GOV 2013
More than 54.7% of the population (75 million people) live below
the poverty line in a country where the life expectancy is 47.
Eight years after the introduction of the president's privatisation
programmes, Nigerians are still waiting for a guaranteed electricity
supply, running water, sewerage services, improved rail and road
services and telephone facilities.
The capital, Abuja, is Nigeria's most expensive city, followed by the
oil-rich Port Harcourt and then the largest city Lagos, the country's
commercial capital. In May 2004, Mr Obasanjo introduced a homegrown economic reform programme named the National Economic
Empowerment and Development Strategy (Needs) which is
intended to promote fiscal discipline and due process in public
procurement, reform the civil service and banking system and
introduce privatisation and transparency
.
Human rights have improved considerably since 1999, though Nigeria still retains the
death penalty. The Obasanjo government set up the Oputa Panel to investigate human
rights abuses under the military, and established a Human Rights Commission.
There is a large and active civil society and a free and vibrant media. However, there are
reports of torture, beatings and extra-judicial killing, largely blamed on ill-trained membe
of the security forces.
Nigeria has some of the worst social indicators in the world: one in five
children die before the age of five; 12 million children are not in school; and
there are nearly two million Aids orphans.
Gordon Brown promised to help Nigeria tackle the unrest in the
Delta
Do you get it????
• Nigeria made its first transition from one elected
government to another when Obasanjo won a
second term in April ________ (year) The ruling
___________ (party) also dominated the
_________ (year) legislative elections, winning 76
of 109 _________seats and 223 of 360 House
seats. The ___________captured 27 seats in the
Senate and 96 in the House, while the Alliance for
Democracy won 6 Senate seats and 34 House
seats. Smaller parties secured the remainder.
Do you get it????
Successfully completed, the _______presidential election was
Nigeria's first peaceful handover from one democratically
elected president at the end of his constitutional term to the
next. The most recent failed election was the 1993 election
of M. K. O.______, which was annulled by Ibrahim
Babangida, the military dictator ruling at the time. General
Sani ________eventually seized power, and when
_______tried to claim his presidency, he was imprisoned
until his questionable death in 1998.
Do you get it????
The Nigerian general elections of 2007 were held on 14 April and 21
April 2007. Governorship and state assembly elections were held on 14 April,
while the presidential and __________ ___________elections were held a week
later on 21 April. Umaru _____ _______won the highly controversial election for
the ruling ____________________ and was sworn in on 29 May.
President Olusegun Obasanjo thus could not pursue a third term. Additionally he
was unsupported by Atiku Abubakar, his vice-president. Presidential candidates
were announced in late December 2006, and 50,000 assault rifles were ordered to
help the military maintain order during the election. Umaru Yar'Adua contested the
election for the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), and the opposition All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chose Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku Abu-Bakr, the
current Vice-President, announced on 25 November 2006 that he would contest the
election, and he subsequently became the presidential candidate of the Action
Congress in December.
Results of Election
http://africanelections.tripod.com/ng.html#2007_National_Assembly_Election
Do you get it????
Elections April________
Will Nigeria make it through a
third presidential election?
The Economist asked: Could
Double-O make it three in a row?
What was the issue???
On May 16, 2006 the Nigerian Senate voted to block a constitutional amendment
which would have allowed its president to serve more than two terms in office.
Money and Violence Hobble Democracy in Nigeria
NYT 11/24/2006
Election
April 2007
Kayode Fayemi, left, holding a microphone, a candidate
for governor of Ekiti state, campaigns for the nomination
of the Action Congress party.
Millions Vote in Nigeria, but Intimidation Is Widespread
By 10:30 a.m. in Oye, Nigeria,
officials were unable to
process a single ballot
because voters had been kept
away from the polling stations.
April 14 — Millions of Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday to choose state and local leaders in the first
stage of what is to be a landmark election for Africa’s most populous nation.
The voting was marred by unrest and violence across the country, though in some areas the polls appeared to go
smoothly. In the oil-rich Niger Delta, militants attacked police stations, burning three to the ground. In the
volatile north, the military broke up demonstrations.
The election, if it is successful, could lead to something new in Nigeria: the first time one elected government
hands over power to another, a watershed moment for a nation that has suffered through repeated coups,
military rule and a grim civil war that nearly destroyed the country.
The voting across Nigeria will choose governors for its 36 states and state and local legislatures. While much of the
international attention has focused on the presidential vote, which will take place a week later, for most people
state and local government has the deepest influence over their lives.
Voters in Nigeria lined up for hours on Saturday, long after the polls were
supposed to start. There are wide accusations of ballot rigging in favor of
the ruling PDP party NYT 4/23/27
Nigeria’s Governing Party Takes Lead in Elections
A man holding a
ballot box was part of
a mob that chased a
worker for the
Nigerian election
commission, which
has been accused of
ballot rigging and
other abuses, on
Saturday in Ekiti
State during state
elections.
ADO EKITI, Nigeria, April 15 — Violent protests broke out in several of Nigeria’s 36 states on Sunday as partial results
from highly contested state elections appeared to hand most of the victories to the governing People’s Democratic Party.
The police said 21 people had died in election violence, but local newspapers estimated that the toll was at least twice that
number.
Allegations of vote rigging, ballot stealing and intimidation in several states in the first round of Nigeria’s landmark elections
set off violence and raised fears that the country’s presidential voting, to be held later this week, could fail, according to
candidates and independent observers. Of the 10 state governor races for which results were available, the People’s
Democratic Party was leading in
8.
A mob of young men and boys, angry because
they were not able to vote, burned tires and
demolished signs during a riot in the town of
Malumfashi
.
The rioters, supporters of the opposition ANPP party, accused the ruling PDP party of rigging the elections.
The rioters, supporters of the opposition
ANPP party, accused the ruling PDP party
of rigging the elections
An absolute majority or at least 25% in two-thirds of the states is required for
a candidate to be elected in the first round.
Check to see that last pres elections were more thatn 50%
http://www.electionguide.org/electi
on.php?ID=1099
A First in Nigeria: A Peaceful __________of
Power
Nigeria’s new
president, Umaru
Yar’Adua, took
office Tuesday in
Abuja. After a
history of military
coups, Mr.
Yar’Adua’s
inauguration was
the country’s first
peaceful transition
of power between
civilians
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 29 (AP) — This time, the shots were fired in celebration.
