1. Development of the State
Nigeria

2. What in the past has shaped today’s Nigerian politics?
intro
What in the past has shaped today’s Nigerian politics?

3. What makes it special?
Nigeria

4. Nigeria Uniqueness Advantages
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa
It’s projected to be the world’s third largest country by the end of the century
In 2014 it passed South Africa to become Africa’s largest economy
It has tremendous resource wealth, from oil to good farm land
It provides an example of the possibilities & limits of state power & democracy under postcolonialism

5. For much of its independence, it has been under military rule
Nigeria
Uniqueness
Problems
Despite all these advantages, Nigerian rule has developed into a fragile state
It’s plagued by political misrule, social unrest, economic inequality, & environmental problems
For much of its independence, it has been under military rule
It has always suffered from widespread corruption, especially under the military
It earns billions exporting oil, but is one of the least developed in the world

6. Nigeria Uniqueness Emerging
A fragile democratic system has taken hold since the end of military rule in 1999
They lack rule of law and are plagued by corruption in the government
The state does not have a monopoly on violence
The standard of living is very low – 80% live on less than $2 a day
It’s federalist system is corrupt and keeps encouraging problems among the 250 different ethnic groups living there.

7. Nigeria Geography Geography
The Niger-Benue river system divides the country into distinct regions
The north is arid and full of grasslands while the south has tropical forests
Almost a third of its land is arable
Desertification in the north is hurting agricultural production there
Topography has limited interactions between regions

8. Nigeria Geography Geography
The Niger Delta is the 3rd largest wetland in the world
Besides a range of plants & animals, it houses 30 million people
People can rely on farming and fishing
There are many ethnic groups there speaking more than 25 languages
It has limited infrastructure & development, making it one of the poorest regions in the country

9. Nigeria Geography Geography
The Niger Delta is the source of Nigeria’s oil – three fourths of its exports
Oil contributes to national wealth but also to massive corruption
It accelerates the environmental ruin
It causes ethnic conflicts as groups fight each other for oil wealth

10. Nigeria Population Population
It’s the largest population in Africa and seventh largest in the world
Home to 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba
They perceive each other as benefitting disproportionately from the resources
The country’s population has doubled in the last 20 years & will again by 2050
Nearly half of its population now is below the age of 14

11. Early Kingdoms
Nigeria

12. Nigeria Sokoto Caliphate Precolonial
Precolonial Nigeria was neither undeveloped or poorly organized
The region had varying degrees political and social organization
Around 1200CE the Hausa established city states in the northern regions
In the southwest, the Yoruba kingdom grew wealthy through trade.
In the southeast, the Igbo civilization was less centralized than the others

13. Nigeria Sokoto Caliphate Early Islam
The first contact with people from outside the region came from the Middle East
Islam spread into the Hausa region of northern Nigeria by the 1000s
It reached the area via new trade routes that linked the region to North Africa
Islam brought literacy and scholarship to the region – through Arabic
The religion & its influences were mostly confined to the Hausa elite

14. Nigeria Sokoto Caliphate Usman don Fodio
By the late 1700s, expanding contact through trade led to more conversions
Usman don Fodio played the major role in spreading Islam among the Hausa and Fulani people
He took the religion from the elites to the peasants, who embraced it
His followers soon declared jihad against the Hausa states
By 1808, they had overthrown the monarchs & established the Sokoto Caliphate - the largest empire in Africa at the time

15. European Imperialism
Nigeria

16. Nigeria Europeans Early Slave Trade
The south was exposed to Europeans in the same way the north was exposed to Islamic traders
Europeans began trading for agricultural products and slaves in late 1400s
They build several coastal ports to support the expanding slave trade & the UK was the major trading power by the 1800s
By that time, more than 3 million people had been shipped to America from Nigeria as slaves

17. Nigeria Europeans British
In 1807 the British declared the slave trade illegal & kept the navy off Nigeria’s coast to enforce that
The decline in slave exports caused the Yoruba state to collapse
This collapse allowed the British to move in and industrialize to meet its growing demand for resources
Their demand changed the nature of agricultural production to products like palm oil, cocoa, and timber
Christian missionaries also came with them & began spreading religion

