1 / 67

Nigeria

Nigeria. Key Institutions. 45 years of independence 16 year of it ruled by citizens Current rule 1999 Rest under military rule Under 6 different Generals Brutal and greedy Unstable Tendencies to fall apart Military waiting in the wings to take over. The U.S. Model.

inge
Download Presentation

Nigeria

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Nigeria

  2. Key Institutions • 45 years of independence • 16 year of it ruled by citizens • Current rule 1999 • Rest under military rule • Under 6 different Generals • Brutal and greedy • Unstable • Tendencies to fall apart • Military waiting in the wings to take over

  3. The U.S. Model • Progressively increases states • 12-36 states • Redraw map lines: ease ethnic issues • When violent occurs • Create a new state • Worked? There is less violence now

  4. The U.S. Model • 1991: • Military dictator Ibrahim Babangida • Moved capital from Lagos to Abuja • Move to open the interior • Designated Federal Capital Territory • Costly and inefficient

  5. The U.S. Model • British set them up under the Wesminster model • Includes a prime minister • One party winning maj. Of seats in Commons • Fragmented: easily get a vote of no confidence • 1979 constitution: looks more like U.S. • President can govern with or without support • Term limit: 2-four year terms • Olusegun Obasanjo • 1st president of Fourth Republic Election day

  6. Branches of Government • The Executive • Most powerful political force • The Legislature • Tend to serve at the will of leader • The Judicial • Tend to serve at the will of the leader

  7. The Executive • President is elected by popular vote • Head of state, government, and commander in chief • Four years terms (serve only two terms) • Perform • Ceremonial duties of leadership • Overseeing the day to day administration of the government • Coordinates and overseeing the country’s armed forces • Appoints government ministers (must come from all 36 states) • Federal Executive Committee (president and ministers) • Enact laws • Not allowed to serve in the National Assembly • Vice President • Assist president • Nominated by the presidential candidate

  8. The National Assembly • Bicameral National Assembly • Senate: • 109 seats • Each 36 states = 3 representatives • One for the Federal Capital Territory • House of Representatives • 360 seats • 10 for each state • Represent single member districts • Both elected for four years terms at the same time • Pass laws • Either house can originate legislation • Must be passed by both house • Assented by the president

  9. The National Assembly • Appeasement of smaller ethnic groups • Equal seats in both houses • Like U.S. having two senates • Danger is hyperfederalism: • A system that tries to hard to represent ethnic groups. • May lead to a country falling apart

  10. Judiciary • Responsible for interpretation of the laws in accordance with the constitution • Supreme Court • Highest court of the land • Court of Appeal and Federal High Courts

  11. Nigeria’s Parties • First parties were ethnically based • Did not reach out beyond ethnic group • Caused Ethnicizing and regionalizing the national process

  12. Nigeria’s Parties • 2003 elections were flawed • Registration favored parties • Missing ballots • Stuffed boxes • Intimidation • See page 297 in your book

  13. Nigeria’s Parties • “Two-party Plus” system • PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) • Centrist party • Personalistic vehicle of President Obasanjo • Well-organized and funded • Nationwide party • Draws votes from all ethnic groups (including Muslims) • Most Northern Muslims do not support (vote for relgionalist and Islamist parties)

  14. Nigeria’s Parties • ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party) • Strongest following Mulsim North • Supported the dictatorship of Sani Abacha • AD (Alliance for Democracy) • Yoruba party • Southwest; • Other parties

  15. State Government • Governor is elected by popular vote • Serve one four year term • Unicameral State House of Assembly • Popular elected representatives from local govt. areas. • Members = 3 times the number in House of representatives • 774 local governments • Deal with local administrative matters • Construction and maintenance of public roads

  16. Military • Looms over like an intimidating shadow • Operate on behalf of sectarian interest in legislative process • Discipline organization • Capacity to make decision • National in character • People of all regions • ethnic groups • religious predilections • Representative of the people • Use to assume and keep power • Cleavages do exist and influence military officers in and out of power

  17. Elections • Embraced by the victors; contested by the losers • Military officers • Bypassed elections • Choose to rely on guns and violence Mashood Abiola

