Nigeria

Overview
Introduction Colonial Nigeria & Military Rule War Boko Haram Economics of Nigeria Structural Adjustment Policies in Nigeria Gender issues Culture Afrobeat

Government
36 states within Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory.
The states are further divided into more than 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Vice President: Namadi Sambo.

The current president is Goodluck Jonathan, since May 2010 (reelection in 2011).

Population
- Most populated country in Africa. - ~ 170,000,000. - >250 ethnic groups - Hausa - Fulani 29% - Yoruba 21% - Igbo 18%

Language & Religion

Language
English (official) Yoruba Igbo Pidgin How you dey? Close to equal division of Christians and Muslims. ~1% Indigenous beliefs.

Religion

Colonial Nigeria & Military Rule

Colonial Nigeria
Abolition of slave trade in 1807. Gradual domination. Northern, Eastern and Western Nigeria. Frederick Lugards Indirect Rule. Demand for self-governance after WWII. Independence on October 1st, 1960.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria: Civilian and Military Rule

13

16

~ 29 years of military rule

Causes
Ethnic divide (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo)
Hausa-Fulani dominance Coup d'tat in January 1966 by Igbo Counter-Coup in July 1966 by North

1967 Biafra secession

During the war

Military war
50,000 Igbos killed in counter-coup 1 million refugees fled to their Ibo homeland 100,000 military causalities during Biafra war 500,000 to 2 million died from starvation and disease

Propaganda

All I really ask is that the outside world look at us as human beings and not as Negroes bashing heads.
-Odumegwu Ojukwu, Biafran leader
July 12, 1968

During the war

Military war
50,000 Igbos killed in counter-coup 1 million refugees fled to their Ibo homeland 100,000 military causalities during Biafra war 500,000 to 2 million died from starvation and disease

International support
Relief efforts in response to propaganda Tanzania, Zambia, Gabon, South Africa, Ivory Coast

Final Outcome
1970 Biafran leaders admit defeat
Re-integrated into country

Laws passed for political parties to not be ethnically based FMG in North gained more control over oil

Niger Delta
90% of nations oil revenue 70,000 km

 Exploitation and resource allocation

Competition for oil wealth Land ownership

Recurring violence since 1960s

Emergence of armed groups in 2003 Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

 Environmental damage
Oil spills

Stealing and vandalism

Poverty Kidnapping

Ongoing conflict

Tighter supply (Increased oil prices) Government development commitments in Niger Delta Oil companys involvement In 2007, government efforts to redistribute wealth to give 13% to producing countries has been challenged with little accountability and corruption of local officials

11/12/12

Timeline
1995-2002 emergence 2009/2010 violence Recent attacks

11/12/12

Goals
Opposes man-made laws and science Jihad

Sharia Law
Pure Islamic State

11/12/12

In the Media
Al Jazeera (Middle East) BBC & The Guardian (UK, Europe) CNN (United States) CTV News (Canada) All Africa (Africa)

11/12/12

Nigerian Economy

Basic Information
Mixed economy Currency- Nigerian naira GDP(2011)- $415 billion Unemployment- 24% Major occupation by labor - Services: 32% - Agriculture: 30% - Manufacturing: 11% Chosen to be one of the NEXT 11

Possible reason 1: GDP growth

Possible reason 2: Education

Relatively highly educated The common language in a school is English Makes easier for labor to negotiate with UK and US. Thus,UK and US are the two major trading partners.

Possible reason 3: Oil dependency

The country was originally focused on agriculture During 70s, government put focus on OIL. Increasing export rate of oil to core and decreasing export rate of agricultural goods. Thus, the countrys richness is dependent on price of oil.