18. Nigeria Europeans Scramble for Africa
By 1861 the British had a full fledged colony at Lagos.
The 1885 Berlin Conference recognized the UK’s “sphere of influence”
To prevent the French & Germans from getting it, the British spread inland as far as they could
They managed to gain control over both the northern & southern regions
The entire Sokoto Caliphate was brought under British control, as well as the Yoruba & Igbo “states”

19. Nigeria Europeans British Rule The British used mostly indirect rule
The leaders of Sokoto kept their
positions & became part of the
New British state bureaucracy
British administration allowed Sharia to continue & prohibited Christians from proselytizing in the region
This limited resistance, but gave some ethnic groups more power over others
In 1914, all the areas under British control were given the name Nigeria

20. Nigeria Europeans Modernization
Modern infrastructure including ports, railways, & roads encouraged economic development
Western education was installed, especially in the regions were Christian missionaries were active
Those that worked with the British developed into the new local elites
Democratic institutions were developed with local elections taking lace for some colonial legislative councils
These improvements disproportionately improved things in the South

21. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe started an independent newspaper
Nigeria
Europeans
Resistance
Exposure to Western education taught Nigerians new concepts like nationalism
Following WWII, civil society organizations like political parties, ethnic movements, & labor unions expanded rapidly
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe started an independent newspaper
His National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) advocated self government – but it was mostly supported by Igbo people
Other parties formed: the Action Group Party (Yoruba) and the National Party Congress (Hausa)

22. Independence
Nigeria

23. Nigeria Independence Democracy Developing
British dealt with the emerging civil society by reforming Nigerian govt.
They reformed the constitution, made regional assemblies, & turned imperial rule into a system of federalism
Executive power stayed with the British governor, but power devolved to the regional assemblies
By the late 1950s, independence was sweeping across Africa & Britain made arrangements to move Nigeria toward full independence.

24. Nigeria Independence Independence
In 1960, Nigeria gained independence, creating the First Republic
The system was federal, with 3 regions (Northern, Eastern, & Western)
A House of Representatives was directly elected & a Senate was chosen by the regional assemblies.
The House & Senate chose a prime minister & governor general who would be head of state.
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first governor general
The new nation gained independence without violence

25. Nigeria Independence Conflict
The first elections led to the NPC (Hausa) controlling half of the House
They formed a coalition with the NCNC (Igbo)
The AGP was left out of decision making & broke apart. The regional legislatures in the western region dissolved
The central government imposed emergency rule over the region.
Groups across Nigeria began demanding more decentralization and the creation of more states
The NPC was against this since it was in the position of the most power

26. A group of Igbo military officers staged a coup d’etat
Nigeria
Independence
Coup!
Economic discrepancies contributed to ethnic tensions between the 3 groups
Each group viewed the state as a means to siphon off wealth for its own people
The 1965 elections led to an outbreak of violence in the west & deaths of 2000.
A group of Igbo military officers staged a coup d’etat
They assassinated the prime minister, the leaders of the other political parties, and military officials from the north
They suspended the constitution & set up a unitary govt to end northern domination

27. Nigeria Independence Civil War
The coup couldn’t impose order and a civil war broke out instead
Northern Hausa troops fought the Igbo & killed the coup leaders
May 1967 – Igbo eastern region seceded & declared itself Biafra
For 3 years the Igbo held off the Nigerian military.
In 1970 – the Igbo were defeated but the war had caused up to 3 million deaths

28. Military Rule
Nigeria

29. The military claimed it would soon return power to civilian rule
Nigeria
Military Rule
FMG
The countercoup that fought the first Igbo military coup established the FMG – Federal Military Government
The military claimed it would soon return power to civilian rule
The FMG wasn’t dominated by any ethnic group. They wanted to weaken ethnic and regional power
They broke Nigeria into many federal states and moved the economy away from agriculture to oil exporting