For the first time in Nigeria’s coup-riddled history, power passed between two civilians, as
the army hailed the new president, Umaru Yar’Adua, with a 21-gun salute on Tuesday
And the winner is . . .
ABUJA, Nigeria, April 23 — The governing party’s candidate for president, Umaru Yar’Adua,
easily won the election in Nigeria, election officials here announced Monday. But his chief
rivals for the office immediately rejected the results, and international observers said that the
voting, which took place amid chaos, fraud and violence, was not credible. . . .
Mr. Yar’Adua, a 56-year-old governor of the remote northern state of Katsina, had been a
reclusive figure from a prominent political family. Under the unwritten rules of Nigerian
politics, which dictate that the presidency alternate between the north and south, a northern
Muslim like Mr. Yar’Adua would undoubtedly replace Mr. Obasanjo, a Yoruba Christian from
the southwest. . . . .
Seldom seen outside his home state and rumored to have kidney disease, Mr. Yar’Adua was a
surprise choice for the ruling party as a presidential candidate, leading to speculation that he
was chosen as a weak stand-in for Mr. Obasanjo, who is limited to two terms as president by
the Constitution.
But supporters of Mr. Yar’Adua say he is his own man, who plans to continue the reforms of
Mr. Obasanjo’s government, but put his own stamp on the nation.
December 14, 2008
Legal Victory Can’t Erase Nigerian Leader’s Troubles
By WILL CONNORS
LAGOS, Nigeria — The last legal challenge to the legitimacy of
President Umaru Yar’Adua was quashed by the Supreme Court last
week, but he and Nigeria are far from out of the woods.
Although Mr. Yar’Adua, a former governor from a remote northern
state, finally has a firm mandate to take charge of Nigeria, Africa’s
most populous and oil-rich country, he has accomplished so little in
the 19 months since his flawed election that few believe that he can.
In its 4-to-3 decision on Friday in his favor, the Supreme Court did
little to inspire confidence in the president or in the circumstances
that brought him to power. While dismissing the suit brought by
opposition leaders to overturn the April 2007 elections, the court
conceded that widespread voting irregularities had occurred and
severely chastised the national electoral commission for
incompetence. .
• Nigeria Registers 67.8 Million Eligible
Voters for Coming General Election
Nigeria elects on federal level a head of state (the President of
Nigeria) and a legislature (the National Assembly). The president is
elected by the people. The _______ ___________has two chambers.
The ____________ of ______________has 360 members, elected
for a four year term in single-seat constituencies. The _______has
109 members, elected for a four year term: the 36 states are divided
in 3 senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital
Territory elects only one senator.
Nigeria has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties
and a third party that is electorally successful.
For pres: TRS: An absolute majority or at least 25% in
two-thirds of the states is required for a candidate to be
elected in the first round.
The People's Democratic Party is a centrist political party in Nigeria. It won
the Presidential elections of , 2003, and 2007, and is the dominant party in the
Fourth Republic.
The PDP favors free-market policies which support economic liberalism, and
limited government regulation.
In The PDP strives to maintain the status quo on oil revenue distribution.
Though the PDP government setup the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC) to address the needs of the oil-producing Niger Delta states, it has
rebuffed repeated efforts to revert back to the 50% to 50% federal-to-state
government revenue allocation agreement established in 1966.
Social issues
The PDP is against same sex relations, and favors social conservatism on
moral and religious grounds. In 2007, the PDP-dominated National
Assembly sponsored a bill to outlaw homosexual relations, making it
punishable by law for up to five years in prison
On the other hand, the PDP adopts a more leftist stance towards poverty
and welfare. In 2005, President Obasanjo launched Nigeria's first
National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure that every Nigerian
has access to basic health care services
The party is a moderate advocate of state-autonomy and religious
freedom for the Nigerian provinces. In the year 2000 the introduction of
Islamic law in some states in Northern Nigeria triggered sectarian
violence in Kaduna and Abia states. The PDP-led federal government
refused to bow to pressure from the southern, predominantly Christian
states to repeal the law, and instead opted for a compromise where
Islamic law would only apply to Muslims.
The Action Congress (AC) is a classical liberal Nigerian political party
formed via the merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party,
the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political
parties in September 2006
The party was formed in 2006 in order to form a larger political
opposition to the federally-dominant centrist People's Democratic Party
and the Northern-based All Nigeria Peoples Party
The party ran Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who defected from the
People's Democratic Party, as its presidential candidate in the 2007
presidential election. Abubakar was disqualified from the election by the
Independent National Electoral Commission, but the disqualification
was later overturned by the Supreme Court.[1] Currently, the party's
most prominent elected official is governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos
State.
The ANPP is the household party in the extreme north of
Nigeria, primarily due to its mass appeal. It is the strongest
opposition party, controlling seven of the nation's thirty-six states.
The ANPP is a right-wing conservative party with mass appeal.
The party draws its strength from the predominantly radical
region of Northern Nigeria, and strives to maintain the status quo
of radical politics in the Nigerian polity.[
Nigeria moves to tighten gay laws
Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 18:57 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6362505.stm
BBC
Biafra war: Attacks,
blockade killed more than
a million
General Abacha was
accused of stealing some
$3bn from state
_______ _________: a sudden shock to state policy involving
deliberate violation of constitutional reforms by a group of persons in
authority; a quick and decisive seizure of governmental power by a
strong military or political group. In contrast to a revolution, a coup
does not involve a mass uprising. Rather, in a typical coup, a small
group of politicians or generals arrests the incumbent leaders, seizes
the national radio and television services and proclaims itself in power.
French for stroke of the state or blow to the government
APRIL 1990 COUP D'ETAT SPEECH
Fellow Nigerian Citizens,
On behalf of the patriotic and well-meaning peoples of the Middle Belt and the
southern parts of this country, I , Major Gideon Orkar, wish to happily inform you
of the successful ousting of the dictatorial, corrupt, drug baronish, evil man,
deceitful, homo-sexually-centered, prodigalistic, un-patriotic administration of
General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. We have equally commenced their trials
for unabated corruption, mismanagement of national economy, the murders of
Dele Giwa, Major-General Mamman Vasta, with other officers as there was no
attempted coup but mere intentions that were yet to materialise and other human
rights violations.
