The Federal Republic of Nigeria

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• The Federal Republic of Nigeria

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Quick Facts

• Capital Abuja
• Size more than 2x size of California
• Population 177.2 million
• Pop. Growth rate 2.47
• Languages English (official), Hausa, Yoruba,
  Igbo, Fulani
• System Type Presidential Republic

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Quick Facts

• Constitution May 1999
• Head of Government State Goodluck Jonathan
  until May 29th, then becomes Muhamadu Buhari
• GDP 478.5 billion (with PPP)
• Religions 50 Muslim 40 Christian 10
  traditional or indigenous

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Quick Facts

• Young country struggling in face of ethnic
  religious divisions
• Has had both civilian military govts
  authoritarian to progressive
• Of particular interest to US many trace roots
  to what is now Nigeria, supplies OIL, and 40 of
  heroin

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Quick Facts

• Most populous African country
• Current growth rate expected to double population
  within 25 yrs.
• Little more than half are rural though urban pop.
  growing b/c of jobs
• Large black market, very poor

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Quick Facts

• Biggest problem is its dependence on oil, which
  accounts for 99 of exports
• Entire economy driven by international market
  price of oil as are govt revenues
• Most oil wealth has been squandered stolen

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Quick Facts

• Arguments over how balance should be spent have
  caused bitterness
• Outspent itself during oil boom yrs. of 1970s
  now has Africas largest debt - 32 billion
• 4 critical social divisions

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Quick Facts

• 1. ETHNICITY Between 250 and 400 ethnic groups
  in country
• Hausa-Fulani is biggest in north (28-30 of pop.)
• Yoruba is in southwest (21) and Igbo on
  southeast (18)
• None of these groups think of themselves as
  Nigerian

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Quick Facts

• 2. RELIGION Muslim north and non-Muslim south
• Northern states support sharia Islamic law
• Widespread admiration for Bin Laden
• Tensions have often turned violent

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Quick Facts

• 3. REGION north is dry and poor while south is
  better endowed in resources and basic services
• Lagos alone has 9x elementary schools than north
  combined
• Best agricultural lands is in heavily populated
  south while north is savanna or semi-desert
• Oil mostly in southeast or off coast

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Quick Facts

• 4. CLASS Govt business dominated by small
  educated elite
• Wealthiest include new business class, landlords,
  traders, self-employed professionals
• Social advancement tied to jobs in govt
  bureaucracy

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Lack of settled predictable patterns
• Since 1960 independence, 3 civilian govt, 5
  successful several attempted military coups,
  civil war, nearly 30 yrs. of military govt
• Communal violence from 1999-2003 resulted in
  deaths of 10,000

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• PRECOLONIAL ERA (900 BCE-1851 CE)
• Series of emerging and declining states and
  kingdoms
• Muslims arrived in 700 CE
• 14th cent dominated by kingdoms of Mali and
  Ghana
• 16th cent dominated by Songhai Benin

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Portuguese 1st Eur. to explore area
• W/cooperation from Benin, set up slave trade to
  Americas
• Fr., Brits, Dutch arrived in 17th cent. Brits
  biggest slave traders
• When slave trade ended in 1807, interior opened
  up Christian missionaries arrived

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• COLONIAL ERA (1861-1960)
• Britain annexed Nigeria, driven by concerns of
  French expansion
• 1900 Britain declared separate protectorates
  over Northern Southern Nigeria then combined
  them in 1914 into colony protectorate of Nigeria

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Still ruled Nigeria as 2 colonies w/different
  administrative systems
• Indirect rule in north through traditional Muslim
  emirates and direct rule in south through
  advisory Legislative Council
• Divisions deepened in 1939 when Brit. split
  Nigeria into 3 provinces

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Provinces based on cash crops peanuts in North,
  cocoa in West, and palm oil in East
• Provinces roughly coincided with 3 major ethnic
  groups so encouraged to think regionally rather
  than nationally

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Opposition to Brit rule as educated Nigerians
  railed against colonialism
• 1920 National Congress of British West Africa
  founded Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe most active
  nationalist
• He helped set up 1st political party National
  Council of Nigeria the Cameroons (NCNC)

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• After WWII, 3 experimental constitutions 3rd
  one created Nigerian Federation w/federal
  parliament (1/2 seats to North)
• Regional elections contested w/ many regionally
  based parties
• 1959 national elections produced 1st fully
  elected national government

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Oct 1, 1960 1st PM was Muslim Hausa-Fulani
  named Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
• INDEPENDENCE FIRST REPUBLIC (1960-1966)
• Brit monarch was still head of state but in 1963,
  Nigeria cut remaining ties and created
  non-executive post of president filled by Dr.
  Azikiwe

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Almost immediately, ethnic religious divisions
  affected govt
• Census an issue since allocation of seats in
  federal parliament based on of people in each
  region
• Political parties broken down along regional
  lines so each state dominated by single party

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Squabbling among parties, workers strikes,
  charges of pol. corruption
• 1964 Natl elections held amid charges of fraud
  and 1965 regional elections in west marred by
  civil unrest riots
• Military watched all this w/dismay

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• MILITARY GOVT I (1966-1979)
• Jan 15, 1966 1st military coup, staged by group
  of Igbo officers led by Major Johnson Aguiyi
  Ironsi
• Senior natl regional leaders were murdered and
  federal system abolished
• Northerners feared Igbos establishing hegemony
  killed in unrest

