Political+Institutions

//Ling Zhou://
=Levels of government=


 * in theory and formally federalist and democratic political system with government organizations on local, state, and national levels with three branches of government provided for by various constitutions
 * bicameral legislature
 * independent judiciary
 * 36 state governments and 774 local governments all have own executive and legislative branches with a network of local, district, and state courts
 * in reality, executive branch dominates policymaking and neither federalism nor checks and balances operate and state/local governments are totally dependent on the national government - we can infer that the high corruption level within the government and the discontent and distrust of the government stems from this structure
 * international factors have forced Nigeria to turn to supranational organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations for help in restricting the economy and the country in general - however, with the current economic situation as we see it, turning to supranational organizations may not necessarily provide Nigeria with any or enough aid

=Executives=


 * The head of state, head of government, and president of Nigeria is all one position that is currently held by President Goodluck Jonathan since his assuming of the presidency following the death of the previous president, President Yar’Adua (CIA) - his presidency has been extremely controversial and racked with protests. I think he has become a government scapegoat for the all the country's problems
 * The Nigerian cabinet is known as the Federal Executive Council, which oversees 19 Fedeal Ministries responsible for providing government services and several government-owned corporations known as parastatals.
 * Nigeria’s many ethnicities fragmented its multi-party system and legislation so seriously that a prime minister couldn’t gain the necessary authority to rule. Power is extremely concentrated in the hands of the executive. Neither the legislature nor the judiciary has ever effectively checked executive power - I feel as though the executive gives off an air of dominance that discourages the legislature and the judiciary from challenging its authority

=Legislatures=


 * heavily influenced by patrimonialism (in which the president dispenses government jobs and resources as rewards to supporters) - I think that patrimonialism is an important reason why the executive is usually unchallenged. Those who work for the government got there by being loyal and loyal they will stay in order to keep their positions.
 * bicameral legislature known collectively as The National Assembly with both representatives and senators serving four-year renewable terms
 * ethnically and religious diverse members, male majority
 * The Senate
 * 109 senators, three from each of the 36 states and one from the federal capital, Abuja
 * elected directly by popular vote
 * current President of the Senate: David Mark
 * The House of Representatives
 * 360 members from single-member districts
 * elected by plurality
 * current Speaker of the House of Representatives: Aminu Waziri Tambuwal
 * weak and ineffective check on the president’s power - which shows another example of the democratic facade: a seemingly well-organized legislature proven to be ineffective and almost powerless

//Eric Niu://

Parliamentary and Presidential Systems

 * The president really controls everything, and so…relations involve following the president. There may be a federalist system set up, but…it’s very controlled.

Elections and Electoral systems

 * Presidential elections: Held every 4 years, pres must get majority of votes (if needed a revote will be taken)
 * Need at least 25% of votes cast in 2/3 of the states – prevents regional candidates
 * 109 Senators – 3 from each state, 1 fromAbuja– elected by direct popular vote
 * 539 reps from single member districts by plurality vote
 * A lot of election fraud though

//Mariah Ketterman://

Political Parties

 * People's Democratic Party
 * Its policies generally lie on conservative side of the political spectrum. Its candidates have won the last four elections starting in 1999.
 * All Nigeria People's Party
 * Fundementally a conservative political party. It has strong following in the northernmost states of Nigeria.
 * Action Congress
 * Its policies are generally excepted as classical liberalism, with restricted government and many personal freedoms. The party was formed in 2006 by the merging of many smaller liberal parties. They control the richest state in Nigeria, Lagos.
 * The Labour Party
 * Founded by trade union leaders, was intended to be a working class party. Recently the union leaders have become complacent and have allowed anti-labor capitalist elites to take over and run for

=**Party System**=
 * Nigeria tries to maintain the image of a multiparty system. There are many registered parties that are politically active.
 * In reality, Nigeria seems to have a more dominant-party system. Due to political corruption, the elections have been rigged to ensure the same party can control the election outcomes every time.

