Nigeria
is a federal republic consists of 36 states. The country is located in West
Africa and borders with Niger in the north, Chad and Cameroon in the east and
Republic of Benin in the west. In the south, it lies on the Gulf of Guinea in
the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa with 174
million inhabitants and has over 300 ethnic groups speaking 250 local languages.
Nigeria is very heterogeneous and ethnically very divergent country. Whilst 50
percent of the population is Muslim, 40 percent is Christian and 10 percent of
the population believes the indigenous beliefs. While the majority of Muslims
live in the north, Christians live in the south. 9 states in the northern
Nigeria have been ruled according to Islamic law since 1999.[1] The
history of Islam in Nigeria goes back to the 9th century; Islam
spread over the country through the Muslim traders came from the Arabic
peninsula and North Africa. Since
Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 from Britain, it failed to establish
functional state institutions to deliver the basic needs of the people,
including security, education, medical care, transportation and water. For
instance, the maternal and infant mortality rates of Nigeria in the world are
the eleventh and the tenth. Life expectancy rate is around 50. While 78 percent
of the population has access to safe drinking water at the urban areas, only 49
percent can drink clean water at the rural areas. While 30 percent of the
population can benefit from the health care facilities at the urban areas, it
is 24 percent at the rural areas.[2]
Nigeria
is labeled as one of the poorest countries in the world[3]
despite having mass natural resources. Its infrastructure is extremely poor. It
is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.[4]
Oil has been the most important source of the government revenues since 1970.
Nigeria became a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) in 1971 and produces natural gas, petroleum, coal, tin, iron, lead, zinc
and limestone. It is the eight largest exporter of oil in the world and largest
in Africa. However, more than 62 percent of the population lives in extreme
poverty in Nigeria. Economic disparities between the Muslim north and the
Christian south are extreme. While more than 70 percent live poverty in the
north, only 27 percent live in poverty in the south and 35 percent in the Niger
Delta.[5]
As
of 2014, Nigeria became the largest economic power of Africa and its GDP
reached to 502 billion dollars in 2013. Its economy grows at a 6-8 percent per
annum.[6] [7]
With the adoption of the new constitution in 1999, the period of the 16 years
of the military junta ended in the country. Corruption, poverty, mismanagement,
and unequal distribution of the oil revenues have become the main driving
factors behind the longstanding political, social and economic instabilities in
Nigeria. In January 2014, Nigeria was elected as a non-permanent member at the
UN Security Council for the period of 2014-2015.
The
colonial history of Nigeria goes back to the fifteenth century. Portugal, the
Netherlands, French and Britain were among the colonial powers in the country
but particularly Britain had a profound impact on the current social, economic
and political structure of Nigeria. It established Western education system and
spread Christianity in the south but this created a significant disparity
between north and south and led to the emergence of religious and political
tension and marginalized the people in the north. Britain used the policy of
divide-and-rule to prevent uniting Nigerian people during the British colonial
period. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, there was huge
difference between the northern and southern parts of the country. While
political and economic change was so slow in the north, it was rapid in the
south because of the route of the transatlantic slave trade.[8] At
the beginning of the nineteenth century, two different historical events
changed the country radically. The
first was that Usman dan Fodio established the Sokoto Caliphate in Northern
Nigeria between 1804 and 1808 which played a significant role in spreading
Islam in north in the nineteenth century. The second one was that Britain
abolished the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, however it continued until the
1860s. After 1860s, the new commodities such as palm oil have been found and
replaced it. The shift in trade had significant economic and political
consequences in Nigeria and then Britain increased its intervention in the
political and economic affairs of Nigeria after 1860s.[9]
With
the Berlin conference of 1885, the European colonial powers divided Africa
among themselves to prevent their conflict of interest in Africa. After the
conference, Britain established its protectorates in Northern Nigeria and
Southern Nigeria. It founded the Royal Niger Company to colonize the country in
the nineteenth century and controlled the major trading centers throughout the
company.[10]
British colonialism created Nigeria without any respect of socio-cultural
dynamics of indigenous people and introduced Western political and social
concepts on the local people. Frederick Lugard, the first high commissioner of
the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, used armed force to control the region
and imposed the Western system on the indigenous people. Inconsistent, brutal
and racial British colonial policies in the north led to the emergence of
anti-Western thoughts and regional animosities. Furthermore, it strengthened
nationalist sentiments and loyalty to the emirs of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Nigeria became independence from Britain in 1960 and had 60 million of its
population at that time. The first parliamentary elections in the country were
held in December 1964, however military coups became a feature of political
life of Nigeria and destabilized both political and economic stability. The
period between 1966 and 1998 was known as the period of military junta in the
country. In this period, eight military coups took place.
There
are three important largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. The first is the Hausa
ethnic group which live in the north and is mainly Muslims. The Hausa accounts
for the 29 percent of the population. The second is the Yoruba ethnic group
which is the half population of which is Muslim and the half is Christian and
lives in the south-west. The Yoruba accounts for 21 percent of the population.
The third ethnic group is the Igbo which is predominantly Christian and live in
south-east. Igbo represents the 18 percent of the population in the country.[11]
With the independence of Nigeria in 1960, the Hausa and the Igbo established a
conservative political alliance and ruled the country from 1960 to 1966 but
this political alliance excluded the Yoruba people. Importantly, the Igbo
ethnic group got more benefits from power economically and politically. During
the British colonial period, many Igbo worked in government and military. The Yoruba ethnic group made an agreement
with the Hausa and they together went to the election of 1965 by establishing
the Nigerian National Alliance party. This political alliance also excluded the
Igbo from power. The Nigerian National Alliance party won the election and came
to power in 1965. However, military coups destabilized political stability in
the country.
