Assignment 2

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http://themustardseed.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/23nigeria1.jpg
http://themustardseed.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/23nigeria1.jpg

Nigeria's Corruption in Government: Terms
  • Prebendalism - exchanging political favors between patrons and clients, used widely by Nigerian leaders
  • Patrimonialism - president is the head of a patron-client system and uses his resources as a government official to reward supporters
  • Para-statals - corporations owned by the state, to provide commercial and social welfare services. Theoretically privately owned, but corporate leaders appointed by government officials. Many Nigerian government agencies are para-statals.
  • Corporatism - political system that allows input from selected interest groups. In Nigeria, para-statals provide this input.


Legitimacy
Nigeria is one of the world’s most corrupt and illegitimate governments.
Nigeria is ruled with military enforcement and corrupt military leaders.
  • Many citizens have little to no trust in their government.
  • Military leaders keeping foreign bank accounts and pocketing funds from Nigerian oil
  • trying to hush bad press about themselves and opposition to their government
  • Western tradition of rule of law disappeared after independence; leaders now set their own agenda, and seemingly do not answer to any law.
    • General Ibrahim Babangida
    • General Sani Abacha

Constitution does not make Nigeria legitimate
  • Rewritten 8 times, with many amendments
    • Latest constitution is 93 pages long
  • No single constitution lasts long
  • Leaders do not feel compelled to even follow the Constitution
  • Many coups d’etat help to further weaken the legitimacy of the government
  • National Question – Will Nigeria last as a country?
Many divisions along different lines (ethnic, religious, etc.) and a wide disparity between rich and poor pose the biggest threat to legitimacy of government.
Flirtations with Democracy:
  • Pre-Colonial Era:
    • Rule of Law
    • democratic impulses = accountability (government representatives are held responsible for their actions, must obey the laws they make)
      • Yoruba and Igbo tribes
    • Impeachment
      • Responsible for community welfare
        http://israelhaiom.com/images/nigerian-muslim.jpg
        http://israelhaiom.com/images/nigerian-muslim.jpg
  • Independence 1960
  • 1993 “Election”:
    • General Ibrahim Babangida annulled election of Moshood Abiola

  • Military Leaders always promise to transfer power to civilians once the country is “stable.” However, as seen through different “elections,” Nigeria is not yet stable due to the military leaders.
  • 1999 Election:
    • Olusegun Obasanjo – elected
      • Military leader, voting fraud
      • “faux democracy”
      • Re-elected 2003
Current Events: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Appointment-of-Acting-President-in-Nigeria-Opens-Field-for-2011-Election-84121372.html



  • In the medical absence of Nigerian president Umaru Yar’Adua (elected 2007), vice president Goodluck Jonathan was appointed acting leader on Feb. 10, 2010. If Yar’Adua is not able to return to office, this leaves a running spot open for next year’s presidential election. There is an understood agreement that the presidency will rotate between candidates from the north and south in 8-year cycles, and another northerner will need to be nominated to serve the remaining four years allotted to the north. Since Mr. Jonathan is a southerner, the public has felt some anxiety over the power sharing between regions being disrupted. This tension over the election spot shows that the acceptance of the government by the Nigerian people is very precarious, and even a slight reordering of the 8-year cycle can throw the country into regional discord. On the other hand, the passing of power from Yar'Adua to Jonathan rather peacefully shows that Nigerian leaders have gained at least some legitimacy in recent times.


Political and Historical Traditions
1. Early influence of Islam (Pre-Colonial era)
  • Northern trade connects Nigeria to Arabic countries.
  • The cultural and religious aspects of Islam were adopted and incorporated into politics.
    • Some of these principles include female inferiority, supremacy of religious law, and policy making by the elite.
      Map of Ethnicities in Nigeria
      Map of Ethnicities in Nigeria
  • The Fulani jihads formally established Nigeria as an Islamic state in the early 19th century.

2. Authoritarian Rule (Colonial era)
  • In the Colonial era, the British utilized an indirect ruling style, which appoints Nigerian natives as leaders.
  • The British told the leaders that they were only accountable to the British government, not the Nigerian people.
  • This style worked because it allowed the British to maintain control in its colonies without wasting resources.

3. Kinship-based politics (pre-Colonial era)
  • Nigerian politics is most organized at the village level.
  • Many politicians rely on nepotism. These leaders create a patron-client network within their extended family.
    • This kinship-based method is especially prevalent in the South amongst the Tiv.

