AP Comparative Government Review Questions (Nigeria)

How did the 2007 election mark a turning point for Nigeria?

It was the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history.....from Obasanjo to Yar'Adua.

How did the 2011 election differ from 2007 and why?

It was a much less fraudulent election due to a revitalized INEC under Muhammad Jega.

Why was the 2015 election particularly significant?

It represented the first time that an incumbent president and party lost to the opposition party in Nigeria's post-independence history.

What is the electoral method used for Nigeria's presidential, legislative, and gubernatorial elections. What does this result in?

First Past The Post which results in a majoritarian democracy with less meaningful representation by minorities.

How has Nigeria attempted to limit the effect of regional cumulative cleavages on elections?

Regulations that for presidential elections the candidate must win 25% of the vote in 2/3s of the states and that a party must win 5% of the vote in the local elections in 24 of 36 states in order to move on to federal elections.

Describe the major political parties in Nigeria, some characteristics and their presidential candidates in 2011 and 2015?

People's Democratic Party or PDP which is more of a "catch-all party" attempting to appeal to all regions. This party won decisively in presidential, legislative, and gubernatorial elections in 2011 but lost in 2015. Its presidential candidate was Goodluck Jonathan. The All Progressives Congress or APC was formed after the 2011 election as a product of three prior political parties. APC candidates won decisively in 2015 in both presidential and legislative elections. Its presidential candidate was Muhammadu Buhari.

Why has Nigeria not developed a loyal opposition that is able to work with the party in power?

Nigerian politics is a "winner-take-all" "zero sum game".

What is necessary to further democratization in Nigerian politics?

Decentralization of the power structure to lower stakes for holding office, further privatization of para-statals to reduce the power of the presidency and the other "Big Men", and building alliances between civil society groups and political parties to inform and mobilize the electorate.

The sources of power and authority during most of the 4th Republic in Nigeria are most comparable to which other country that you studied during which period of its history? Why?

Comparable to PRI-run Mexico due to patron-client relationships and election fraud.

How would you describe the levels of government in Nigeria? Where does 90% of the funding for state government come from?

A federal system of national, state, and local governments but with power and resources mainly concentrated at the national level which provides 90% of the funding for state governments.

What form of government existed in the 1st Republic and who held executive authority? How did that change in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Republics?

Westminster model with a Prime Minister holding the most authority in the 1st Republic and U.S. style Presidential system in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Republics with a President holding most authority.

How has Nigeria's government changed over the past 50 years? Which factors affected that change?

It has moved from military dictatorship to the 4th Republic with a competitively elected government. Factors that affected that change were that senior military leaders were willing to stay out of politics while Nigerians demanded more democracy.

How would you describe power sharing among the various branches of Nigeria's government?

The President is the most powerful and is key to policy-making.

How would you describe the organization of Nigeria's judicial system? What is a complicating factor in Nigeria's legal system?

Much like the US system of state and national courts with original and appeals jurisdiction courts/A complicating factor is the allowance for Islamic law or "shariah" as well as civil laws.

Nigeria's latest constitution dates from what year? How would you describe the influence of Nigeria's Constitution in determining political decision-making?

1999. So far it has had little influence on the decisions made by Nigeria's leaders.

Define "prebendalism" and explain its effect on Nigeria's political economy.

Prebendalism is a particularly Nigerian form of corruption which is an extreme form of clientelism. This has resulted in the winner take all nature of Nigerian politics and in massive corruption that inhibits equitable growth in the economy.

Define "interventionist state". Why has this been the situation in Nigeria since colonial days?

Features government intrusion in the economy and government owned enterprises and para-statals. The British colonial government began this and it has continued under subsequent military governments, despite a move towards privatization.

) Define "rent seeking behavior". Why is this so important in Nigeria?

Competition over politically regulated economic gains is rent seeking behavior. It is very important because the winning political party rewards its constituents while others suffer. For examples, despite being the center of oil production, the Delta region received few benefits as it was not politically aligned with the PDP. This resulted in guerilla warfare and disruption of oil production.

Why did Nigeria adopt some neo-liberal economic policies? Which IFI's required Nigeria to adopt these policies?

Globalization has had a major effect on Nigeria. As a large debtor nation, creditors, like the World Bank and IMF, required Nigeria to implement structural adjustments in return for loan restructuring to prevent state defaults on foreign bank loans.

What effects did the Structural Adjustment Programs have on Nigeria? Which regime was most associated with the SAP?

Little impact on improving the economy except to garner more favorable terms for international financial assistance and a slight increase in GDP at the cost of some diminishment of Nigerian sovereignty. The SAP is most closely associated with the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida from 1985.

The creation of and attempts at selling off para-statals are further evidence of what role that Nigeria's government plays in the economy? How do we know that this role has not changed greatly over time?

Nigeria continues to be an "interventionist state" and continues to be the country's largest employer.

What is NEEDS and under which administration was it developed? Has it been very successful?

This was President Obasanjo's economic initiative called National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy aimed at anti-corruption, greater transparency, the rule of law, and contract enforcement. It was not very successful as the Obasanjo administration was slow to implement these efforts.

How might Nigeria improve its political economy?

achieve greater industrial and export diversification, encourage lower population growth through education, and assure fairer extraction and distribution of resources.

What is Nigeria's largest ethnic group and where are they located?

The Hausa-Fulani in the Northeast

Which two ethnic groups are in the coastal areas of the South? How do they differ in religion from ethnic groups in the North?

The Yoruba in the southwest and Igbo in the southeast who are largely Christians as compared to Muslims in the north.

Who determined Nigeria's boundaries? Is there much sense to these boundaries?