  18. Elections • 1999 and 2003 • Olesugen Abasanjo: wins 60% of votes • ANNP: Muhamad Buhari received 32% in 2003 • Five other parties • Only one received 3 percent of the votes; rest received less than 1 percent • Both contested legitimacy of elections • Abasanjo: led since 2003 and terms will end in 2007

  19. Constitutions • Post World-War II colonial period • Series of constitutions • Offered self-rule and regional autonomy • Served to guide the content and to form and independent Nigeria • Suspended and rendered obsolete under military rule • Promised transitions back to civilian rule • Est. new ways to write the constitutions

  20. Bureaucracy • Source of employment for large number of people • After independence • Replaced the British and Indians who dominated • Exacerbating north/south tensions

  21. Bureaucracy • Problems: • Proliferation of states= grew rapidly • Oil revenue • Political instability • Lack of accountability • All leads to corruption • Hard to reverse!!!

  22. 1st Republic 1960-1966 • Adopted Westminster model • Northerners dominated government • Due to census in 1952-1953 • Turned into Northern only group • Northern People’s Congress (NPC) • Set out to redistribute resources • Political Policy “Northernization” • Conflict with south • Yoruba AG (Yoruba Action Group) • Igbo NCNC (National Convention of Nigerian Citizens formerly Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons) • Internal Western crisis = NPC seized opportunity to sub-divide the Western region • Diluted Yoruba power

  23. 1st Republic 1960-1966 • Violence escalated in the West • NPC engaged in extensive corruption • Fraudulent census • Falsified ballots in general elections • Widespread violence • Intimidation of supporters and candidates • Victory in 1965 • Absolute majority in parliament

  24. 1st Republic 1960-1966 • Approaching the Military • Nnamdi Asikiwe, NCNC leader and president • Tafawa Balewa, NPC prime minister • Both asked for support if violence broke out • Inadvertently gave military political power

  25. Civil War and Military Rule:1966-1979 • Group of largely Igbo officers seize control • January 1966 • Aguiyi Ironsi, head of state )highest ranking officer • Aim was to end violence in Western region • Stop political corruption • Stop abuses of northern dominated government • Replaced federation with unitary state • Second coup • Killed General Ironsi; Yakubu Gowon, Middle Belt Christian

  26. Civil War and Military Rule:1966-1979 • Igbo were persecuted in the north • Ethnic violence sent Igbo’s fleeing • 1967: • Igbo tried to secede to form own independent nation: Biafra • Believed that north lock other regions out of power • General Gowon built a military led govt. in rest of Nigeria

  27. Civil War and Military Rule:1966-1979 • Three-year war • Starvation tactics • Attrition • Defeated Biafra by January 1970 • Heavy toll on Nigeria’s populace • Million deaths

  28. Civil War and Military Rule:1966-1979 • Post-war • Gowon presides over policy of national reconciliation • Growing oil revenues • Break/dilute three major ethnic groups • Broke down in 12 states (19 states) • Increased the armed services from 10,000 to nearly 250,000 in 1970 • Corruption was widespread (oil boom) • Gowon opts not to return to civilian rule • Gowon was overthrown in 1975 by Murtala Muhammad

  29. Civil War and Military Rule:1966-1979 • Murtala Muhammad • Committed to transition program • 1976 he was assassinated • General Olusegun Obasanjo • 2nd in command • Peacefully ceded power to elected civilian government in 1979 • Retired but later returned in 1999

  30. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • 1979-1983 • President Shehu Shagari • National Party of Nigeria (NPN) • Did little to reduce the mistrust between parts of the federation; stop corruption • Regional and ethnic polarization continued • Economy deteriorated rapidly • Four year • Fractional infighting • Weak leadership • Declining public services • Chronic economic mismanagement • Steady parade of corruption scandals • Growing political violence increased

  31. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • 1983: • NPN captures majority in state and national elections • Fraud • Violence • A few month later Major General Muhammadu Buhari seized power

  32. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • General Buhari • Refused to pledge rapid return to democratic rule • Failed to revive the economy • Popular support wavered • August 1985 General Ibrahim Babangida

  33. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • Ibrahim Babangida • Announced program transition to democratic rule • Stalling tactics were used to extend tenure in office • Annulled the presidential election in 1993 • SHOULD HAVE preceded full withdrawal of military • 1993 election • Claimed as fair • Despite military influence and limitation • Yoruba businessman Chief Moshood Abiola won

  34. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • Annulment provoke angry reactions from people • Postponed transitions • Lingering military rule • Deception of rulers • Ibrahim Babangida • Under pressures to resign • Hand picks successor: Ernest Shonekan

  35. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • General Sani Abacha • Defense minister • Seizes power in 1993 • Prolonged military dominance • Combines repression/public promises to restore constitutional democracy • Announced transition to civilian rule • Delayed steps • Cracked down on political opposition • Constricted civil liberties and political rights • Corruption at its best • Sudden Death in June 1998 • Saved the country?

