Chapter 12: The Federal Republic of Nigeria

two thirds majority

A(n) ________ in both houses allows the Assembly to override a presidential veto or delay.

Nigeria

________ is increasingly divided between Christians in the south and Muslims in the north (concentrated in the south)

Hausa Fulani

The ________, Igbo, and Yoruba tribes dominate Nigerian politics, but they have little in common.

Nigerias president

________ is elected directly by Nigerian voters to a four- year term, and the Constitution allows up to two terms.

Third Republic

The ________ was the shortest lived of all, lasting not even three months.

Independent National Electoral Commission

The ________ (INEC) was created in 1998 to oversee the elections that would bring Nigeria into the Fourth Republic, and has been in charge of elections ever since.

1999

The institutions of Nigeria are outlined in the Constitution of ________ with a model of separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism, but only in theory.

Nigerian media

________ criticizes all government policies and actions.

II

Nigerians fought for Britain in its North African campaigns against German forces during World War ________, and industrial military goods helped Nigerian labor unions grow.

judicial commission

A(n) ________ advises the president to appoint up to twenty- one Supreme Court justices.

Biafra

In 1967, ________ seceded to control BP and Shell oil royalties.

civil service

After independence, the ________ became a bloated patron- client network that employed political loyalists and returned favors.

Nigerians

________ vote for governors, state legislatures, and local officials like their city or village mayors.

least two thirds

Each state had a cabinet representative if they registered in at ________ of Nigeria's nineteen states.

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.

legislature

The ________ is functionally and structurally bicameral because both houses must approve legislation.

General Muhammadu Buhari

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

Belgium

Britain, ________, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal colonized the entire continent in the "Scramble for Africa "to control Africa's natural resources.

Amina Lawal

________ exemplified the divide.

Nigerias history

________ can be divided into three major periods: precolonial (1500- 1860), colonial (1860- 1960), and independence (1960- present)

Comparative Government

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

national bureaucratic administration

He acts as the unified head of state and head of government, performing both ceremonial duties and overseeing the ________.

Nigerias public policy concerns

________ are evidence of its status as a developing country.

constitutional authority

Voters directly elect state governors and legislatures, who have ________ over many local issues.

2007

The Nigerian domestic media covered most of the ________ election irregularities and fraud allegations, often giving dissident professors and political activists a prominent voice.

federal system

A(n) ________ makes sense given Nigeria's regional ethnic divisions.

British Nigerian Constitution

The 1946 ________ introduced "three regions "and federalism to Nigeria.

Senate

The ________ represents each state equally, unlike the House of Representatives.

BUSINESS INTERESTS

________: ________ were complicit in the military rule of Babangida and Abacha, helping give legitimacy to their rule while getting many of their policy preferences enacted- particularly those regarding privatization, the opening of trade, and structural adjustment.

Modern Nigeria

________ is probably closer to pluralism than to state corporatism because of the general freedom of association, though there is still limited participation across the Nigerian population, because of the extent of poverty and illiteracy among the large majority of people in rural areas.

British colonial model

The ________ allowed Nigerians to work at the lowest levels under British administration.

Alliance for Credible Elections and Gender and Development Action

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

SOUTHERN DELTA

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

Obasanjo

________ ordered a transition to end military rule and establish a republican constitution.

Second Republic

The ________ 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.

Protests

________ were generally not tolerated during military rule, but the state's ability to control and suppress ________ was low compared to other countries.

House of Representatives and Senate

It elects the ________ in state and federal elections.

Abacha

________ carried out a program of radical economic development, ending Babangidas privatization initiatives, increasing Nigerias foreign cash reserves, and reducing Nigerias debt and rate of inflation, all while oil prices remained low in the 1990s.

General Olusegun Obasanjo

________ succeeded northerner General Murtala Muhammad after his assassination in 1976.

Nigeria

________ was ruled by northern generals from 1966 to 1979.

1999

Nigeria's ethnic and religious diversity supports a decentralized power structure, and in ________, the Constitution created thirty- six states based on ethnic boundaries.

Nigeria

British forces formally occupied ________ in 1885 and imposed colonial rule.

1999

An election was held in ________, with the former military leader Olusegun Obasanjo winning the presidency as a civilian, now officially retired from military service.

Nigeria

________ gained independence from Britain in 1960, but since then, only the military has united the country.

Nigeria

________ has thirty- six states and Abuja, its federal capital.

Nigeria

Federalism hasn't really worked as a true division of power in ________ for most of its history, either because of repressive military rulers who made states meaningless or because of the president's patron- client network's massive federal wealth, which gave him enormous influence over state policymakers.

Nigeria

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

Nigeria

________ has been in the process of building a democratic regime since the death of the last military ruler, Sani Abacha.

Nigeria

________ is located in West Africa along the Atlantic coast.

Nigeria

________ has over 250 ethnic groups, none of which is a majority.

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 Nigerias 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 Nigerias 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

Nigeria even has a specific terminology for the Nigerian version of this theme

prebendalism

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

Nigerias history can be divided into three major periods

precolonial (1500-1860), colonial (1860-1960), and independence (1960-present)

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

BUSINESS INTERESTS

Business interests were complicit in the military rule of Babangida and Abacha, helping give legitimacy to their rule while getting many of their policy preferences enacted-particularly those regarding privatization, the opening of trade, and structural adjustment

HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

Many groups emerged during military rule in the 1980s and 1990s demanding democratic reforms and the restoration of civil liberties, and they continue to push for reforms today

The country requires resources to answer its problems

high economic inequality, low per capita incomes, low rates of literacy, and problems with HIV/AIDS, to name a few

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.