= Leadership and Elite Recruitment =
 * The military has a large influence over Nigeria.

//Jenna Murdoch://

Interest Groups

 * Interest groups have played a significant role in Nigerian politics. Though the government is corrupt and driven by pre-benalism, various civil society organizations often cooperate with political parties.
 * Groups include:
 * //Religious groups//. For example, the Christian Organization of Nigeria protested when Nigeria became a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference under Babangida and several Muslim organizations have supported the sharia court system in the north.
 * //Labor unions//. Unions were particularly powerful before the military rule of the 1980s, but the Babangida regime worked to lessen their influence through corporatism (government-approved interest groups that provide feedback for the government). After this, a central labor organization took over smaller labor groups and only candidates approved by the government could take on leadership roles.
 * In 2007, labor unions regained some of the power they had lost after the Nigeria Labor Congress orchestrated a general strike in several major cities to demonstrate against the government’s hike in gas prices and taxes. The government agreed not to raise taxes, but fuel prices didn’t go down because of the price of oil subsidies.
 * //Business interest groups//. Business interests have worked with military regimes and businessmen have benefited from corruption in the elite classes. Still, some business groups have worked outside of government influence such as manufacturers, butchers, and car rental firms. These groups became a major force in encouraging economic reform inNigeria.
 * //Human rights groups//. Civil liberties organizations, professional groups, teachers, and students remain strong supporters of democratic reform and have staged demonstrations and protests.

Bureaucracy



 * The current bureaucracy in Nigeria is based on the system that the British put in place during the Colonial Era. Almost everyone agrees that the system is inefficient and highly corrupt and bribery and prebendalism are common.
 * Many Nigerian government agencies are para-statals, or corporations owned by the state and set up to provide commercial and social welfare services.
 * In theory they are privately owned, but government officials appoint members of their boards and executives often get their jobs through the president’s patronage system.
 * Some provide utilities such as water and public transportation while others control industries such as steel and petroleum.
 * Many believe that their inefficiency and corruption make them a major threat to Nigerian democracy.
 * Para-statals guarantee that the state controls private interests and allow interaction between the government and businesses.
 * Corporatism creates an authoritarian political system in which the government takes political input from select interest groups. In Nigeria, this input is provided by para-statals, creating state corporatism.

Military

 * The military is a strong force behind policymaking, but they’ve compromised their position as a source of stability as a result.
 * Since 1966, the military has made a distinction between the “military in government” and the “military in barracks.”
 * Though the military is intimidating and has blocked democratic reforms, they have also restored order after ethnic and political conflicts and have allowed people from less fortunate circumstances to rise up in the ranks and eventually hold positions of power.
 * Nigeria has had seven military rulers, and though they have each promised transitions to democracy, only two have given power over to elected leaders (Obasanjo in 1979 and Abubakar in 1999). The other three, Generals Buhari (1983-1985), Babangida (1985-1993), and Abacha (1993-1998) are known for having led repressive, anti-democratic regimes in which executive power has been highly concentrated.
 * Neither the legislature nor the judiciary has stepped up to check executive power in these circumstances.

Judiciary

 * In the earliest years of independence, the judiciary had significant power. Courts used a combination of traditional British law and traditional law (including sharia in the north) and made objective decisions independently from the executive.
 * Years of military rule ruined the court system and the judiciary was undermined by military decrees and generals even set up their own tribunals outside of the regular system that acted as quasi-judiciaries.
 * Judicial review was suspended and the president appointed puppet judges.
 * The judiciary interprets laws according to the Constitution and judicial review does exist in theory. Further, the Constitution outlines a unified court at the national and state levels, a Court of Appeals, and a Supreme Court.
 * Individual states can also create their own subsidiary courts; northern states have created some controversy by using this power to create Islamic //sharia// courts in twelve states (function according to Muslim law).

"CIA - The World Factbook." //CIA - The World Factbook.// United States Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <[]>. Nigeriaworld -- All About Nigeria . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <[]>.