Nigeria

NIGERIA a stable nation

As most governments do struggle when changing over into a new form of government, with hope to better its people, Nigeria is no exception. After 16 years of military dictatorship, three republics, many riots and protests, and about seven coups and/or overthrows, the new Federal Republic of Nigeria adopted a new constitution in 1999, and held honest, fair civilian elections (for the first time in almost two decades) to hopefully ease all of the religious, cultural and militant related tension in Nigeria. Only having about twice the area of the state of California, but with over *three and a half times the population (California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, from the 2000 census), and having so much corruption and so little previous experience with a working system of government, and lacking any non-oppressed form of media, I think it's pretty safe to say that the new Nigerian government (the third republic) might struggle for a while, but in the long run collapse, and fail. It is just like their past two republics, that started off mimicking either the British or American style, but after a while some militant goon, thought it wasn't getting anywhere, and just took over. As long as there's a military, they will always have power, and will always have the upper hand, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A short history: the original republic started back when the got their independence from Great Britain, on October 1, 1960, and their government was designed after the system of their recent proprietor, the UK. The independent Nigeria was compiled of three ethnic states: the Hausa kingdom, from the north, the Yoruba, which dominated the South and the west, and the Ibo, of the south and the east, all united as one federation (Jim Jones, 1998). The first republic's system was set up with a prime minister, and a parliament, which were both dominated by the Hausa's National People's Congress (NPC), which lasted a good five years until new elections led the Igbo (a minority group from the north - Hausa) civil servants to maintain authority over most of the west and the Yoruba nation. This angered the Yoruba, who had been struggling with the Hausa for many years, and caused riots, until January 1966, when the Nigerian army held their first coup, directed at the Igbo, leaving over 30,000 dead, and a country without a stable leader/government. Those of the Igbo culture that had survived the massacre fled to Southeast Nigeria (full of rich, moneymaking soil, starting the Republic of Biafra, almost immediately being sought out and at war against Nigeria. (Jones, 1998, chart on African History)

Later in May, 1967, the Nigerian General Yakubu Gowon pronounced himself as the country's new chief, and started things off by abolishing the old three state system, and changed it to a federation of twelve states, weakening local governments, but strengthened the military's power, and the even the federal government, should the army succumb the slightest bit of control. In 1974, Gowon promised to return the system back to civilian rule, in the year 1976, but in October of the next year, there was another coup directed by General Murtala Muhammad, who held power until General Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded him, in 1976. Under Obasanjo, the constitution was amended so that there would be 19 states, instead of twelve, and under rule of parliament, civilian control was resumed. The constitution was changed so that the country had more "checks and balances," imitating more of an American style, than a British one, and that there would be fair elections with parties in competing with one another. In 1979, the first election of the Second Federation of Nigeria took place, where five parties honestly competed, and Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) became president.

During the time when General Obasanjo was in "office," oil prices skyrocketed and Nigeria's economy boomed, but in 1981, that boom was depleted, and caused over one million non-Nigerian workers to be exploited, caused strikes, and caused tension between classes and cultures to bubble up in a cauldron of hatred. The president, Shehu Shagari was blamed.

A few years later, during the second republic's second elections, the incumbent Shehu Shagari was once again elected, in September of 1983, and stayed in office until the third Nigerian coup occurred, on New Year's Eve, of that year; led by Major-General Muhammed Buhari. His first acts were suspending the proficient constitution of 1979, and arresting former president Shehu Shagari, along with many other politicians. Within his first couple years of being in charge, Buhari tried to seek out corruption amongst the media and industrial life, but it turned the country against journalists and the media, and denying public opinion, as credible.

Just as Buhari gained authority, he lost it: another coup, this time leaving General Ibrahim Babangida. General Babangida, whom I consider a bad leader, soon tried to economically structure the country with strategies that barely benefited the economy, and gravely hurt all but the rich. Also, in 1987, he delayed the date of which politicians could rule the country again back from fall of 1990, to October 1992, in hopes that he would remain in office until then, and hopefully win over public support. According to his Austerity program, to help the economy, he lowered government funding and subsidies, so transporters had to double their prices, only to result in the lowering of fuel prices, mutating the country into a black market, and smuggler infested quagmire. In 1988, 77% of the countries taxes/income came from oil, and ended up taking in 87% of the country's export income, leaving the country quite susceptible to price fluctuations, and lowered its GDP by $580 per capita, in 1989 to $250. Within the next three years, the per capita income would only reach $395, leaving Nigeria a low-income country (according to the World Bank), for the first time since its independence, almost thirty years prior. (Metz, 1991)

Within the next few years, Babangida and his government refused to permit over a dozen political parties to exist, while supporting only two parties to be legal (the SDP and the RNC). To ensure his position in the future civilian elections (only three years away), Babangida outlawed former politicians to run for office (kind of like what happened in communist Soviet Union). Within three years of each other, Babangida had approved of twenty new states to join the federation, and almost a gross of local government districts