The National Guard already in its formative stage is disbanded with immediate
effect. Decrees Number 2 and 46 are hereby abrogated. We wish to emphasise
that this is not just another coup but a well conceived, planned and executed
revolution for the marginalised, oppressed and enslaved peoples of the Middle
Belt and the south with a view to freeing ourselves and children yet unborn from
eternal slavery and colonisation by a clique of this country.
Our history is replete with numerous and uncontrollable instances of callous and
insensitive dominatory repressive intrigues by those who think it is their birthright
to dominate till eternity the political and economic privileges of this great country
to the exclusion of the people of the Middle Belt and the south.
General Abdusalami Abubakarer:
"All along - as far back as 1979, '72 - the military
have been wanting to hand over, but because of
one thing or another, the politicians, the civilians,
fail to do things correctly and the military thought
they should intervene to correct these anomalies."
--NewsHour, 10/21/98
One of the most fragmented societies in the
world:
•Ethnicity: Between 250-400 separate ethnic groups
(many have very little in common, different languages,
religions, etc…)
•Religion: Many arguments still exist over the preferential
treatment given to the Christians by the British, the role of
Islam’s religious law in the nation’s policymaking practices
are also a major concern
•Region: Nigeria was divided into three federated regions
five years before independence, differences are still very
evident
•Urban v. Rural: Most organized protests occur in the
cities, as well as media outlets
•Social Class: Rich v. poor division runs deep. Elites
control the state’s resources-appealing to the ethnic and
religious identities of the people
Nigeria is home to some 250 ethnic groups
Dominant among them is the _________ and ________who are overwhelmingly
Muslim and concentrated in the north, the _______(also spelled Ibo), predominantly
Christian and concentrated in the southeast, the _________are found in the southwest
and are divided between Christian, Muslims, and local animist faiths.
nearly a third of the population belongs of these three groups
The broad characterisation of a Muslim Hausa-speaking north, and a
Christian south made up of two dominant tribes - the Yoruba in the
southwest and the Ibo in the southeast - is a vast over-simplification.
In some states across central Nigeria, for example, it is possible to
drive down a road, stopping at each tiny settlement, encountering a
different language spoken in every single one.
And to further complicate this ethnic mix, over the decades and even
centuries, people have moved around what is now modern day
Nigeria. A substantial minority of southern Christians now live in the
north, as many northern Hausa Muslims have migrated south
Reports of
clashes in
one part of
Nigeria can
lead to
reprisals
elsewhere
Nigeria's
Middle-Belt
has hundreds
of
communities
living sideby-side
CIA Factbook: Religions--Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous
beliefs 10% --statistics vary—remember the census?
English: official language
Diversity has created significant problems for the consolidation
of democracy
each group to sees politics in zero-sum terms (an electoral victory by a Hausa
candidate, for example, is viewed as a blow to the interests of the Yoruba, and
vice-versa)
military leaders often played on the fears of ethnic conflict as a justification
for authoritarianism, arguing that democracy only exacerbated these fault lines
between regions and peoples.
Army patrols have restored calm in
Lagos
In May 1967 the Igbo dominated Eastern Region seceded from Nigeria,
declaring itself the Republic of Biafra. Although the Biafrans were
outnumbered and outgunned, they held off the Nigerian military for three years,
helped in part by international support, which believed that the Nigerian
government was conducting a genocidal war against the Igbo. Azikiwe, who had
been dismissed from his post by the military government, became a prominent
supporter of Biafran independence. Biafra was defeated in 1970. Although this
did not lead to the Igbo extermination that many feared, the war itself exacted
huge costs in terms of military and civilian life—estimates range from 500,000 to
as high as three million
GO to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/
june/30/newsid_3733000/3733321.stm
Nigeria Turns From Harsher Side of
Islamic Law
KANO, Nigeria — Just last year, the morality police roamed these streets in dusky blue uniforms and black
berets, brandishing cudgels at prayer shirkers and dragging fornicators into Islamic courts to face sentences
like death by public stoning.
But these days, the fearsome police officers, known as the Hisbah, are little more than glorified crossing
guards. They have largely been confined to their barracks and assigned anodyne tasks like directing traffic
and helping fans to their seats at soccer games.
The Islamic revolution that seemed so destined to transform northern Nigeria in recent years appears to have
come and gone — or at least gone in a direction few here would have expected.
When Muslim-dominated states like Kano adopted Islamic law after the fall of military rule in 1999, radical
clerics from the Arabian peninsula arrived in droves to preach a draconian brand of fundamentalism, and
newly empowered religious judges handed down tough punishments like amputation for theft. Kano became
a center of anti-American sentiment in one of the most reliably pro-American countries in Africa.
But since then, much of the furor has died down, and the practice of Islamic law, or Shariah, which had gone
on for centuries in the private sphere before becoming enshrined in public law, has settled into a distinctively
Nigerian compromise between the dictates of faith and the chaotic realities of modern life in an
impoverished, developing nation.
“Shariah needs to be practical,” said Bala Abdullahi, a civil servant here. “We are a developing country, so
there is a kind of moderation between the ideas of the West and traditional Islamic values. We try to weigh it
so there is no contradiction.”
Girls in Kano, Nigeria, attend a hybrid
school that combines Islamic
education with secular subjects like
math and reading
New programs have sprung up to encourage parents to send their
daughters to hybrid public elementary schools that offer traditional
Islamic education along with math and reading. In many of these
classes girls outnumber boys
Girls in Kano distributed textbooks to their classmates
The United States Agency for International Development is so impressed
with the potential of these programs that one-third of the schools it
supports across Nigeria are integrated Islamic and secular schools,
according to officials at the agency.
A sign in Kano reminds visitors that religious law is in place throughout
the state and that they should "take heed."
Since 1999 and the end of military rule communal violence has
risen, as the state no longer is able to suppress the public as it
pleases and as the struggle for control over the state has returned to
the populace. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, it is
estimated that such conflicts have taken over 12,000 lives and left
three quarters of a million displaced, This violence frequently has
economic motives, with its origins in conflicts over access to state
funds, oil revenues, jobs or other resources. Moreover, it is
frequently asserted that political elites capitalize on these
conflicts as a way to build their base of support, even to the point
of inciting conflict through words and actions (such as paying
supporters to attack rival groups).
