Nigerian Case Study Class Notes Nigerian Background DBQ Questions Video Summary Target Objective Breakdown

Nigeria

I. Public Authority & Political Power  National Question  “National Question”: differing opinions about how political power should be distributed and how the government should be constructed.   In Nigeria differences are more distinct and run deeper than other countries   Since independence in 1960, neither its leaders nor its citizens agree on the basics of who should rule and how   Questions about whether Nigeria should remain one nation   Regional disagreements & hostilities   Problems traditionally solved by military force and authoritarianism

II. II. Constitutionalism   First constitution written in 1914   Eight constitutions between 1914 and 1995   Current constitution written in 1995 has been heavily amended since its inception   Acceptance of “constitutionalism” as a guiding set of principles has eluded Nigeria   Military and civilian leaders have felt free to disobey and suspend constitutional principles or change constitutions not to their liking   Without constitutionalism the “National Question” has been much harder to answer

III. Legitimacy   Nigeria is a relatively young country, achieving independence in 1960, this makes establishing legitimate government more difficult  Fragmentation  Fragmentation – tendency to fall apart along ethnic, regional, and/or religious lines.  Contradictory Influence of the Past  Contradictory Influence of the Past – British colonial “rule of law” vs. Military rule/Personalized authority  Corruption  Corruption – both military and civilian rule tainted with corruption. Citizens question the payment of taxes that get deposited in personal bank accounts   General Ibrahim Babangida ( )   General Sani Abacha ( )

IV. Precolonial Era ( ) “Political Traditions”  Trade Connections  Trade Connections – Sahara Desert “Golden Trade of the Moors”; Niger River & Ocean Access  Influence of Islam  Influence of Islam – Trade with North Africa put Hausa & other groups in contact with Arab education and Islam, sharia emerges as dominant political principle  Kinship-based Politics  Kinship-based Politics – village key political entity  Complex Political Identities  Complex Political Identities – contrast between centralized state and local governance. (Oyo & Ife centralized states in south vs. small trading-states in north)  Democratic Impulses  Democratic Impulses – accountability, representative government, and democracy practiced by many villages, including Yoruba and Igbo.

V. Colonial Era  Christianity – British introduction of Christianity created a split between Christian and Muslim dominated areas. Islam dominant in the north, Christianity in the south.  Intensification of Ethnic Politics – emergence of three dominant groups: Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba.  British pitted groups against each other by promising rewards to some groups but not others.  Anti-colonialism movement emerged during 20 th century appealed to ethnic identities to gain followers and supporters of decolonization

VI. Independence Era (1960- Present) “Political Traditions”  Parliamentary vs. Presidential System  Parliamentary vs. Presidential System – Nigeria operated under parliamentary system from Ethnic divisions made parliamentary system difficult, switched to presidential system with separate legislature and independent judiciary, but neither has been able to check power of the president  Intensification of Ethnic Conflict  Intensification of Ethnic Conflict – After independence Hausa-Fulani dominated parliament because of large population. They formed a coalition with Igbo of the southeast to ensure their dominance, this created added tension and conflict with Yoruba of the west. In 1966 a group of Igbo military officers seized power.

Geographic Influences  Northwest – dominated by two groups that combined as the Hausa- Fulani people, area is predominantly Muslim.  Northeast – area is home to many smaller groups, such as the Kunari, also predominantly Muslim.  Middle Belt – many smaller ethnic groups, mix of Muslims and Christians.  Southwest – Yoruba dominate the area. They are about 40% Muslim, 40% Christian, and 20% native religions.  Southeast – area dominated by the Igbo, predominantly Roman Catholic with some Protestant Christians as well  Southern Zone – area along Niger River Delta, people are from various small minority groups.

VIII. Societal Characteristics & Concerns  Poverty – 60% of all Nigerians live below poverty line, with many living in absolute poverty.  Gap between Rich & Poor – similar to Mexico, however in Nigeria now growth is being made to alleviate this gap.  Health Issues – high rates of HIV/AIDS, one in every eleven HIV/AIDS sufferers live in Nigeria.  Literacy – for males is 75.7% and for females 60.6% (World averages are 83% men, 71% for women)

Attitudes toward Government  Citizens do not Trust Nigerian Government  Corruption  Military Rule  Lack of Civil Society  No commitment toward Democracy  Babangida & Abacha (Corrupt - Military Authoritarianism)

Protests & Social Movements  Environmentalists (Ken Saro-Wiwa)  Targeted the international oil companies, especially in the Niger River Delta  In 2002 group of Ijaw women occupied ChevronTexaco’s Nigerian headquarters for 10 days  Ethnic groups  Women’s Movement  President Obasanjo made it part of his 2003 campaign to include more women in cabinet and bureaucratic offices  Nigerian legislature has very low female representation  6.4% in House of Representatives  3.7% in Senate

