Alina Liu - Nigeria Vocab - AP Comp Gov

 The National Assembly (know upper and lower house)

Nigeria’s bicameral legislature.

Upper House: House of Representatives

Lower House: Senate

Supreme Court of Nigeria

Nigeria’s highest ranking court, which has final authority in all legal matters. Serves as the final appellate court in Nigeria (deciding whether or not decisions/laws/etc. should be reversed)

Located in Abuja, aka known as Three Arms Zone for having presidential complex, national assembly, and supreme court close together.

National Judicial Council

A federal executive body that is responsible for protecting the fairness of the judicial system via Appointment, Promotion, and Discipline of Judicial officers.

INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission)

A government agency responsible for organizing elections into various political offices in the country, with the goal of being independent and eliminating corruption.

Boko Haram

A terrorist group/Islamic jihadist organization in NE Nigeria, Chad,, Cameroon, (as well as Niger, Mali) aiming to enforce sharia law with violence and terror.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP)

One of the two main political parties in Nigeria. Has generally center-right policies. Won every presidential election 1999-2011. Founded 1998, led by Walid Jubril.

All Progressives Congress (APC)

One of the two main political parties in Nigeria. Made of three biggest opposing parties. Won every presidential election 1999-2011. Founded Feb 2013, founded by Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria, and All Nigeria Peoples party.

The 2015 election marks the first time in Nigeria where opposition party unseated a governing party and power was transferred peacefully.

MOSOP (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)

A non-governmental organization/Social movement in South-Eastern Nigeria trying to protect the Ogoni indigenous people through promoting democratic awareness, protecting the environment, seeking social/economic/physical development in the region, protecting the culture/practices of the Ogoni, and seeking appropriate rights of self-determination for the Ogoni.

Non-violent.

MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta)

A decentralized (located in several places) militant group aiming to prevent oil production in the Niger Delta region and expose the oppression of the region’s people and devastation of the natural environment by the oil corporations that the federal government works with.

Violent: kidnapping/ransoming oil workers, armed attacks on production sites, destroying pipelines, killing Nigerian police officers, siphoning oil.

Rentier state

A country that derives a lot of its national budget through renting out parts of its country. In Nigeria’s case, it rents out land to let other countries/companies get the oil there.

Prebendalism

Political systems where elected officials and government workers inherently believe they have a right to a share of government revenues which are mostly used to benefit that person’s supporters, co-religionists, and members of their ethnic group.

The Fourth Republic of Nigeria

This refers to the current republican government of Nigeria, adopted in 1999. Characterized by being ran by a civilian government, having a stronger civil society, a bolder media, and attempts to fight corruption. The anti-corruption campaign still left many corrupt politicians in place due to the high amounts.

Igbo

Third largest ethnic group in Nigeria, located in the southeastern region. Mostly Christian.

Hausa-Fulani

Largest ethnic group in Nigeria, located in West Africa. Primarily Sunni Islam.

Yoruba

Second largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Located in southwestern corner of Nigeria. Many are Christians or Muslims but many still celebrate parts of the traditional Yoruba religion.

IMF (International Monetary Fund)

An international organization/major financial agency of the UN promoting global economic growth and financial stability, encourages international trade, and reduces poverty.

Structural adjustment program

A set of economic reforms that a country must adhere to in order to secure a loan from the IMF or world bank.

NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation)

The state-owned oil company in Nigeria responsible for harnessing its oil and gas reserves for national development.

NSIP National Social Investment Programme

A program aiming to promote equitable resource distribution/social protection to vulnerable populations like children, youth, and women.

NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme)

An institution established in Ghana in 2003 to provide healthcare to all citizens through health insurance.

Sunni Islam

The largest branch of Islam (87-90%), they believe that the Quran is the literal word of god and electing religious leaders as opposed to position being passed down via prophet Muhammad

Protestant

A branch of Christianity emphasizing justification of sinners through faith, and the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible

Biafra Secessionist Movement

AKA Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), associated with Igbo nationalism, and supports the recreation of an independent state of Biafra.

OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

A cartel enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize profit.

Nollywood

A term for the Nigerian film industry. Word play on (N)igeria and H(ollywood)

State quota system in Nigeria

aka Federal character principle, a principle made to ensure fairness/evenness in spreading government appointments in order to promote representation, sense of belonging and balance in policy.

Requires 50% of public service to be North and 25% each for East and West

Entrepreneurship

The process of discovering new ways to combine resources to create a product of higher market value than those two things combined.

ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)

A political and economic union of fifteen countries in West Africa to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise living standards and economic development via policies, standards, systems, etc.

ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group)

A West African multilateral armed force established by ECOWA where separate armies work together to protect civilians, provide security for assembly sites, and general maintenance of countrywide security.

NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development)

economic development program of the African Union (AU) aiming to reduce poverty, put Africa on a sustainable development path, halt the marginalization of Africa, and empower women

Runoff election

AKA Two-round system. In which a single winner is determined by reaching a certain % of votes, often 50%. If in the first round no one has enough to win, there is another round between the top two candidates to determine a winner.

First past the post system

Electoral system saying whichever candidate gets the most votes wins.

Brain drain

The largescale emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country.

Referendum

A general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Parastatals

A company or organization which is owned by a country's government and often has some political power

Sharia Law

A set of laws/rules/regulations based on the Islamic belief.

Single Member Plurality District

AKA Past the post. Electoral system saying whichever candidate gets the most votes wins.

Tariff

A tax on goods and services imported into a country used to promote the domestic economy.

Deficit

When expenses exceed revenues, imports exceed exports, or liabilities exceed assets in a particular year

Revenue

The total amount of income for a company or organization. (NOT profit)

Immigration

The process of moving to a new country with the intention of becoming a permanent resident or citizen

Migration

Movement from one country/region/area to another.

Difference between government & regime change

A regime change involves a transformation in the laws/systems/institutions that determine how the government can act, while a government change is a change of the person or party in power to another.