Reports of clashes in one
part of Nigeria can lead to
reprisals elsewhere
These conflicts also have a religious component. In recent years there has been
a deepening fissure between Muslims, who are concentrated in the north, with
Christians and animists in the south. The catalyst for this conflict has been the
role of Sharia, or Islamic law. Under British rule Islamic law was preserved in
the north and continued to serve an important, if limited, role. This practice was
continued under independent Nigeria, but by the 1970s Islamic groups began to
press the Babangida regime to allow for the expansion of Sharia’s use in the north
as well as its use in higher courts, where it had no authority.
The body of a Muslim victim of the violence
lay Thursday outside a ruined mosque as a
member of a local gang looked inside. Attacks
on Muslims in the south of Nigeria followed
attacks on Christians in the north.
While the repression of the Abacha regime froze much of
this activism, it quickly revived with the onset of civilian
rule. Muslim leaders and publics saw the expansion of
Sharia as a way to overcome the corruption of the military
era and a way to reassert their rights in a democratic system.
Some political leaders also clearly saw the issue in a more
cynical light as a way to garner public support. Shortly
after the 1999 elections a number of northern states
made Sharia the primary law, extending it to criminal and
other matters. This legal system included a severe provision
for adultery and apostasy (leaving the faith): death by
stoning. The imposition of Sharia touched off some of the
worst violence under civilian rule; in one incident in 2000,
clashes between Christians and Muslims in the city of
Kaduna left two thousand dead. This tension over Sharia
also grabbed international attention when two women were
sentenced to be stoned for adultery. Although eventually
overturned by higher courts, the seeming incompatibility
between secular national law and an expansive regional use
of Sharia remains a serious and potentially destabilizing
issue
After the ruling
Ms Ibrahim
thanked those
who had
helped her
BBC Nov 2004
Counting the Bodies in the Aftermath
of Clashes in Nigeria
Women passed a destroyed house in Jos, Nigeria,
on Monday. Life began to return to normal after
election-related violence.
Muslim’s rioted in 2002 over the plans to hold the
“Miss World” contest, which they see as offensive to
their values, in Nigeria.
WP: Feb 2006 Ifeanyi Eze uses a
piece of charred wood to write on
the wall of a mosque in Onitsha:
"Mohammed is a man but Jesus is
from above."
A mosque in Onitsha was
destroyed by Christian rioters.
NYT Feb 24 2006
The state government has subsidized motorized rickshaws to transport
women, who had been barred from riding motorcycle taxis at one point
Garba Shehu, a former Muslim from Dutse who converted to evangelical
Christianity, walks through a church that was burned and vandalized
during a spate of religious violence in September 2006. "We thank God
we don't see the same tensions as before," he said.
Children searched a local trash dump in Kano. After
eight years of rule by the PDP party, many Nigerians
are disillusioned and disappointed that services have
not improved.
Militants from the
Movement for the
Emancipation of the
Niger Delta patrolling the
delta. Photographs by
Michael Kamber
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta
("MEND") is a militant indigenous people's movement
dedicated to armed struggle against the exploitation and
oppression of the people of Niger Delta and the degradation of
the natural environment by foreign multinational corporations
involved in the extraction of oil in the Niger Delta and the
Federal Government of Nigeria. MEND has been linked to
attacks on foreign owned petroleum companies in Nigeria.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/02/junger200702
New militia is potent force in Nigeria's oil-rich delta region
A well-organized rebel group has emerged to shut off more than one-fifth of
Nigeria's oil output.
By Daniel Balint Kurti | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
WARRI, NIGERIA - Gunmen dressed in black balaclavas and camouflage flak
jackets approach in a boat. As it draws alongside, their voices can be heard singing.
The chorus fades and they introduce themselves.
"We are the security men of the Niger delta," says one of the men in the blue
speedboat bristling with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
"Nobody is going to hurt you. We are everywhere in the Niger delta."
The singing militiamen are part of the newly organized Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and are the latest expression of local
resentment in a region of the country where tens of millions of dollars worth of oil are
extracted each day, but most people live on only several hundred dollars each year.
The MEND organization, whose leadership remains a matter of speculation, appears to
be better organized, trained, and equipped
than any other group to emerge so far from this restive,
swampy region
FREE: American hostage Macon Hawkins was released
by MEND militants last week. March 7 2006
The Economist has described the organization as one that "portrays
itself as political organisation that wants a greater share of
Nigeria’s oil revenues to go to the impoverished region that sits
atop the oil. In fact, it is more of an umbrella organisation for
several armed groups, which it sometimes pays in cash or guns to
launch attacks."
5 Die in Violence Over Nigeria's Census
LAGOS, Nigeria, March 20 (Reuters) — Five people were killed and dozens
injured in southwestern Nigeria in weekend clashes linked to this week's
national census, the police said Monday.
The census is the first attempt in 15 years by Nigeria, Africa's most populous
country, to conduct a head count.
Estimates of Nigeria's population range from 120 million to 150 million, and
the government says it needs more precise data.
Organizers have excluded ethnicity and religion from the census questionnaire
to avoid the rigging and fighting by rival interest groups that discredited
previous censuses.
The census dictates who
really holds power
However, some communities are hoping to use the census to record their
claims to land or property. In southwestern Ondo State, fighting broke out
between the Ijaw and Ikale communities over ownership of the village of
Taribo.
"Five people were killed in the clashes," a police spokesman said by
telephone from Akure, the capital of Ondo State. "We recovered their
bodies from the bush."
The violence in Ondo was one of several incidents before the census,
which starts on Tuesday and runs until Saturday.
Census organizers have to deal with the logistical challenges of a vast,
chaotic, impoverished country with few decent roads, as well as rival
regions, religious communities and ethnic groups eager to assert their
numerical superiority.
The last census was carried out
14 years ago BBC March
21,2006
Olusegun Obasanjo (Former General):
regime change in 1999
•
•
•
•
•
the officer who accepted the surrender of
Biafran forces in the 1967-70 civil war
First became president of Nigeria in
1976, stepping in when then president
Gen. Murtala Muhammad was
assassinated. In 1979, Obasanjo
voluntarily stepped down after the
election of President Shehu Shagari .
A vocal opponent of Sani Abacha's
military dictatorship in the early 1990s,
Obasanjo was jailed in 1995 and released
after Abacha's death in 1998.
He became leader of the People's
Democratic Party (PDP) and was
elected president in 1999, ending 16
•. Obasanjo was born in Abeokuta in
years of military rule.
