Nigeria Civil Society Flashcards
What numbered republic is Nigeria on now?
Fourth
Under what type of government did most of today’s young politicians in Nigeria come of age?
Military authoritarianism
What two different worlds do Nigerians straddle in culture and politics?
Western (colonial) and traditional (pre-colonial)
How do western and traditional elements conflict in Nigerian society?
Communal societies have been weakened by the individuality of Western culture but the modern state struggles to free itself from ethnic rivalries.
What is missing from the relationship between the state and the citizens of Nigeria?
A fundamental reciprocity that there is a common interest that binds them.
What religion dominates northern Nigeria?
Islam
What religion dominates southern Nigeria
Christianity, mostly in the 19th century through missionary activity.
When did north and south Nigeria combine?
1914 when it became a British colony.
How have the different religions caused political conflict?
The secular character of the state.
How do the two religions view Sharia Law.
Muslims view it as a way of life that transcends secular and state law. Christians view it as a threat to the secular nature of the Nigerian state.
What is the proportion of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria?
evenly divided
What are the Middle Belt states and why are they so volatile?
Geographic region through which cultural and religious fault lines run. Disputes that don’t have a religious origin can quickly become a religious conflict.
What is Boko Haram
a violent fundamentalist group officially called the Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytization and Jihad.
What does “Boko Haram” mean?
Western education is sinful.
Where is Boko Haram active in Nigeria?
Borno and Yobe states in the northeast.
Describe the state of the Nigerian Press.
Lively and irreverent. Sometimes regarded as captive to ethnic and regional constituencies which weakens their national influence and ability to resist attacks on their rights.
When the political machinery was controlled by the military in the 1980s and 1990s how did citizens make their voices heard?
Through labor organizations, student groups, and women’s organizations.
Who is the biggest employer in Nigeria.
The government.
Since the government is the biggest employer, how does that affect the influence of organized labor?
Subject to reprisal by the government, but the potential affect of nationwide strikes gives them influence.
Describe the Nigerian business community.
A long history of entrepreneurialism and development but also known for corruption. Many successful business people previously served in the military or sponsor politicians.
How does student activism influence Nigerian politics and culture.
Student activism has long been an important feature of Nigerian political life. But they have also spawned violent “cults” that have cooperated with militias and extremist fundamentalist groups.
How has technology impacted Nigerian politics?
100 million cell lines were added in 10 years. Nigeria’s service sector doubled in the same time period when the GDP grew by only 6% annually in the same period, signaling a small but rapidly rising middle class. Social media increasingly used to track election violations and organize protests like the ones against the removal of fuel subsidies in 2012, generally independent of ethnic, religious, or sectional elements – united, instead, by general frustration over government corruption.