  36. Second and Third Republics1979-1999 • General Abdulsalami Abubakar • Successor • Est. new transition program • Promptly handed over to an elected civilian government • President Olusegun Obasanjo • People’s Democratic Party (PDP) • May 1999

  37. The Fourth Republic1999 to present • Obasanjo • Called out of retirement • Yoruba’s felt they had been cheated over the years • Many did not trust Yoruba leader • Handed over power to military head of state in 1979 • North: candidate they could trust • Ex-military leader could better manage the thorny task of keeping armed forces in the “barracks”

  38. The Fourth Republic1999 to present • Obasanjo: • Unpopular among his own people • Irregularities at the poles • Reform the State and economy • Retired all military officers who held political positions • Economy • Oil sector targeted for new management • Lobby others to forgive Nigeria’s debt • Increased minimum wage • “truth and reconciliation” commission • Civil Society groups thrived

  39. The Fourth Republic1999 to present • Media: • Exposed corruption • Forced Speaker of the House and two Senators to resign • Proliferation of Newspapers, radio, and televisions stations • Radio still main source of information • All 36 states have their own radio stations • Over 100 privately owned newspapers

  40. The Fourth Republic1999 to present • Obasanjo: • Political debts • 1st cabinet corrupt politicians • Brought down previous republics • Newcomers lined their pockets with public funds • Anticorruption???? • Needed support for re-election • Agenda??? • Faced National Assembly and impeachment

  41. The Fourth Republic1999 to present • 2003 elections • Re-elected Obasanjo • Political accommodations • Election rigging • Overall the election was questioned • Secured the PDP’s dominance • Legitimacy?? • Acceptable in Nigerian politics

  42. Obasanjo Administration • 1st six months • Reform the armed forces • Revitalize the economy • Address public welfare • Improve standards of governance • Praised for clean management and contracting policies • Clientelism and financial kickbacks for oil licenses resurfaced • Proposed and anti-corruption commission • Powers to investigate • Prosecute public officials • Had little impact • “political tool” of the presidency • 2nd one founded in 2003: The economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC)

  43. Obasanjo Administration • Peace and Reconciliation Commission (1999) • Did not have the power to grant amnesty • Ensured testimony would be accurate • Reported findings to President who did not make the document public

  44. Obasanjo Administration • PDP • Supported Obasanjo in 1999 • He filled his cabinet with these “political kingpins” • 2003: “fixers” delivered him victory again • Accomplished through fraud • Allegations of corruption at the highest level surfaced

  45. Obasanjo Administration • Niger Delta • Proposed Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) • Disburse the 13 percent of oil revenues constitutionally mandated to return to the delta states • States took Obasanjo to court • Youth militias harassed police, stole oil, kidnapped workers for ransom • Nov. 1999: • Attacked killed several policemen • Military units destroyed the village of Odi = massacre • NDDC was slow to take shape and had little affect • Ethnic groups grew bolder and more restive • Violence in the region has shut down nearly 40% of the country’s oil exports

  46. Obasanjo Administration • Legitimacy • Problems in Niger Delta • Plateau State • Governor elections • Christians and Muslims • Demonstrate deficits of legitimacy for the government as well as democracy • Patronage, coercion, and personal interest will drive politics

  47. Democracy • 2000 poll: 81% of the people support • Division of tribe and religions • Might have achieved stable democracy • Fails under tribal and religious animosities, corruption, and military power grabs • Intercivilizational disunity: • Two civilizations rarely living in peace

  48. Political Economy

  49. Political Economy • Dependent on Oil Reserves • Predominately agriculture • Represent a small faction of the total earnings

More Related