30. Nigeria Military Rule FMG
The FMG was led by General Gowon, who began developing a clientelist system based on oil revenue
In 1975, General Murtala Muhammad overthrew Gowon in a bloodless coup.
He cracked down on corruption & began a transition to civilian rule
He was assassinated in another failed coup attempt, which brought General Olusegun Obasanjo to power
Obasanjo implemented the plans for a transition from military rule to civilian rule

31. Nigeria Military Rule Second Republic
In 1979, a new constitution ushered in the Second Republic.
The parliamentary system based on the British govt was replaced with a presidential system based off of the US
Democratic elections were held & Obasanjo retired from politics & military
Obasanjo began working with NGOs like the World Health Organization
His respect for rule of law & his international role made him one of the most popular Nigerians

32. Nigeria Military Rule Second Republic
In 1979, the elections resulted in northerner Shehu Shagari being president
Several of the old ethnic based political parties reemerged & ethnic factions dominated politics
In 1981 the price of oil fell drastically
The recession that followed caused the govt to increase public spending which led to inflation & taking on much debt
In 1983, Shagari tried to stay in power by rigging elections.

33. Nigeria Military Rule Military Rule!
General Muhammadu Buhari led a coup to take Shagari out of power
From 1983, Nigeria was under military rule for another 15 years
General Ibrahim Babangida led the government. (He was Gwari & Muslim)
He implemented a neoliberal structural adjustment program that made drastic cuts to the public spending
The lives of the average Nigerians became much worse, but the economy was set up to improve

34. Nigeria Military Rule Third Republic
General Babangida wanted to transition to civilian rule in the late 1980s
He also packed the top of the military with northerners, increasing tensions
He created new political parties & platforms to prepare for transition
Elections for the Third Republic in 1993 were annulled by Babangida
Babangida stepped down & installed a civilian “caretaker” government
Three months later General Sani Abacha, a northerner, led a military coup!

35. Nigeria Military Rule Military Rule
General Abacha’s govt used violence to control the public
Political leaders & activists of the 1993 elections were arrested
He created a Special Bodyguard Unit that was trained by North Korea to repress and murder critics of the regime
Former president Obasanjo was arrested
Environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed for criticism of the regime and of Shell Oil’s role in Nigeria
His executed got Nigeria expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations

36. Free elections were held in 1999
Nigeria
Military Rule
Military Rule
Abacha is estimated to have stolen as much as $6 billion from the states
In 1998 he suddenly died of a heart attack (some think he was poisoned)
General Abubakar succeeded him but rapidly carried out a democratic transition & released political prisoners
Free elections were held in 1999
Obasanjo was elected president president & became head of state of the Fourth Republic

37. Fourth Republic
Nigeria

38. Nigeria Fourth Republic Founding
The ban on political activities was lifted and political prisoners were freed from prisons
Elections were set for April 1999 and political parties were formed
Obasanjo was elected as the nominee of the People’s Democratic Party
He was popular for returning the government to civilian rule in 1979
He forced many of the military leaders to retire from their political positions

39. Nigeria Fourth Republic Obasanjo
During his rule, human rights violations improved & political prisoners released
Controls on the press were significantly reduced
He negotiated with Western countries to get much of Nigeria’s debt forgiven
He improved economic performance and fought corruption

40. Nigeria Fourth Republic Yar’Adua
In 2007, Umara Yar’Adua was elected president with VP Goodluck Jonathan
In 2009, he got sick & was flown to Saudi Arabia for medical attention
There was no communication with him for more than 50 days
In May 2010, Nigeria learned he died & Goodluck Jonathan had already begun serving as active president

41. He ran for election on his own in 2011 and won
Nigeria
Fourth Republic
Goodluck Jonathan
He was an Ijaw – selected because he’s from the south, not for any skill
He upset the balance of the rotation of northern and southern leadership
He ran for election on his own in 2011 and won
His reelection bid in 2015 was spoiled by former military general Mohammadu Buhari which was the first peaceful transition of power in Nigeria’s history

42. Goodluck with this stuff
Nigeria

43. Main Ideas Nigeria Goodluck’s Guidance <Military Rule
Ethnic divisions
Emerging Democratic Institutions
Resource Trap & Clientelism
Goodluck’s Guidance