1937.
Reelected in 2003 (62% of vote) : the
third democratically elected executive to •He is a Christian of Yoruba descent
govern Nigeria and the only president to
have been reelected to that office for a
second term.
Elections
As in the United States, Nigerians directly
elect their president and separately elect
members of both chambers of their legislature,
the National Assembly.
But unlike the United States, presidents,
senators, and representatives all serve four
year terms and all three elections are held
simultaneously.
In an effort to assure that the president serves with a national mandate, Nigeria’s
constitution requires that the winning presidential candidate obtain both the highest
number of overall votes and at least 25 percent of the ballots cast in at least twothirds of the states. This became an issue of contention in the 1979 election when
the Supreme Court was called upon to determine what constituted two-thirds of
Nigeria’s then only 19 states (now there are 36). Ultimately the court ruled that
Shagari’s victory in 12 states—not the 13 demanded by the opposition—sufficed and
Shagari was named president. The constitution holds that if no candidate succeeds
in reaching the two-thirds threshold in the first round, a second round of voting takes
place a week later pitting top candidates against each other.
All 360 seats in the House of Representatives are contested in single member
voting districts divided roughly equally by population
The 109 members of the Senate are elected from Nigeria’s 36 states, with
each state comprising a 3-seat multi-member constituency district. The
federal district or “capital territory” of Abuja also elects one senator in a single
seat constituency for the 109th seat.
Although the Senate’s multi-member districts with their smaller threshold for
victory would seem to afford smaller parties a better chance of electing
candidates than the winner-take-all system used in the House, in fact only three
parties are represented in the Senate, while four additional smaller parties have
managed to win either one or two seats in the House. The success of these
smaller parties reflects the geographic concentration of ethnic groups willing
to vote in blocs large enough to obtain a plurality of votes, such as the Kanuri
minority of Northeastern Nigeria.
Nigerian Constitutions
–1914 (First-written), 1999 (Last- written)
–Since Independence, Nigeria has been governed by six
different constitutions (and four others during the colonial era).
-The problem for Nigerian political leaders has not been
coming up with rules of good governance, but rather abiding by
them:
–Realities of politics and government in Nigeria
are NOT always reflected in the constitution and
formal structure of the government.
–The person in the executive office, military or
civilian, has created the regime as much as the
law.
http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm
In an effort to assure that the president serves with a national mandate, Nigeria’s
constitution requires that the winning presidential candidate obtain both the
highest number of overall votes and at least 25 percent of the ballots cast in at
least two-thirds of the states.
The Nigerian constitution also stipulates that the "federal character" must be
reflected in every government appointment.
This means that the relative strengths of every ethnic and religious group must be
taken into consideration in determining appointments in the civil service, the
armed forces and political institutions.
http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm
“Federal Character” Principle:
14. (1) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based
on the principles of democracy and social justice.
...
(3) The composition of the Government of the Federation or
any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be
carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal
character of Nigeria and the need to promote national
unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby
ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons
from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional
groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.
The Executive Branch of Nigeria
• Nearly thirty years of military rule is a major hint that the
Nigerian government is VERY CENTRALIZED
• Each military regime was different, but most ruled via a
“council” of mainly military men (i.e. the GOWON and
BABANGIDA regimes operated by consensus)
• The longer each regime lasted the smaller, and more
authoritative the councils became
• The EXCEPTION to this rule was the harsh dictatorial
rule of Sani Abacha
• Military councils usually were advised by a cabinet which
was partially civilian in nature (experts in their fields)
The Executive Branch of Nigeria
• The First Republic (1963-1979) was modeled after the
British Parliamentary system. Thus the Chief Executive
was a Prime Minister. Many blamed the conflicts in this
time on the absence of one strong chief executive, and thus
the Second and later republics substituted a popularly
elected president for the prime minister of the first
republics.
The Executive Branch
• Popularly elected (like the US he chooses and runs with a VP);
• Head of state and government (he and his ministers may not
simultaneously serve in the National Assembly);
• Commander-in-chief of the armed forces;
• Serves a four year FIXED term ( maximum of two terms);
• Performs ceremonial duties of leadership;
• Veto (subject to 2/3 override)
• Oversees the daily administration of gov’t
• Coordinates/ oversees armed forces;
• Appoints gov’t ministers (confirmed by
Senate);
• The President and his ministers make up a
Federal Executive Committee (assure that
enacted laws are properly implemented)
Nigeria: Senate Approves
N18,000 National Minimum
Wage (news)
Vanguard
23 February 2011
The Senate has approved the
N18,000 new national minimum
wage for workers proposed by
President Goodluck Jonathan.
L-R: President Jonathan, Senate
President David Mark and House
of Reps Speaker, Dimeji Bankole.
Yar'Adua May Veto Budget
This Day (Lagos)
14 February 2008
By Sufuyan Ojeifo, Abuja
The President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua may veto the 2008 Appropriation Bill when it is passed
into law by the National Assembly, THISDAY has learnt.
The President is said to be "very worried" about the "spending spree" built into the budget by
the federal lawmarkers which has the potential to cause inflation and erode the economic
gains of the past few years.
Although the President has the power to veto a bill, the National Assembly can override the
veto with two-thirds vote.
Yesterday, barely 24 hours after the Senate and House passed the 2008 Appropriation Bill with
varying final figures, the Senate announced an 11-member committee to harmonise the
differences between it and the House over the bill.
The bill was presented to a joint sitting of the National Assembly by President Yar'Adua on
November 7, 2007.
Two days ago, the Senate approved N2.898 trillion as 2008 budget while the House jacked the
budget up to N2.944 trillion, representing about N46 billion more than the Senate figure.
The harmonisation committee is expected to have equal number of representatives from the
two chambers of the National Assembly.
The Legislature- Will it be an en an effective
check on the Executive branch?
•
•
•
•
•
•
The National Assembly is bicameral (Senate & House of Representatives);
The Upper House is the Senate has 109 members ( three per 36 states/equal
representation, and one from the Federal Capital Territory, ABUJA
The National Assembly (formerly the House of Representatives) has 360
members from single member districts, elected by plurality
Both houses serve four year terms, and are popularly elected;
The House and Senate must agree before any bill is passed as law, which in turn
must receive the President's assent. Should the President delay or refuse assent
(veto) the bill, the Assembly may pass the law by two-thirds of both chambers
and overrule the veto and the President's consent will not be required.