4. Intensification of ethnic conflict (era since independence)
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/hands-on-classroom/classroom/pages/projects/grade12/lesson21/graphics/colonial-rule.gif
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/hands-on-classroom/classroom/pages/projects/grade12/lesson21/graphics/colonial-rule.gif

  • There are three main ethnic groups: Hausa-Fulani, Yaruba, and Igbo.
  • After the Hausa-Fulani gained independence, they dominated the North.
  • Joining forces with the Igbo of the Southeast, the two groups are fighting against the Yaruba of the West.
    • One of the causes of this tension is the possession of the oil-rich Eastern region. However, the struggle for power continued, causing each group to use military tactics.
  • The Igbo finally gained control in 1966.

5. Military Rule (era since independence)
  • The first Igbo leader, Agiyi Ironsi, fought to end corruption and violence by creating a parliamentary democracy.
    • He was killed in a political coup in 1966.
  • The political coup of 1966 triggered the Biafran Civil War (1967-1970).
    • The Igbo were so upset by the death of Ironsi that they wanted to secede from the rest of Nigeria, creating their own country called Biafra.
    • The war resulted in 100,000 casualties and only created more unrest and ethnic conflict.
  • Nigeria, still held together by military rule, remains in one piece today.



Political Culture
1. Nigerian Political system is not very well liked


2. Country is fragmented over religious lines
Religious divide of Nigeria. http://risingpowers.foreignpolicyblogs.com/files/2009/08/fpanigeriastatesmap.gif
Religious divide of Nigeria. http://risingpowers.foreignpolicyblogs.com/files/2009/08/fpanigeriastatesmap.gif

  • About half of the country is Muslim, about 40% is Christian and the last 10% tend to follow native tribal religions.
  • Part of the conflict is a result of the Islam followers’ desire to use a legal system based on Sharia law.

3. Country is fragmented over ethnic lines

  • There are three major ethnic groups in Nigeria.
    • They are the Igbo, the Yoruba, and the Hausa-Fulani.
  • These groups have virtually nothing in common politically, historically, or socially.
  • They often do not even speak the same language
    • Most people only know their own tribal language. If people do learn another language, it will usually be English.
  • http://nigeriadeal.blogspot.com/2009/02/ethnic-fires-still-smoulder-in-nigeria.html

4. Country is split by different cultures in regions (North v South)external image _1885616_sharia_states2_300map.gif


5. Poverty

  • Most Nigerians live in extreme poverty.
  • The gap between the rich and more has widened over the years, especially because the political elite is extremely corrupt and has had a tendency to siphon public money into their own private accounts.

http://earthtrends.wri.org/povlinks/jpegs/poverty/nigeria.jpg
http://earthtrends.wri.org/povlinks/jpegs/poverty/nigeria.jpg

6. Rural v Urban

  • In the more rural areas of Nigeria, traditional values are strong.
  • The structure of nobles and commoners still exists in rural areas, and the idea of ‘all men are created equal’ is largely rejected.
  • Illiteracy is the highest in rural areas, which may be, in part, the reason why Nigerians who live in the countryside are rarely involved in politics.
  • In the more urban areas of Nigeria, the people are extremely dissatisfied with the government and are willing to take a stand on almost anything.
  • The people who reside in cities are highly politicized.

7. Elites

  • Political and Bureaucratic officials who often use their positions in the government and their control of the state for personal gain.

This article talks about how money that was meant to go toward health clinics and schools have been either squandered or stolen by Nigerian elites. The article also mentions how the government is trying to change that by enacting reforms that require greater transparency and more accountability for all levels of government: **http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36433**
  • How the elite system of corruption has been run in Nigeria
    How the elite system of corruption has been run in Nigeria

8. Youth


9. Free Press

  • Even in military rule, the press has basically remained free and has been able to criticize the government and their policies.
  • Though the press has remained relatively free, the government did tend to suppress those who criticize military rule itself.
  • Free press is limited - according to a ranking site of 175 countries, Nigeria is 135th.




Due to so many conflicts, Nigeria has been devastated by violence. http://images.biafranigeriaworld.com/BNW-Carlisle-Umunna-Nigeria-Biafra-War-child-casualty-3.jpg
Due to so many conflicts, Nigeria has been devastated by violence. http://images.biafranigeriaworld.com/BNW-Carlisle-Umunna-Nigeria-Biafra-War-child-casualty-3.jpg












Sources:

Work Distribution:
EES: Page layout, legitimacy (from packet) with CAJ
CAJ: Legitimacy section and current events article
ESS: Political and Historical Traditions
KK: Political Culture
ALW: Current events