The British imperialists/no, as they don't reflect the ethnic make up of the country.

Why did the British use "indirect rule" in Nigeria? What is meant by acephalous societies and how did the British rule these?

As Nigeria was so populous, the British could not appoint officials to govern in every area and thus used emirs in the north and kings in the south to rule. Acephalous societies were ones without specified rulers. In those areas, such as the Middle Belt region, the British appointed "warrant chiefs" to rule on their behalf.

What are some features of Britain's economic policies in Nigeria?

The colonial regime was "interventionist", meaning that they intruded broadly in the economy. On feature was the diversion of food crops to "cash crops".

Why did Nigeria, after independence, adopt a federal system? How did this change over the years?

A federal system was adopted because of the diverse ethnic and social cleavages in Nigeria. This changed over the years by steadily expanding the number of states from 3 to 36 plus the Federal Capital Territory.

What is the name of Nigeria's capital and why was it located where it is?

The Federal Capital Territory or FCT is located in Abuja which is in the geographic center of the country so as to appease all ethnic groups.

What is Nigeria's most populous city and in which region?

Lagos in the southeast area of the Yoruba.

When did Nigeria become independent of Britain? What form of government did it initially adopt? How had the colonial period affected the future of Nigeria?

1960. They adopted a parliamentary form of government with a federal system. The colonial period resulted in an educated populous but limited industry and dependency on a few commodity exports due to the colonial era emphasis on "cash crops".

What is the "national question" about Nigeria? Why is it the national question?

Should Nigeria exist as one country? It is the national question because of the severity of cumulative social cleavages among the major ethnic groups in the country.

How has the military played a role in Nigerian politics over the past 60 years?

Top military leaders have led a series of coup d-etats against other military regimes and have overthrown the first three republics.

How did the form of government in the 1st Republic differ from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Republics?

1st Republic was based on the Westminster model while the others were based on a Presidential model similar to the U.S..

Why does Nigeria have a federal system of government? How has it changed since 1960?

To address social cleavages among many ethnic groups/number of states have increased up to the present level of 36 states plus the federal district of Abuja.

Who is Olusegun Obasanjo?

The twice-elected President of Nigeria of the 4th Republic.

Who was Sani Abacha?

The worst, most corrupt military dictator in Nigeria's history.

Which form of government, military or civilian, has ruled Nigeria for the longest periods of time since its independence?

Military.

What happened to Nigeria as a result of the execution of the famous Nigerian writer and environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwo? During which government did this occur?

Nigeria faced international condemnation and suspension from the British Commonwealth/happened during the regime of Sani Abacha.

When General Ironsi, an Igbo leader, was overthrown in a coup d'etat by General Gowon, a Middle Belt military leader, what was the result?

A three year Biafran civil war with over a million casualties between 1967-1970).

What was the significance of the election of Umaru Yar'Adua to the presidency in 2007?

It represented the first time that there had been a civilian transfer of power by elections in Nigeria's post-colonial history.

Who is the current President of Nigeria from which political party? When and how did he come to power? What challenges has he been facing?

Goodluck Jonathan, of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP, assumed the presidency upon the death of Umaru Yar'Adua in May 2010 and then stood for election in April 2011. He has faced problems with ethnic/religious based violence from Boko Haram and other groups, widespread opposition to his cuts in oil subsidies, and criticism for pardoning a former corrupt governor of Bayelsa State. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress or APC won the presidential election in March 2015 and will assume office on May 29, 2015.

Unfinished State

A state, like Nigeria, characterized by instabilities and uncertainties.

Indirect Rule

The form of colonial government adopted by the British that allowed for traditional rulers (such as "emirs" in the Hausa-Fulani region and kings in the Yoruba region) to continue subject to the British governor and administrators.

Cash Crops

The form of agriculture and economic development in Nigeria pursued by the British in lieu of building up the food crops and industrial infrastructure.

Ethnicity

The primary source of political identity in Nigeria with accompanying ethnic-based clientalism.

Interventionist State

The pattern of both colonial and post-colonial governments to intervene in the management of the economy, including administrative controls and ownership of diverse sectors of the economy.

Para-Statals

In Nigeria these are corporate enterprises owned by the state, created for specific commercial and social welfare purposes. These are supposedly autonomous of the government, but in reality their boards are politically appointed and answerable to the government.

Rents

Spending of the nation's earnings. In Nigeria rents are directed by the leadership and form the main path-for channeling money through the economy.

Rent-Seeking Behavior

Competition over politically regulated economic gains (rents). This can be a matter of life or death in a impoverished country like Nigeria.

Prebendalism

A particularly Nigerian form of corruption the disbursing of public offices and state rents to one's ethnic-based clients (an extreme form of clientalism).

Structural Adjustment Program (SAP)

The economic program which begun in 1985 and developed in coordination with international financial institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund). SAP called for austerity measures led by currency devaluation, tariff reductions, budget reductions, privatization, and other economic reforms. In following the IFI's, Nigeria in effect relinquished a part of its national sovereignty and opened itself up for short-term economic hardships.

Privatization

In Nigeria's case this meant selling state-owned businesses to private (nonstate) investors, domestic and foreign. The goal was to reduce state expenses for loss-making operations, generate revenue, and improve efficiency.

Oil Dependency

The situation for Nigeria through most of its post-colonial history. Not only has over-dependency on oil revenues been an economic problem, but also a source of numerous political conflicts over the distribution of oil revenues among ethnic/political groups.

State Corporatism

Strategies designed to control and co—opt various social forces as labor (particularly under the Babangida administration).

Patrimonialism

A system of power 1n which authority is maintained through patronage (a continuing feature in Nigeria politics).