Structural Adjustment Programmes

Implemented throughout much of the developing world as a response to 1982 debt crisis Debt crisis caused by sharp increase in oil prices and corresponding increase in interest rates High interest rates caused Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Poland to default on their loans

Debt Crisis
IMF and World Bank blamed the Debt Crisis on poor governmental policies in indebted countries Did not consider debt forgiveness out of fear of a domino effect Introduced neo-liberal economic Structural Adjustment Programmes as a prerequisite for indebted countries to acquire additional loans

SAPs

Downsizing of civil service Freezing of public wages Reduction or elimination of government subsidies on basic foods and commodities, health, and education Economic liberalization Privatization Export Oriented Industrialization and diversification return to cash crop agricultural production and export of raw materials Devaluation of national currency Tax reductions to large businesses

SAPs in Nigeria
Implemented in 1986 under Babangida regime High inflation rate, job and food insecurity, disparity between rural and urban wages, lack of access to health and education led to unprecedented strikes and protests in Nigerias urban centres Met with state repression

Societal Effects of SAPs in Nigeria

Beneficiaries: large traders and rural inhabitants Negative impact on Urban class High inflationary rate Decreased wages in Urban sector by almost 50%; increased wages in rural by 40% Food insecurity and malnutrition Job insecurity and worsening of unemployment Lack of access to health and education by urban poor Growth of the informal sector State loss of sovereignty Human trafficking and prostitution Social unrest in urban centres

SAPs in Nigeria
Case Study by Nwagbara Eucharia Nwabugo Demonstrates that more Nigerians opposed to SAPs than those that support them

Nwabugos Findings
100% of his sample of 357 University students and lecturers affirmed that SAPs had a negative effect on the well-being of Nigerians 97.2% felt the standard of living worsened under SAPs 93% agreed that protests were the result of economic hardship incited by SAPs The majority felt that Babangidas military regime under SAPs was more authoritarian than his predecessor, Buhari.

Societal Opposition to SAPs

Main reasons for opposition: External nature of economic reform Exploitation and continued poverty of Nigerians as result of foreign economic dependence Not in the interest of Nigerian people Produces more adverse effects than positive Anti-development policy program No human face to SAPs seen as repressive

Result of SAPs in Nigeria

GDP per capita decreased from $781 USD PPP in 1986 to $778 in 1987 Negligible economic impact Adverse social impact Catalyst in the development of many problems Nigeria still struggles with today i.e. large informal sector, human trafficking, unemployment, Nigerian diaspora, etc

Prostitution and Human Trafficking

SAPs resulted in the flooding of the informal sector Dependence on men forces women to turn to prostitution Blamed for spread of HIV/AIDS Many girls sent as prostitutes or domestic slaves to Italy

Legalization of prostitution
Deputy president proposed legalization of prostitution as a means of regulating it This was opposed by many members of government

Female Genital Mutilation

41% of adult women in Nigeria are circumcised More prevalent in the south Practiced by all religious groups Not all groups practice FGM

Reasons for FGM

Maintenance of customs Increase chances for marriage Decrease sexual interest Increase male pleasure Facilitate pregnancy Ease the difficulties of childbirth Aesthetics and hygiene Religion

Consequences of FGM
Medical problems
Infection Psychological trauma Difficulties in childbirth

Patriarchal control of women

Curtails female sexuality Asserts male dominance through violence

Child Marriage
Over 50% of 15 year old girls are married Technically illegal since 2003 Remains prevalent, especially in the north Reinforced by customary and religious laws

Causes
Prevention of promiscuity Poverty Religion

Consequences
Runaways Lack of education Prostitution

Culture

Ethnic Groups

Over 250 diverse ethnic communities

3 Largest (represent 68% of population):

Hausa-Fulani in north Igbo in south-east Yoruba in south-west

Rest of ethnic groups mostly found in north and middle belt of country

Religion

Islam and Christianity are the predominant religions

Hausa-Fulani mainly Muslim, Igbo Catholic, and Yoruba both Muslim and Protestant
Influence of Islamic culture began in 14th Century Christianity spread largely through preaching missionaries in colonial times Though indigenous religious practices remain important; often blended with Islam and Christianity

Religious Practices, in Politics, Gender:

http://features.pewforum.org/africa/country.php?c=160

Language

Official Language: English

National Languages: Edo, Efik, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo, Central Kanuri, Yoruba, English
Approx. 521 languages spoken

Can be broadly categorized into Niger-Congo languages and Afro-Asiatic languages

Pidgin a lingua franca, mix between English and diverse ethnic languages - was common among illiterates and the those on street who could not speak proper English now everyone uses it

E.g 'How you dey' instead of 'How are you

Despite English as official language, local languages mostly used for mass communication and media (radio, television, music) These also taught in schools, further promoting widespread use Exemplary of retaining traditional cultures

Art

Very little known about Nigerias artwork until British Punitive Expedition in 1897; sacked city of Benin and stole several thousand pieces of art from Oba's palace First African art to gain world recognition, remain today as the most famous of all African traditional sculptures In world's major museums among other masterpieces and seen to better explain mankind's cultural heritage.