Either House can originate legislation; but bills do not become laws until they
are passed by both houses, and assent to the president
Exec Leg relations
In spite of a more than two-thirds majority control of the Assembly by the ruling
PDP)the PDP government led by Olusegun Obasanjo and the Assembly have been
known more for their disagreements than for their cooperation. President Obasanjo has
been accused of interference in the Assembly's affairs while the Assembly's PDP
members have actively supported two impeachment attempts by opposition
legislators. The Senate also refused to amendmend the Constitution to allow double O
to go 3 in a row.
While the Assembly has made strong and often popular efforts to assert its authority and
independence against the executive, they are still viewed generally in a negative light
by the media and a majority of population.
NOT divided government now: 2003 election results: Senate - percent of
vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%; seats by party PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD 34, other 6; note - one seat is vacant
2007:
http://africanelections.tripod.com/ng.html#2007_National_Assembly_El
Women in Politics
Country
Rank
*
Lower or Single House
Elections
United States
71
Upper House or Senate
Seats
Women
%W
Elections
Seats
Women
%W
435
74
17.0 %
11 2008
100
17
17%
11 2008
United Kingdom
60
05 2005
646
127
19.7%
N/A
721
126
17.5%
Russia
82
12 2007
447
63
14%
N/A
178
8
4.7%
China
52
03 2008
2987
637
21.3%
---
---
---
---
Iran
129
03 2008
286
8
2.8%
---
---
---
---
Mexico
43
07 2006
500
116
23.2%
07 2006
128
23
18%
Nigeria
116
04 2007
360
25
7%
04 2007
109
9
8.3%
The Judiciary
•
•
•
•
Interpret the laws;
Supreme Court is at the apex;
Court of Appeals and a Federal High Court;
The Capital of Abuja has a High Court, Sharia Court of
Appeal, and Customary Court of Appeal
• Also state courts (federal system) which deal with most
criminal law
• Legal system based on English common law, Islamic law
(in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
December 14, 2008
Legal Victory Can’t Erase Nigerian Leader’s Troubles
By WILL CONNORS
LAGOS, Nigeria — The last legal challenge to the legitimacy of
President Umaru Yar’Adua was quashed by the Supreme Court last
week, but he and Nigeria are far from out of the woods.
Although Mr. Yar’Adua, a former governor from a remote northern
state, finally has a firm mandate to take charge of Nigeria, Africa’s
most populous and oil-rich country, he has accomplished so little in
the 19 months since his flawed election that few believe that he can.
In its 4-to-3 decision on Friday in his favor, the Supreme Court did
little to inspire confidence in the president or in the circumstances
that brought him to power. While dismissing the suit brought by
opposition leaders to overturn the April 2007 elections, the court
conceded that widespread voting irregularities had occurred and
severely chastised the national electoral commission for
incompetence. .
President Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria, left, and
Atiku Abubakar, a rival who unsuccessfully
challenged his election in court. Feb 26 2008
Nigerian VP 'cannot be removed‘
BBC Feb 20 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6378625.stm
An appeals court has ruled Nigerian leader
Olusegun Obasanjo did not have the power
to sack his vice-president for joining an
opposition party.
The court in the capital, Abuja, ruled Atiku
Abubakar should remain in his post despite his Mr Abubakar's spokesman Garba Shehu
defection to the Action Congress for
immediately hailed the verdict, describing it as "a
presidential polls.
huge relief and a demonstration of the fact that the
In December, President Obasanjo's spokesman
announced Mr Abubakar had "technically
resigned" as a result.
He also asked the ruling People's Democratic
Party to find a replacement.
"The president has no power under the
constitution... to declare the office of the vicepresident vacant," Justice Umaru Abdullahi
said in his ruling.
judiciary works in Nigeria".
"The president should go and bury his head in
shame. He has lost all the cases he instituted
against the vice-president."
The ruling is to be challenged in Nigeria's Supreme
Court.
It is the latest twist in a long-running political
struggle between the two men, after Mr Abubakar
blocked the president's attempt to stand for a third
term in the forthcoming presidential election in
April.
Nigeria court upholds Yar'Adua electoral victory
Tue Feb 26, 9:03 AM ET
A Nigerian court Tuesday upheld the April 2007 election of Umaru
Yar'Adua as Nigeria's president, dismissing two petitions requesting a
re-run on grounds of electoral fraud.
"Since the two consolidated petitions have failed, Umaru Yar'Adua
and Goodluck Jonathan remain validly elected as president and vice
president of Nigeria," presiding judge James Ogebe ruled.
Opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari,
who both lost to Yar'Adua in last year's poll, said the election was
rigged and should be annulled.
Federalism
• At independence, Nigeria had three states
• The number of states grew to 19 in 1976, to 30 by 1991,
and since 1996, there have been 36 states plus the Federal
Capital territory.
• In 2003, President Obasanjo promised considering
adding more
– By adding states the government helps to defuse ethnic-based
political conflict
– The cost for increased numbers of governments has steadily
increased
– Competition for oil money is fierce amongst the states. What we
call Pork Barrel politics in the USA is called “CHOP-CHOP”
politics in Nigeria
“Chop Chop” Politics
Chop (as defined by the Babawilly Dictionary)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Food
Income
Bribe
Embezzle money (e.g Dat Oga chop belle-full bifor e
retire).
“Chop-chop politics” refers to the basic log-rolling idea. If
I help you get your “chop,” you’ll help me get my
“chop.”
(Wedding, p. 159)
The Nigerian States (36)
• Each of the 36 states is headed by a popularly elected
governor who serves a four year term;
• Each state has a unicameral State House of Assembly
(comprised of popularly elected representatives from the
local government areas);
• The number of House of Assembly members in each state
is comprised of three times the number of seats that it has
in the House of Representatives
• There area total of 774 local government areas across
Nigeria
Relation b/w State and Federal gov’ts;
Oil revenues help the __________ gov’t
Centralization:
• national government control of the lion’s share of oil revenues has provided the
patrimonial glue that keeps the local regions dependent on the center. Put simply, the
central government controls the purse strings, and the Nigerian purse depends almost
completely on oil revenues. Not surprisingly, as oil revenues have expanded, so has
the public sector at all levels and the levels of corruption associated with this patronage.
