Political and Economic Changes in Nigeria (800 C.E. - Present)

1. MaddieLesniack Jeff Pacholski Neil Pathak Mrs. McCanless February 19, 2013 Political and Economic Changes in Nigeria(800 C.E. - Present)

2. Nigeria’s Eras of Political & Economical Changes 1 3 2 Pre- Colonial Nigeria Modern Nigeria Colonial Nigeria

3. 1 Pre-Colonial Nigeria 800 - 1860 C.E.

4. Pre-Colonial Era • Nigeria’s location has allowed for easy trade. • Change started when the Fulani group came to the north through the Islamic Holy War. They established Sokoto Caliphate. • Sokoto Caliphate (1808-1900) - Muslim state in the north. • This encompasses the entire northwest, north, and mid-section. • Nigeria traded with Europeans until the 1900’s. MaddieLesniack

5. In the south, people lived in close contact to the Atlantic Ocean. This contact led to Europeans converting many Nigerians to Christianity. • This contact also led to slave trade. • Slave Trade (16th-20th century) - Many young males were forced to leave their native land. This was driven by demands for western goods. It became outlawed in 1936. Pre-Colonial Era Continued… MaddieLesniack

6. 2 Colonial Nigeria 1860 - 1960

7. Britain officially colonized the area in 1860, when it imposed indirect rule through the European-style bureaucracy it established. • The bureaucracy consisted mostly of natives from the south, signifying the beginning of a major North-South cleavage. Colonial Era Background • From 1900 to 1914, the British split Nigeria into the Southern and Northern Nigeria Protectorate. • This emphasized the differences between the two areas, and caused for a reasonable amount of autonomy to exist in the regions even after they were united in 1914. Jeff Pacholski

8. Colonial Era in the South • British influence had always been strongest in the south, as it had the ports and coastline the British used to fuel their trade operations. • As mentioned before, the bureaucracy that indirectly governed Nigeria for Britain consisted almost exclusively of southerners who had been educated at elite, western-style schools. • These schools were set up by Christian missionaries and subsidized by Britain. Most were in the south. • Attending these schools was the main form of elite recruitment in colonial Nigeria and served to further separate the north from the south and the elites from the commoners. Jeff Pacholski

9. Colonial Era in the North • Since the North was already organized into political hierarchies according to Islamic tradition at the time of colonization, the British left its governing system largely in tact and untouched. • Because the north had less to offer Britain than the south did economically, the British focused less on developing and governing the north. • This led to divisions and conflicts between the north and south that still exist today. Jeff Pacholski

10. 3 Modern Nigeria 1960 - Present

11. Modern Nigeria This era began with British trying to prepare Nigerians to rule their own country. They trained them to join the bureaucracy and taught them western values. This started assimilation and decolonization of Nigerians during this time period. MaddieLesniack

12. Modern Nigeria Continued… • 1960-1966: Republic-parliamentary system. The first republic of Nigeria under the British parliamentary system. • 1966-1998: A drastic change occurred when the parliamentary system was switched to a military dictatorship. This dictatorship caused an era of instability and military coup d’etat (the violent overthrow of an existing government) by a small group. 2nd and 3rd Republics were unsuccessful. MaddieLesniack

13. Modern Nigeria Continued… • 1979: Milirary dictator, OlusegunObasanjo, stood down for a democratically-elected president, ShehuShagari. Shagari was later forced out of office in 1983 by a military coup led by General MuhammedBuhari. OlesegunObasanjo • 1979: Nigeria got a new constitution. This favored American style presidential system with a directly elected executive. ShehuShagari MaddieLesniack

14. The Second Republic • In 1983, Shagari and his National Party of Nigeria were reelected in a landslide. • The elections however, were marred by violence and allegations of vote rigging and other corrupt practices. The Overthrow of Shagari • In December 1983, the military overthrew Shagari’s government and Major General Buhari took control of the country’s new ruling body, the Supreme Military Council (SMC). • In 1985, third ranking member General Babangida overthrew the SMC and took over. • Babangida restored freedom of the press and released innocent political detainees. • He encouraged economic reform for Nigeria, and encouraged the public to offer its opinions of what reforms ought to take place. Jeff Pacholski

15. The Third Republic • Babangida vowed to return Nigeria to civilian rule by 1990. • The government created two political parties, The Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the National Republican Convention in 1989, in anticipation of the formation of the Third Republic. • In 1990 the first elections were held. • Early in the year an attempt to overthrow the government had been thwarted, so tensions were high. • The elections took place however, without any violent incident. The SDP won a majority in most local government councils. Jeff Pacholski

16. Modern Nigeria Continued… • When MoshoodAbiola seemingly won the 1993 presidential election, General Babangida had the election annulled, but Babangida was overthrown by General Abacha in a military coup later that year. • Both General Babangida and General Abacha maintained large foreign bank accounts, with regular deposits being diverted from the Nigerian State. Other funds went to the Nigerian elite through the patron client system. These two generals are widely remembered for their political corruption. General Babangida General Abacha Neil Pathak

17. Colonial Era Continued… • AbdulsalmiAbubaka succeeded Abacha in 1998, with the promise to eventually hand over the government to a duly elected civilian. • OlusegunObasanjo became president as a result of the 1999 elections, and he was re-elected in 2003. After his re-election, Nigerian citizens became hopeful for the possibilities of a democracy. • 2 facts hindered the citizens’ hopes: • Obasanjo was a former military general • Both elections were characterized by voting fraud AbdulsalmiAbubaka Neil Pathak

18. From 1966-1998, Nigeria’s government has been a military dictatorship, with transition of power being from a military coup. • Although there were questionable elections in 1999, 2003, and 2007, Nigeria has been considered a presidential democracy since 1999. • The People’s Democratic Party has won all three elections. Modern Nigeria Continued… People’s Democratic Party Neil Pathak

19. Nigeria’s Leadership Transitions Since 1960 Neil Pathak

20. Many economic problems were created because of political corruption at powerful positions in the government. Because of this, problems have arose: • Agriculture has suffered under incoherent government policy where there is untapped mineral sources and farmland. • Nigeria does not use oil profits to invest infrastructure or education enough. • From 2003-2007, the National/State Economic Empowerment Development Strategy has attempted to address these problems through various economic reforms (deregulation, privatization, transparency, etc.) Nigeria’s Economy Neil Pathak

21. Nigeria is classified as a rentier state - a state that drives much of its revenue from its resources. • Oil and Natural Gas make up 90% of export profits and 80% of government revenue. • Nigeria has the 32nd largest GDP, but its rank as 182nd GDP per capita proves that the country’s quality of life needs to be improved. This also illustrates the significant gap between the rich and poor in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Economy Continued… Neil Pathak