On
15 January 1966, the Igbo officers staged a coup against the elected government
and overthrew it. General Ironsi from the ethnic group of Igbo became the head
of state in January 1966. The northern officers also countered it by staging a
military coup against the General Ironsi and General Yakubu Gowon from the
north came to power after the military coup in the country. In 1967, the
Nigerian Civil War known as the Biafran War erupted as a result of ethnic,
political and economic conflict. The discovery of oil in the south-east in the
early 1960s changed the political and economic dynamics in Nigeria. The
military governor of the region of south-east Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu
proclaimed the independence of the region of south-east from Nigeria as a
Republic of Biafra. The Igbo officer Colonel Ojukwu claimed that the north and
west will benefit of oil discovered in the east-south and discriminate the Igbo
people from power. He believed that the Igbo will create their own state and
become more prosperous by using oil. France, Portugal, South Africa, and
Tanzania were among the countries to recognize the independence of the Republic
of Biafra. In January 1970, the Nigerian government control over the region of
south-east. More than one million Nigerians died during the war and three
million became refugees.[12]
In
July 1975, the armed forces made a bloodless military coup against the
president Yakubu Gowon and they appointed General Murtala Ramat Muhammad from
the Hausa as president. In February 1976, Muhammad was assassinated and General
Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded the previous one. In 1979, Nigeria adopted the
Constitution of the United States which created an environment that people can
freely go to elections and choose their political parties as a ruling party.
The constitution also separated the powers among the executive, legislative,
and judiciary. In 1979, the country went to national elections and the leader
of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) Alhaji Shehu Shagaria won the election
and became the president of the country. In 1979, the five political parties
joined the elections freely. The period (1979-1983) is called as the second
Republic of Nigeria. However, the first democratically elected government
failed to bring peace and security and stop widespread corruption and crime
throughout the country. Particularly, the coalition parties were not strong and
there was not enough cooperation between the coalition government and the
opposition parties. Also, oil prices increased significantly in the country. On
31 December 1983, a military coup under the leadership of Major General
Muhammedu Buharia from the northern region again took place and overthrew the
civilian government, claiming that the civilian government failed to restore
political and economic stability and stop corruption and crime.[13]
In
1985, General Ibrahim Babangida seized the control and overthrew the government
of Buharia. Babangida remained in power until 1993. In November 1993, General
Sani Abacha controlled the state and stayed in power as a military dictator
until 1998. During the period of Abacha, human rights violations were very
high. After the death of Abacha, Major General Abdulsalami Abubakar came to
power in June 1998. Local and presidential elections were held in the country
respectively in December 1998 and February 1999 and the leader of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) Obasanjo won the elections and became the president of
the country. With the elections in the country, a long military period in
Nigeria ended. After the civilian government was established, the government of
Obasanjo faced serious challenges surrounding the country.[14]
In
2000, an upheaval emerged in the northern side of the country which desire to
adopt Islamic law for their states’ administration. Also, ethnic divisions
destabilised political and economic stability in the country. Since the
transformation period in the country from the military junta to democracy in
1999, the country has suffered to maintain peace, security and stability. For
instance, more than 10.000 Nigerians have been killed due to the sectarian
violence since the democratic elections took place in 1999. When a Danish
newspaper depicted Prophet Muhammed in September 2005, a conflict between the
Muslims and the Christians appeared and 100 people died from the conflict. In
2001, the ethnic group in the State of Benue in the south-east started an
upheaval against the government and to attack the international oil companies
in the region of Niger-Delta where the oil is produced. They claimed that the
local people are not benefiting from the oil revenues where the international
oil companies produce. In April 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, the governor of the
northern state of Katsina, from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) came
to power when the Senate rejected Obasanjo's candidate for the third time. On 5
May 2010, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian and the governor of the southern state
of Bayelsa, came to power with the death of Yar’Adua. The military coups and
the longstanding military periods in the country highly militarised the
society.[15]
References:
[1] These states are Zamfara, Kano,
Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi and Yobe. The Islamic law is also
valid in the States of Kaduna, Niger, and Gombe where the majority of the
Muslims live.
[8] Julius, O. Ihonvbere, “The Politics of Adjustment and Democracy:
Nigeria”, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1994, pp. 8-15.
[9] Library of Congress - Federal
Research Division, “Nigeria”, 2008,
pp. 3-4.
[10] Scott P. Pearson, “The Economic Imperialism of the Royal Niger
Company”, Stanford University, Food Research Institute, 1971, p. 85-6.
[11] Luke Uka Uche, “Mass Media, People and Politics in Nigeria”,
New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 1989, pp.7-15.
[12] Library of Congress - Federal
Research Division, “Nigeria”, 2008,
pp. 4-6.
[13] Martin, P. Mathews, “Current Issues and Historical Background:
Nigeria”, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2002, pp. 5-10.
[14] Michael, Ogbeidi, “Political
Leadership and Corruption in Nigeria since 1960: A Socio-economic Analysis”,
Fall 2012, Journal of Nigeria Studies, Vol., 1, No.: 2, pp. 6-11.
[15] Abimboloa Adesoji, “The Boko
Haram Uprising and Islamic Revivalism in Nigeria”, Africa Spectrum, Vol. 45, No., 2 (2010), p. 96.