At the same time, it has led to increased disputes over the percentage of these oil
revenues—known as the “derivation formula”—that that should accrue back to the
oil-producing localities.
Evid of Centralization or Decentralization?
Twelve northern Nigerian states have
introduced Sharia since the year 2000.
The move initially heightened tensions
between Muslims and Christians and
led to clashes which left thousands
dead.
SHARIA LAW
Safiya Husseini,
acquitted after death
sentence for adultery
Many
amputations
sentences
have not
been carried
out
Sharia was
very popular
in the north
when
introduced
The authorities in the northern Nigerian state of Kano
have imposed a ban on Muslim men and women
travelling together on public transport.
You have no excuse to carry a woman
who is neither your wife nor your mother
on a motorcycle
Ibrahim Kaliel
Muslim cleric
Elections in __________ (year)
2011 Gubernatorial election results
Elections
As in the United States, Nigerians directly
elect their president and separately elect
members of both chambers of their legislature,
the National Assembly.
But unlike the United States, presidents,
senators, and representatives all serve four
year terms and all three elections are held
simultaneously.
In an effort to assure that the president serves with a national mandate, Nigeria’s
constitution requires that the winning presidential candidate obtain both the highest
number of overall votes and at least 25 percent of the ballots cast in at least twothirds of the states. This became an issue of contention in the 1979 election when
the Supreme Court was called upon to determine what constituted two-thirds of
Nigeria’s then only 19 states (now there are 36). Ultimately the court ruled that
Shagari’s victory in 12 states—not the 13 demanded by the opposition—sufficed and
Shagari was named president. The constitution holds that if no candidate succeeds
in reaching the two-thirds threshold in the first round, a second round of voting takes
place a week later pitting top candidates against each other.
All 360 seats in the House of Representatives are contested in single member
voting districts divided roughly equally by population; wta
The 109 members of the Senate are elected from Nigeria’s 36 states, with
each state comprising a 3-seat multi-member constituency district. The
federal district or “capital territory” of Abuja also elects one senator in a single
seat constituency for the 109th seat.
Although the Senate’s multi-member districts with their smaller threshold for
victory would seem to afford smaller parties a better chance of electing
candidates than the winner-take-all system used in the House, in fact only three
parties are represented in the Senate, while four additional smaller parties have
managed to win either one or two seats in the House. The success of these
smaller parties reflects the geographic concentration of ethnic groups willing
to vote in blocs large enough to obtain a plurality of votes, such as the Kanuri
minority of Northeastern Nigeria.
Civil Society
Neither the British colonial
government nor the series of
military authoritarian regimes
has been able to squelch
Nigeria’s rich tradition of
activism and dissent. Even
Abacha’s oppressive
dictatorship in the 1990s
could not fully muzzle what
one foreign observer referred
to as Nigerian citizens’
“defiant spunk.”
Unions have existed in Nigeria for almost a century
The Nigerian Media
• When compared to other like countries, it is well developed
and independent, a touch of Britain perhaps? About 80
national and local papers are available in English, but
literacy is a major concern
• BBC: Nigeria's media scene is one of the most vibrant in
Africa. State-run radio and TV services reach virtually all
parts of the country and operate at a federal and regional
level. All 36 states run their own radio stations, and most
of them operate TV services
General Abacha acted out of the norm when he closed
newspapers and magazines in 1994.
• Most of the media is ethnic based, and the more outspoken
sources generally are found in the south.
• A lot of the media is also government run, but the private
broadcasters are some of the most competitive in Africa
and radio news is very popular (Wedding, pp. 156-15
5 Die in Violence Over Nigeria's Census
LAGOS, Nigeria, March 20 (Reuters) — Five people were killed and dozens
injured in southwestern Nigeria in weekend clashes linked to this week's
national census, the police said Monday.
The census is the first attempt in 15 years by Nigeria, Africa's most populous
country, to conduct a head count.
Estimates of Nigeria's population range from 120 million to 150 million, and
the government says it needs more precise data.
Organizers have excluded ethnicity and religion from the census questionnaire
to avoid the rigging and fighting by rival interest groups that discredited
previous censuses.
The census dictates who
really holds power
However, some communities are hoping to use the census to record their
claims to land or property. In southwestern Ondo State, fighting broke out
between the Ijaw and Ikale communities over ownership of the village of
Taribo.
"Five people were killed in the clashes," a police spokesman said by
telephone from Akure, the capital of Ondo State. "We recovered their
bodies from the bush."
The violence in Ondo was one of several incidents before the census,
which starts on Tuesday and runs until Saturday.
Census organizers have to deal with the logistical challenges of a vast,
chaotic, impoverished country with few decent roads, as well as rival
regions, religious communities and ethnic groups eager to assert their
numerical superiority.
The last census was carried out
14 years ago BBC March
21,2006
Social Movements
Initially as spokesperson, and then as President, of the
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
(MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign
against environmental damage associated with the
operations of multinational oil companies, especially
Shell.
He was executed by the Nigerian Military in 1995, his
death provoking international outrage
Members of Movement for the
Emancipation for the Niger Delta.
Photo: George Osodi/AP
Nigeria’s Economy
OIL
Almost of all of Nigeria's current production of about 2.6/mbpd
comes from the onshore Niger Delta region shown here.
A Rentier State
A state that derives a substantial portion of its revenue on a regular basis from payments
by foreign concerns in the form of rents: a subsystem of rentier economy, which is
an economy heavily supported by state expenditure, while the state itself continually
receives rents from abroad.
Bonny, site of one of Shell's
main oil facilities in Nigeria
the capitalintensive oil
sector provides
20% of GDP,
95% of foreign
exchange
earnings, and
about 65% of
budgetary
revenues
.
A major oil exporter to the US
Nigeria, meanwhile, is the fifth-biggest supplier of US oil imports - and
Africa's largest oil exporter. In 10 years, by some estimates, the US will
get a fourth of its oil from Africa.
Fighting for Nigeria’s Oil: click on the link to see pictures
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/africa_fighting_for_nigeria0s_
oil/html/1.stm
As in other less developed countries, in the years following independence the
country opted for a system of import substitution, creating tariff barriers and
parastatal industries with the objective of rapidly industrializing the country.
