March 19, 2009 AP Government 4th period

In Nigeria’s 2007 election there was much corruption and fraud (stuffed ballot boxes, more votes than voters, etc.)
Ø between 50-300 people die in violence leading to it
Ø each major ethnic group had a political party

Yardua won, became president
Ø he retired some of the top military officers to prevent another coup
Ø sought to relax the Niger Delta

Nigeria has a small international debt, a lot of agricultural land, and natural reserves (oil). Making it ripe for a developing state economy

Socialization
Ø 1- ethnicity
Ø religion, urban/rural, class, and region also come into play
Ø 6 inexact areas
1. Northwest
2. Northeast
3. Middle Belt
4. Southwest
5. Southeast
6. Southern minority zone

Elite
Ø politically active
Ø urban, well-educated, speak English, cash economy
Ø want an honest government
Ø want civil liberties

Masses (urban and rural)
Ø subjects
Ø take what the government will hand out to them
Ø not active except during campaigns
Ø patron-client networks (are the clients)
Ø earn favors to survive
Ø not well educated (1/2 illiterate)
Ø no English
Ø subsistence economy
Ø care about results, not government

Oil revenues
Ø important to the government
Ø supposed to serve state and national government funding
Ø causes corruption (General Babangida bought new cars for his top supporters using that money)

Officials called “loot-o-crats” (in relation to the corruption)
Ø “It takes a village to raise a child”- if a person gets an education and leaves, he is still responsible for the village
Ø mixes sense of community responsibility with patron-client
Ø uneducated rely on educated for goods
Ø patron gets more money or power, the village wants more rewards
Ø “pre-bendalism”- dispersion of public jobs and rents (money the national government makes off of other countries for oil) that people say the village is owed

Culture
Ø North- under British, agricultural
Ø South- under British, modern (economy, institutions, etc)

65-75% of kids go to primary school
Ø more in South than in North
Ø few get beyond (expensive)
Ø instructed in English
Ø over ½ the country is illiterate

Participation
Ø voting rates hard to determine (cheating on census)
Ø 1993- 46% estimated voters
Ø 1997- 67% estimated voters (fraud)
Ø 1979- women get right to vote

Political elites
Ø Obas- Yoruba ethnic area
Ø Emirs- Middle
Ø Village Leaders- South

Political agenda
Ø ethnic based groups in cities
Ø rural- farming groups
Ø labor unions exist but aren’t powerful and never really have been

Political parties
Ø military governments and political parties don’t mix well
Ø Top 3 parties in 1998-99
1. PDP- Obasanjo
2. All People’s Party- descendent of Igbu NCNC
3. Alliance for Democracy- descendent of Yoruba Action Group
Ø All ethnically based