Ivory carving, grass weaving, wood carving, leather, calabash, pottery, painting, cloth weaving, & glass and metal works important forms of Nigerian art very versatile Arts were created to be functional & flourished because of daily use of people, e.g decorated pot, spear, etc. Also for ceremonial occasions regarding rites of passage (e.g births, puberty, marriage and death)

Seen as primitive and unsatisfactory by colonists, also described by Mudimbe in Discourse of Power and Knowledge of Otherness Traveling exhibition titled Treasures of Ancient Nigeria, attracting Western critics - noted to represent a naturalism comparable to that of classical Greek sculpture Related to Diops The Meaning of Our Work, where Western critics still compare it to that of Greeces and do not consider it an art of its own despite showing traditional works and rich diversity

Nollywood

2009 UN stated Nollywood to surpass Hollywood as worlds 2nd largest film producer, behind Bollywood Nigerian cinema Africa's largest movie industry, in value and amount

Many deal with moral dilemmas, especially regarding religious diversity (One God One Nation, Muslim man and Christian woman want to marry ) Gaining international recognition; Nollywood Babylon a Canadian documentary featured in the Sundance Film Festival (2009) about sudden and dramatic popularity of Nigerian movies

Sports

National Sport: Football (soccer)

National football team, Super Eagles made World Cup in 1994, 1998, 2002 & 2010 Won African Cup of Nations in 1980 and 1994, and hosted the Junior World Cup Won gold medal in 1996 Summer Olympics Miracle of Damman: Nigeria's victory over USSR after being 4 goals behind with 25 minutes left Boxing next most popular sport, Dick Tiger and Samuel Peter as former World Champions, along with basketball, table tennis and lawn tennis

Sport is a dynamic social process, which can unify various groups with cultural, social and political differences. Sports often is utilized to promote social integration within a society. What diplomatic efforts have failed to achieve have frequently been satisfactorily attained through sport. Sport must continue to enjoy adequate attention by all citizens of a nation. University of Benin, Emerging Profile of Sports in the Democratic Environment of Nigeria

Representing Fela Kuti

I didn't want to just fall into deification. It's a piece that's quite complex, and what you see at first glance is not necessarily all that is there -- and that was Fela. - Barkley L. Hendricks

Fela
Born 1938 to two political activists (Funmilayo Ransome Kuti) Studied music in London Performed with band, Egypt 80 (many names) Played tenor sax, sang Died 1997 of AIDS

What is Afrobeat?
Ghanaian highlife + American jazz/pop/funk + Traditional Yoruba music + Pidgin English / Yoruba lyrics + Political themes = Afrobeat

Characteristics
>10 minute songs Huge band: two baritone saxophones! Energetic live performances

Politics
The Black Panthers + Nigerian Civil War (Biafra) + Pan-Africanism & Socialism = Fela's political views
Polygamy Distrust of government

Musical Legacy
Hip-hop Jazz Brian Eno / Roxy Music David Byrne / Talking Heads Broadway Femi & Seun Kuti

Legacy contd
His music is great. He was a very charismatic performer. Visually he was very striking. But at the same time, while all this interesting aesthetic stuff is happening, you've got someone who has really put their life on the line to speak as a voice for the dispossessed and to dramatize the struggle of his society on the world stage. - Michael Veal, Ethnomusicologist, Yale University Fela changed the course of funk, African music, and almost anything groove-based that came after him, but it sometimes seems like his contributions to music in general are more interesting than actually listening to his music in specific... His biography is even more sellable-- and more bullet-point friendly-than his music - Mike Powell, Pitchfork Magazine

Thanks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q76UngzHX 5Y&feature=related
Singing starts at 5:15