Political Parties I  People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  Well-established Party  Began running candidates in 1998  Party of President Olesugun Obesanjo (Igbo, Christian from the North)  Obesanjo received 62% of vote in 2003 election  PDP gained majority in National Assembly and most of the governors throughout the country  Do to voter fraud, difficult to determine accurate level of support for the PDP  All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP)  General Muhammadu Buhari, Muslim from the North, ran against Obesanjo  Received about 32% of the vote  His running mate and potential future candidate was Chuba Okadigbo, an Igbo from the Southeast  Other parties that ran presidential candidates include All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), The Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ), and the Justice Party  Alliance for Democracy (AD) did not have a presidential candidate in 2003, but did receive 9% of the votes for the legislative elections

XIII. Elections & Electoral Procedures  Citizens vote for candidates on 3 levels: local, state, and national.  National level citizens vote for the president, representatives to the National Assembly, and senators from their states.  National Elections  Presidential Elections  After annulled election of 1993, first election took place in 1999, with another in  If presidential candidate does not receive outright majority, a second ballot election takes place.  President must receive at least 25% of the votes in 2/3 of the states  A purely regional candidate can not win  Requirement reflects difficulty experienced in attempt to unify Nigeria

Interest Groups I  Labor Unions  Independent and politically influential prior to 1980s  Through the introduction of corporatism the Babangida regime limited the influence of labor unions  A central labor organization supplanted the older unions, and only candidates approved by Babangida could be chosen as labor leaders  In July 2003 labor unions widely and openly protested the government’s attempt to raise oil prices for Nigerian consumers  Business Interests  Business interests have tended to work in collaboration with the military regimes, in return for the spoils related to the corruption of the elite class  Associations for manufacturers, butchers, and car rental firms have operated outside the realm of government and helped promote economic reforms of the 1990s  Human Rights Groups  Promote democratic reforms  Include university students, teachers, civil liberties organizations, and professional groups (doctors, lawyers)  These groups protested against the abuses of Babangida and Abacha

XX. Military  Strong, policy-making force in Nigeria  “Military in Government” – those that initiate coups and take over the responsibility of the executive branch  “Military in Barracks” – fulfills traditional duties of military, its leaders have been critical of military control of political power.  Military has been subject to internal discord, military presidents often have to keep a close eye on other military leaders.  Babangida protected his authority by constantly moving military personnel around and appointed senior officers through his patronage system  Military is one of the few institutions that is truly national in character.  Military has restored and maintained order during ethnic strife and conflict

XXI. Public Policy  Top-down policy-making process.  Power concentrated in hands of the president & cabinet ministers through channels established by patron clientelism  Loyalty Pyramid – senior officials supported by broader base of loyal junior officials  State control of resources means that those in the pyramid get the spoils, they alone have access to wealth and influence. Loyal clients of patronage structured pyramids includes:  “Kaduna Mafia”, “Babangida’s Boys”, and “Abacha’s Boys”  Military controls pyramids, pyramids supported by “guns” (Force); therefore, protesting system can be dangerous  Top-down, self-interested rule established by British during colonial era when the British relied on native chiefs to ensure Nigerian trade and resources benefited Great Britain

XXII. Economic Issues  Loyalty pyramids and corruption have led to a squandering of Nigeria’s wealth  Nigeria is currently in debt and majority of the population lives in poverty  Large oil revenues have been pocketed by government officials  Economic situation complicated by ethnic & regional conflict  In February 2001, federal government asked the Supreme Court to all the government to collect oil revenue and put it in a “federal account” (Revenue Sharing)  Areas in the south along Niger River Delta protested this idea, they believed the policy was a way for northerners to take profits and revenue away from the south

Economic Issues II  Oil  Oil wealth during the 1970s gave Nigeria international leverage  OPEC member  Conflicts in Middle East have made Nigeria more important as a trade partner for other countries since 1970s  Lack of economic diversification hurts Nigeria when oil prices drop  DEBT – as a result of drop in oil prices and lack of revenue surplus  Structural Adjustment  1980s, Nigeria seeks assistance from international organizations to deal with debt crisis  World Bank & IMF involvement  Restructure & diversification of Nigerian economy  Privatize parastatals  Cut government spending  “Shock Treatment” not very successful  Parastatals still under government control  Debt repayment had to be restructured

Nigeria Case Study DBQ Four Documents Articles: Group Work 1.Answer the 6 questions for the first article: “Militia Stages Attack in Nigeria” 2.Create 6 questions for the 3 Documents: create 3 level 1 questions, 2 level questions, & 1 level 3 or 4 question. A.Nigerian Court Reinstates Key Opposition as Election Looms B.Nigerian Leader Seeks Unity Government with Main Opposition C.Nigerian oil Workers Strike over Fuel Prices

Militia Stage Stages Attacks in Niger Delta Seeking Local Control of Oil Level 1 Questions (3) 1.What is MEND? 2.What is the Goal of the MEND? 3.How much oil production is lost due to the violence? Level 2 Questions (2) 1.Why would The West care about the MEND? 2.Why do the MEND members paint their bodies? Level 3 or 4 Question (1) 1.Should the U.S. become involved in the conflict