nigeria terms Flashcards
boko haram
islamic extremist terrorist group; northeastern nigeria
From Mrs. Hawkins → Threat to the government’s sovereignty and legitimacy
electoral system for the president
4 year term; must win overall majority and 25% of votes in at least 2/3rd of the states AND A MAJORITY to prevent regional conflicts
From Mrs. Hawkins → Majority required for president in Iran, Nigeria and Russia
electoral system for the house of representatives
SMDs apportioned by population, “winner take all”, 360 seats
From Mrs. Hawkins → using FPTP
electoral system for senate
SMDs, 36 states each get three seats, winner take all
From Mrs. Hawkins → using FPTP
federal character
president must appoint ministers from each state, used to prevent regional favoritism/conflict
From Mrs. Hawkins → yep! This is like a quota for hiring the different ethnic groups.
federal system/federalism
power gets devolved to local and regional governments; taxation and lawmaking for example
From Mrs. Hawkins → Constitutionally, power is divided between the federal and subnational governments. The opposite is a unitary state like the UK
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)
group that supposedly acts on behalf of the oppressed Delta people; subgroups have been involved in siphoning oil, kidnappings, and violence
From Mrs. Hawkins → Threat to the government’s sovereignty and legitimacy
Ken Saro-Wiwa
environmental activist, critic of corrupt government, critic of Shell’s presence in Nigeria; was arrested and executed, founder of MOSOP
MOSOP
challenged Shell in the ogoni region; anti-government revenue sharing formula; called out gov for hoarding the oil revenues
the zoning principal
presidential candidates alternate between being northern and southern to ease regional conflicts; informal system, “good sportsmanship”
ECOWAS
Supranational organization. The goal of ECOWAS is to foster trade by reducing tariffs and otherwise liberalizing trade. ECOWAS is founded on the principles of economic liberalization. Similar to the EU’s original intent. ECOWAS would provide a regional economic forum that could increase both development and the economic power of African states. Remember: states voluntarily give up some sovereignty when joining supranational organizations.
failed state
State in which law and order persistently breaks down. The government is unable to perform the basic functions of a state. There is an NGO who gathers this data and publishes a Failed States Index. Modern example: Somalia
gini index/coefficient
a statistic that measures economic inequality. The bigger the number, the higher the economic inequality. A zero means that everyone in the country has exactly the same amount of money. Note: the stat is not indicative of the LEVEL of development/wealth, only its distribution.
Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)
Countries might implement ISI policies in order to bolster their own developing industries. ISI tries to reduce a country’s dependence on foreign markets by raising tariffs and encouraging local production of industrialized products (usually with subsidies). ISI is the opposite of economic liberalization.
role of political parties in nigeria
Multiparty system with two strong parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP = first 4 presidents) and the All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APC = current president Buhari). Parties have very broad policy platforms. Support for a party is usually determined by the personality, popularity, and strength of the leader’s loyalty pyramid. In other words, support is for the person, not the party itself. Parties must meet ethnic quotas in order to run at a federal level. 2015 → first time the PDP lost and power switched to a different party. Sign of democratic consolidation.
