Chapter 12: The Federal Republic of Nigeria

Nigeria

is a federal state with thirty-six states governed from Abuja since the Fourth Republic (1999–present).

NORTHWEST

This region is populated by the Hausa-Fulani people, who are predominantly Islamic.

NORTHEAST

While also predominantly Islamic, the northeast is populated by many smaller ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Kanuri, who only make up about 6 percent of the population of Nigeria.

MIDDLE BELT

This region is highly mixed ethnically and religiously, particularly among Muslims and Christians.

SOUTHWEST

This region is dominated by the Yoruba people, who make up about 21 percent of Nigeria’s population.

SOUTHERN DELTA

The Niger Delta of the Niger River is located here, and a large number of small groups populate this area.

SOUTHEAST

This region is dominated by the Igbo (or Ebo, Ibo, historically), who make up about 18 percent of Nigeria’s population.

PATRON-CLIENTELISM

While many of the countries of study in Comparative Government have themes of patron-clientelism running through their political culture, none has them to the extent of Nigeria.

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICT

While ethnic conflict had always had a long tradition in Nigeria, when the British created an economic system that gave out benefits based on “competitions” among the ethnic groups for production, the rivalry and conflict among them was further intensified.

STATE ATTEMPTS AND FAILS TO CONTROL CIVIL SOCIETY

Nigeria has been unable to develop a full pluralism for many societal reasons, including poverty and illiteracy, but also because of state attempts to dominate the formation of independent civil society groups.

Precolonial Nigeria

This era was characterized by the rule of a number of West African empires, including the Edo-Benin Empire in the northwest, the Songhai Empire in the north, the Igbo Kingdom in the south, and various Hausa-Fulani kingdoms, often ruling simultaneously in different parts of the country, none of which ever exercised uniform rule over the whole territory of today’s Nigeria.

Edo

Empire collapsed without European slave demand, Nigeria became firmly within the British "sphere of influence."

BP and Royal Dutch Shell

commercial explorers found large crude oil deposits in the Niger Delta around this time.

Northern military

forces defected and staged a counter-coup against the new military government, installing a new northern Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Biafra

starved for years due to its inability to fund an armed conflict.

Nigerian military government

imposed a trade blockade on Biafra and invaded to reclaim oil operations.

General Olusegun Obasanjo

succeeded northerner General Murtala Muhammad after his assassination in 1976.

Second Republic

followed the American constitution's federalism and presidential system to reduce ethnic tensions and make it more likely that a president could win a nationwide election.

First Republic

followed the British parliamentary system.

General Muhammadu Buhari

overthrew the government in 1983, citing corruption and administrative incompetence.

Olusegun Obasanjo

winning the presidency as a civilian, now officially retired from military service.

Ethnic

Nigerians rarely interact.

Islam

in the precolonial northern empires and Christianity introduced by the British, who did most of their business in the south along the coast and in cities, caused this divide.

Shari'ah

law is valued in the north.

Amina Lawal

exemplified the divide.

appellate court

overturned the sentence, but the divide remains.

north

is located in dry highlands, with a mostly rural agrarian economy and culture.

south

is where most of the oil is located, and it benefited the most from British education and economic development.

Alliance for Credible Elections and Gender and Development Action

have tried to foster a more inclusive Nigerian national identity and address common issues.

Boko Haram

an Islamic jihadist group that translates to "against Western education," has used terrorism and kidnapping to stop women and girls from getting education and economic opportunities.

Freedom House

calls Nigeria "partly free."

Transitional democracy

may best describe Nigeria's current regime.

political party structure of Nigeria

has changed repeatedly with each regime change from republic to military rule, and from military leader to military leader.

People’s Democratic Party

was formed in 1998 just after the transition away from military rule into democracy was announced.

LABOR UNIONS

Workers in Nigeria have been members of organized unions since the early 1900s, and labor interest groups are often a driving force in pushing for the concerns of ordinary Nigerians.