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Northern army officers staged 2nd coup, killed
  Ironsi replaced him with Lieutenant Colonel
  Yakubu Gowon, a Christian from Nigerias central
  region (Middle Belt region)
• Gowon restored federal structure promised
  return to civilian rule but massacre of Igbos on
  north continue

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Retaliation against northerners living in south
• Tensions boiled over in July 1967 when
  Igbo-dominated eastern region declared
  independence as new state of BIAFRA civil war
  broke out, pitting Nigerian fed. gov against
  Biafrans led by Ojukwu

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• War dragged on for 27 months, Biafra recd
  financial support from sympathizers outside of
  Nigeria but recognized as sovereign state by only
  4 other African government
• Starved into submission by naval blockade 1-2
  million deaths of Biafrans

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• War ended Jan 1970, Ojukwu went into exile,
  Nigeria reunited
• Gowon able to patch up some wounds but slow to
  return to civilian government did too little to
  curb inflation, economic mismanagement,
  squandering of profit from oil boom of 1970s

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Gowon broke 4-region federation into 12 states to
  dilute power of big three ethic groups
  (increased to 19 by his successor)
• Increased army from 10,000 to 250,000
  corruption widespread
• Postponed return to civilian rule

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• July 1975 reform minded senior officers seized
  power in bloodless coup, replacing Gowon with
  Murtala Muhammad, Hausa-Fulani
• Won praise by purging army, announcing 4-yr
  timetable for return to civilian rule,
  dismissing 10,000 gov officials 150 officers

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Angered those who benefited from Gowons rule and
  was assassinated 7 months after taking over
  during an attempted coup by Gowon followers in
  1976
• Coup failed and Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded
  Muhammad 1st Yoruba head of state- promised
  civilian rule

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• SECOND REPUBLIC (1979-1983)
• Nigeria abandoned Westminster model and opted for
  US model w/directly elected executive, bicameral
  National Assembly, separate Supreme Court
• 1979 elections swept by Shehu Shagari Natl
  Party of Nigeria

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• He pardoned Ojukwu Gowon announced plans to
  move capital from Lagos to Abuja to promote
  national unity (exact center of country)
• Unable to control corruption econ weakened by
  fall of oil prices
• Regional ethnic polarization continued
  factional infighting, declining public services

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Won 2nd term in 1983 but parties again broke down
  regional ethnic lines elections marred by
  ballot-rigging charges

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• MILITARY GOVT II (1983-1999)
• 3 months after elections, he was ousted in 4th
  coup led by Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim northerner
  (new president)
• Welcomed at 1st but became authoritarian ousted
  in 1985 in another coup
• Replaced by Ibrahim Babangida, Muslim from Middle
  Belt

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Political parties legalized in 1989, state govt
  new Natl Assembly elected in 1990-1992,
  final step in transition to new Third Republic
  was to have been presidential election of June
  1993
• Won by Moshood Abiola of new Social Democratic
  Party

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Babangida claimed election rigged refused to
  reveal results
• Outcry that followed persuaded him to step down
  in Aug hand over power to transitional civilian
  government
• 3 months later Sani Abacha ousted Abiola, who
  still claimed presidency
• Abacha had Abiola jailed wife killed (though
  claimed common criminals did it)

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Abacha hated human rights
• Sentenced Obasanjo to life imprisonment in 1995,
  charged for helping coup
• Executed Ken Saro-Wiwa 8 activists from Ogoni
  tribe of southeastern Nigeria (live in oil fields
  of Niger delta)

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Ogonis wanted some oil invested back in their
  land, which suffered environmental problems
• 4 pro-govt Ogoni chiefs murdered at rally
  Saro-Wiwa (novelist) was blamed, tried,
  executed
• Nigeria suspended from Commonwealth but Abacha
  won approval from Western govt for controlling
  public spending

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Became clear Abacha manipulated return to
  civilian govt to ensure he would be elected
  president
• But before he could carry out plan, died of heart
  attack in June 1998 (possibly from sex), Abiola
  took over but also suffered heart attack
• Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar took over quickly
  returned to civilian govt

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• FOURTH REPUBLIC (1999 to now)
• Series of elections 1998 1999 military
  stepped down
• Obasanjo called out of retirement to head
  government w/Peoples Democratic party
• Purged several military officers who had held
  office 1984-1999

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Renegotiated Nigerias debt repayment schedule
  repair relations w/trading partners (risk)
• World Bank IMF placed austere measures (cutback
  on gov spending) that might have undermined
  Obasanjos government when it needed public
  support

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• At local level, community violence again w/ethnic
  groups
• Within months of his inauguration, hundreds
  killed/wounded, mainly in south cont
  throughout 1st term
• Needed to build strong political institutions,
  break power of elites, deal w/corruption
  w/questions of nature of relationship b/t natl
  local govt

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• NIGERIA TODAY
• 2nd set of elections held in April 2003
  surrounded by usual charges of fraud violence
• Obasanjo won 2nd term against Buhari, former
  military leader
• Nigeria has ongoing econ problems, corruption
  still pervades, religious ethnic violence as
  well, crime, sharia

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Political leader running for re-election in
  liberal democracy with Obasanjos record would
  almost certainly lose says something of quality
  of desperation in Nigerian politics (best option)
• Was military leader (76-79) who proved to be
  least corrupt

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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

• 2011 Presidential Elections won by Goodluck
  Jonathan
• Supporters of Muhammad Buhari accused him of
  rigging elections
• Followed by violence, esp. in northern Nigeria
• Religion being used as tool by politicians