This ambitious program was made possible by oil sales, which during the
1970s benefited from high prices. These programs suffered from corruption,
but just as importantly, the Nigerian state directed resources toward industries
for political reasons, without a clear understanding of whether such
investments would be profitable. For example, eight billion dollars was spent
in the attempt to create a domestic steel industry that in the end barely
produced any steel The decline in oil prices in the 1980s and subsequent
economic crisis and deep foreign debt led Nigeria to initiate a policy of
structural adjustment that moved the country away from import
substitution, though the economy remained highly regulated and closed to
trade.
From the CIA FACTBOOK:
These two-hundred foot tall pillars of flaming
natural gas have been burning constantly
since the 1970s.
Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by
political instability, corruption,
inadequate infrastructure, and poor
macroeconomic management, is
undertaking some reforms under a new
reform-minded administration. Nigeria's
former military rulers failed to diversify
the economy away from its
overdependence on the capital-intensive
oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP,
95% of foreign exchange earnings, and
about 65% of budgetary revenues. The
largely subsistence agricultural sector has
failed to keep up with rapid population
growth - Nigeria is Africa's most
populous country - and the country, once
a large net exporter of food, now must
import food.
Economy from the CIA fact book continued
In the last year the government has begun showing the
political will to implement the market-oriented reforms
urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking
system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage
demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the
distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003
the government began deregulating fuel prices,
announced the privatization of the country's four oil
refineries, and instituted the National Economic
Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically
designed and run program modeled on the IMF's
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and
monetary management.
.
Corruption crack
down May 2005:
BBC Former police
chief Tafa Balogun
appeared in court in
handcuffs
National Economic and Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). NEEDS has
tackled several important areas. First, it has increased the transparency of its finances. This
includes auditing the accounts of various levels of government to oversee how money is being
spent and making these findings available to the public. Second, the government has begun to
pursue actively corruption within the state and improve the rule of law, creating, for example, an
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to pursue theft and money laundering (and seizing
over a half billion dollars in the process).[i] NEEDS is also focusing on the poor infrastructure of
the country, seeking to boost electricity production, improve transportation, increase
telecommunications, and expand access to sanitation and clean drinking water. The goal, then, is
to both reform the both reform the state while expanding the provision of basic social
expenditures across Nigeria
GDP growth rate: 6/1% 2007 est CIA world factbook
GDP ppp $2,200
DEBT
As of April 2006, Nigeria became the first African country to fully pay off its debt
(estimated $30 billion) owed to the Paris Club.
The Paris Club is an informal group of financial officials from 19 of the world's richest
countries, which provides financial services such as debt restructuring, debt relief, and
debt cancellation to indebted countries and their creditors. Debtors are often
recommended by the International Monetary Fund after alternative solutions have
failed. The permanent member-nations of the club are: Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United
States.
A trash dump in Lagos, Nigeria. By some estimates, misrule has cost the national treasury
$400 billion in theft and waste
Gas Line Explodes in Nigeria, Killing at
Least 260
A man washed soot from his face Tuesday in Lagos, Nigeria, after a gas pipeline ruptured
by thieves exploded. At least 260 people were killed in the blast, which spewed fire and
black smoke. It was the latest oil-industry disaster in Nigeria, Africa’s largest petroleum
producer. Dec 27, 2006
One Reason Gas Is
Emptying Your
Wallet: Nigeria
DANGEROUS BUSINESS A Shell Oil
pipeline caught fire in southern Nigeria
last summer after an attack by gunmen.
100 Feared Dead in Nigerian Pipeline Fire
May 16, 2008 LAGOS, Nigeria — More than 100 people were feared dead on Thursday after a
construction vehicle struck an oil pipeline on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city,
setting off an oil-fed inferno that spread to surrounding homes and a school.
In Ijegun, a suburb of Lagos, people tried to stop the spread of an oil-fed fire on Thursday.
Oil company employees are suspected of selling their skills to oil
bunkerers
Moreover, human capital is underdeveloped—Nigeria ranked 151 out of 177 countries
in the United Nations Development Index in 2004—and non-energy-related
infrastructure is inadequate
██ 0.950 and over ██ 0.900–0.949 ██ 0.850–0.899
██ 0.800–0.849 ██ 0.750–0.799 ██ 0.700–0.749
██ 0.650–0.699 ██ 0.600–0.649 ██ 0.550–0.599 ██ 0.500–
0.549 ██ 0.450–0.499 ██ 0.400–0.449
██ 0.350–0.399 ██ 0.300–0.349
██ under 0.300 ██ N/A
Coloured world map indicating Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) provides a composite measure of three
dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life
expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in
education) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power
parity, PPP, income).
Nigeria ranked 154 out of 177 countries, in the 2008 Human
Development Index, missing the bottom by 23 places
2009 it ranks 158
Go to:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_NG
A.html
Corruption is a problem: Corruption Perceptions Index 2008
To see the list: http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table
Nigeria’s Elite v. The Masses
• The Elite are Politically
Active; Urban;
Educated; English
speaking; and involved
in a money economy.
They seek a
representative
government, honesty,
and civil liberties.
•BUT the masses-urban and rural- are subjects and not politically
active except during some campaigns. They are more likely involved in
some kind of patron-client network. They are not well educated (half
the population is illiterate), do not speak English (except as a Creole
or pidgin), and most are involved in subsistence economy even when
they earn money.
• Prebendalism: patronage but with money
not jobs
Nigeria seesaws between civilian and military governments
Sadly, the most prominent form of governance in independent Nigeria has been
patrimonialism, in which the personal rule of an authoritarian leader has been shored
up by the economic privileges he bestowed upon a coterie of loyal followers. Not
surprisingly, the divisiveness, corruption, and illegitimacy of this patrimonialism has
meant the bullets of military coups, not the ballots of electoral democracy, have far
more frequently determined Nigerian regime shifts and changes in government.
Each of these shifts has shared at least two things in common. All have come to
power promising improved governance and each has largely failed to deliver on
this promise. Whether military or civilian, authoritarian or democratic, no regime to
date has worked particularly well in Nigeria. On a brighter note, the current Fourth
Republic—ushered in with the transition to civilian democracy in 1999—has
successfully sponsored three elections, kept the military in its barracks, and
survived longer than any of its democratic predecessors. Perhaps most important, the
Nigerians seem very willing to keep trying. As one observer notes, “Although they
have badly botched it up when they achieve democratic rule, Nigerians refuse to
settle for anything less