nigeria terms check

Sani Abacha

Oppressive Nigerian military dictator from 1993 to 1998 who came to power in a military coup

All progressives congress (APC)

a party formed as an alliance of opposition parties leading into the 2015 presidential election; now the party in power in Nigeria

Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe

1st President of 1st Republic following WWII. Established the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC).

Ibrahim Babangida

Military ruler of Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 who sought to establish the failed Third Republic

Boko Haram

a Nigerian militant Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout all 36 states of Nigeria

Muhammadu Buhari

Current president of Nigeria

Derivation formula

Formula for distributing oil revenues between national and local governments in Nigeria

Federal Character principle

Presidents must alternate from being from the north and the south. If the current president is from the south, the next one must be from the north.

The cabinet must have one person from each of the 36 states

You have to get at least 25% of the vote in ⅔ of the states

First republic

Nigerian parliamentary democratic regime that followed independence (1960-66)

Second Republic

Short-lived Nigerian democratic regime, from 1979 to 1983, in which the former parliamentary system was replaced by a presidential system

Third Republic

an unsuccessful attempt to restore Nigeria to democracy. It was initiated by General Ibrahim Babangida.

Fourth republic

Nigeria's current presidential democratic regime, established in 1999

Fulani

Predominantly Muslim ethnic group located in northern Nigeria

Hausa

a group of people named after the language they spoke. They first emerged in what is today northern Nigeria between 1000 and 1200.

House of Representatives

lower house. 360 members who serve 4 year terms.

Igbo (Ibo)

Nigeria's third largest group who are mostly Christian. They are located in the southeast part of Nigeria. This group has many conflicts with the Yoruba and at one point they tried to become a independent nation.

Goodluck Jonathan

President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015

Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

militant group formed in 2006 in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta. They fight for local control of oil wealth and against environmental damage caused by oil companies.

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP)

non-violent group formed in 1990 to protect the indigenous Ogoni people, their land, and their environment.

National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS)

(2004-2007) government plan designed to reduce poverty, create jobs, and grow the economy by empowering the private sector and reforming government institutions.

Niger Delta

delta of the Niger River and an area of Nigeria with rich oil deposits

Olusegun Obasanjo

retired Nigerian Army general and former President of Nigeria (1999-2007), the only Nigerian leader to voluntarily hand power to a democratically-elected government

Patrimonialism

a system where political leaders treat state resources as their personal property, using public funds and offices to reward loyalists, family, or ethnic groups to maintain power

People's Democratic Party (PDP)

founded in 1998, with the motto "Power to the People".

Ruled for 16 consecutive years (1999-2015)

currently acting as a primary opposition party

Republic of Biafra

Igbo-dominated Eastern Region that tried, and failed, to secede from Nigeria in 1967

Resource curse

the difficulties faced by resource-rich developing countries, including dependence on exporting one or a few commodities whose prices fluctuate, as well as potentials for corruption and inequality

Ken Saro-Wiwa

Noted Nigerian playwright and environmental activist, executed in 1995 for his defense of the land and peoples of the Niger Delta

Scramble for Africa

The European's flurry of colonializations in Africa (1880s - 1890s)

Sharia

Islamic law

Sokoto Caliphate

Islamic empire founded in 1809 and centered in northern Nigeria

Statenation

multi-ethnic state where a unified national identity often competes with strong regional, tribal, and religious affiliations

Yoruba

The leading ethnic group in southwestern Nigeria.

Zoning

rotate high-ranking leadership positions—particularly the presidency—between different regions of the country (North and the South)