Federal Republic of NigeriaCitizen, Society, and State

Diversity

• 250-400 different ethnic groups w/ separate languages, customs, and religions.

• - Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%,Igbo 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

• Languages: English (official), hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani.. Over 500 langauges

Population

• Around 150 mil• Incredibly young population

Public Challenges

• Poverty• Huge income gap• HIV/AIDS• Public Health, low life expectancy, 1987

Bamako initiative (increased accessibility to health care and user fees)

Literacy

• 75.7% 60.6% (male,female)

Schooling

• Public education, No compulsory attendance• Secondary school rate 32% male 27% female• GDP devoted to education?

Cleavages

• Regional, ethnic, religious, urban/rural, social class

• Undermine basic legitimacy of government

Cleavages

• Ethnicity• Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba• Cultural and language barriers• Regionally separated and virtually no contact

between groups.

Religion

• Many competing religions• 50% muslim, 40% christian, 10% native

religions• Bitterness from british preferential treatment

towards Christians• Significant shia minority

Region

• 195: division into three separated regions

Urban V Rural

• Political organizations, interest groups, and media all in cities

• Activities heavily suppressed by annulment of 1993 election and execution of environmentalist activist Ken Saro-Wiwa

• Black Gold in south

Social Class

• Elite control state and country resources• Elite divided between personal and national

interests

Political participation

• Free press and interest group participation even under military but restrictions did still exist

• Political participation in patron-client system• Max Weber- “prebendalism”

Civil society

• Many interest groups and less formal voluntary associations

• 1999: formal associations strengthened• National union of petroleum and gas workers

and other trade unions/professional organizations

• Formal associations- legal, medical, journalism