President

Presidential SystemHead of State; Head of Government4-year term2 terms maximumHas at least one minister from each state.

“Federal Character Principle” Recognize various needs of a diverse country.

Most powerful political figurePatrimonialism

Power flows directly from leaderPrebendalism

Office and state revenue=personal fiefdom President heads Patron-Client System

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court Judicial review (in

theory)State and Local

Courts12 states fall under

Sharia Courts Law guided by Muslim

sayings, practices, and Quran.

Possibility of controversial punishments.

Vigilante “honor killings” based on sharia.

Countries Under Sharia Rule

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/library/chart-graph/countries-sharia-rule

The Case of Amina Lawal

What was her offense?Describe the issues with judicial due process.Describe the gender issues relevant to this case.Why did President Obasanjo choose not to get

involved?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?

Attorneys from an NGO took up her case. International media publicized the case.

“Facing Death for Adultery, Nigerian Woman Is Acquitted.”

Today, in an opinion read aloud in the regional language, Hausa, the appeals panel overturned the original conviction, largely on the basis of irregularities. It found that the lower courts had been wrong not to allow Ms. Lawal to retract her earlier confession. Moreover, the court ruled, the first confession was invalid because it was uttered only once, instead of four times, as required by Islamic law, and only one judge presided over the first trial, instead of the requisite three.

The panel also cited more substantive grounds. The police officers who arrested Ms. Lawal produced no witnesses to fornication, the court said. The court also gave a nod to what defense lawyers had called the ''sleeping embryo'' theory: under some interpretations of Shariah, an embryo can be in gestation for up to five years, meaning that Ms. Lawal's baby could have been fathered by her former husband.

New York Times. 26 September 2003.

Sharia Law in Nigeria

British allowed aspects during colonial period.

Officially allowed in Fourth Republic.

HOPEEnd corruptionRule of law in societyProsperityMoral leaders care

for poor

PROBLEMSSharia focusing on

morality issues (censorship and women’s issues)

Hisbah sharia police Fundamentalists Some terrorize

population

Legislature: National Assembly

House of Representatives

360 membersSMDs

Senate109 members

3 from each of 36 states

1 from capitalSMDs within state

Each state divided in thirdsHouse & Senate

• 4-year terms• Popularly elected

Political Parties

MEXICO: How did political party system lead to stability in 20th century?

NIGERIA=ethnic and religious factionalismMulti-party system reflects divisionsParties appear, disappear, and reorganize

frequently. SIMILAR TO ANY OTHER COUNTRIES?

Party in power uses corruption and prebendalism.

Political Parties

People’s Democratic Party (PDP): Centrist, dominant party.

Originated in North. Deliberately enlisted Obasanjo to attract southern Christians.

All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP): leans right.

Historically strong in North.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN): leans left.

Result of a merger of several parties. Initially strong with Yoruba.

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)

Factional party from ANPP.

National Assembly

HOUSE1999 2003 2007 2011

PDP 212 213 260 202

ANPP

79 95 61 25

ACN 69 31 31 66

CPC 35

2011: 6 other parties have 24 seats

SENATE1999 2003 2007 2011

PDP 65 73 87 71

ANPP

24 28 14 7

ACN 20 6 6 18

CPC 7

2011: 3 other parties have 6 seats.

New Political Party

All Progressive Congress (APC) Merger of Congress for Progressive ChangeAND Action Congress of Nigeria

New umbrella opposition party Unite north and south opposition

Comparing Political Party Systems

Rank the countries we have studied.

In which country is there the highest level of voter identification with a party?

Which is the lowest?Describe some of the

factors that impact your ranking.

United StatesUnited KingdomRussiaMexicoNigeria

Bureaucracy

Formed in British colonial times.

Massive growth since then.

Perceived as corrupt and inefficient. Prebendalism

(clientalism) Bribes

Parastatals

Government ownership, or part ownership, of major industries. Oil industry

Many joint ventures (Owned by Nigeria and MNC)Shell Petroleum

Water Electricity

Parastatals=state corporatism Govt. controlled industry has special influence over

policy

Interest Groups

Corporatism under military rule Parastatals Businesses worked with military Labor union leaders approved by military leaders

Moving towards pluralism Labor union more independent Some business associations outside of government

influence Human rights groups

Military

President is Commander-In-ChiefMilitary is national in character

All ethnic groups and religions Used its multi-culturalism in the past to justify

military ruleHistorically has played an active role in

domestic politics. Used to restore order during ethnic/religious

strife. Coups overthrow elected executive

Comparing Military Involvement

COMPARISON QUESTION: Are there any other countries we have studied in which the military has been actively involved in domestic politics (attempts to control power)?

What factors seem to cause a military to be more active in domestic politics?

Federalism

Federal system of government

36 states“Federal Character

Principle” Presidential Elections Sharia law Appointment of Ministers Senate

“The National Question” Do Nigerians have enough

in common to remain a united country?

The Business of Bribes: Nuhu Ribadu

Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Obasanjo.

Fired by Yar’Adua.Exile in 2009.Returned as

presidential candidate in 2011.

THE BUSINESS OF BRIBES

1. Explain what is meant by the “cost of corruption.”

2. What does it mean to be a pariah nation?

3. How does corruption fight back?

The Cost of Corruption

“Nigeria's anti-corruption agency estimates about $400bn has been siphoned off from the oil-rich country into private pockets since 1960. Globally, developing countries lose up to $40bn a year through corruption, according to the World Bank.”

Source: “Nigerian police recover part of Sani Abacha's $4.3bn hoard from robbers.” The Guardian. 5 October 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/05/nigeria-sani-abacha-jewellery-police

Nigerian Terms

Oga man in charge

Danfo mini bus

Naira Nigerian currency $1=158 Naira 20 Naira= 13 cents

“ARE WE ALL

GUILTY?”