The Global State of Democracy Initiative has adjudged Nigeria as beset by “great instability on many fronts.”
Nigeria is a lower-middle-income country in West Africa that performs in the mid-range regarding representation, rights, and participation and in the low range for the rule of law. It falls in the top 25 per cent of countries in the world in civic engagement but is in the bottom 25 per cent for several other factors related mainly to rights and the rule of law.
Over the past five years, the country saw declines in credible elections and elected government; there were no notable improvements during this period. Nigeria’s history of civilian governance has been chequered with periods of authoritarian military rule, and logistical issues and violence impacted its 2023 elections.
The country has the largest population in Africa and the seventh largest globally. Its economy, which relies partly on oil production, is experiencing its worst crisis in decades, resulting in soaring inflation that has dramatically increased the cost of living.
Powerful kingdoms, including the Hausa in the north and the Yoruba in the south, long dominated present-day Nigeria. It came under British control in the late 19th century. Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, but lasting legacies from colonialism persist and shape the political landscape. Contemporary political issues play out along religious, ethnic, and gender lines, which are exacerbated by the legacy of colonial-era divide-and-rule policies.
Nigeria is about evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, and this schism characterises the political challenges facing the Nigerian state; it was one aspect of the Biafran Civil War (1967-1970). Since 2009, Nigeria has faced a protracted terrorist threat in the North by extremist Islamist groups, such as Boko Haram, which seek to establish an Islamic state.
The country is also ethnically plural, with hundreds of different groups, of which the four main ones are the Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Fulani. Nigerian women and girls face significant inequities, as well as violence, at the hands of groups like Boko Haram and the country’s military. Finally, same-sex conduct is criminalised in Nigeria, and LGBTQIA+ people suffer high levels of governmental and societal discrimination, including arbitrary arrest and detention, blackmail, extortion and violence.
Additionally, Nigeria faces sectarian threats and organised crime in its central and northwest regions, where criminal gangs loot villages, kidnap for ransom, and engage in cattle raiding. Nigeria’s economic hub in the south, the oil-rich Niger Delta region, has endured intractable inter- and intra-communal violence and conflict due to competition to control oil resources (including violent resistance to foreign oil companies), poor governance, and grievances with the allegedly ethnically discriminatory development policy of the central government.
Poverty is a significant issue and is spatially concentrated in the north of the country, which is one of several reasons for Boko Haram’s emergence. The insecurity caused by these conflicts and the presence of endemic corruption continue to strain the Nigerian economy.
The democratic health of Nigeria depends on office-bearers’ commitment to tackle the entrenched corruption in the public sector and ensure transparent election processes. As a result, the factors of the absence of corruption and credible elections are worth watching in the future.
Rights should also be watched, especially in light of persistent security threats and unequal social development throughout the country. Nigeria faces great instability on many fronts – politically, economically, and socially – and its prospects for positive democratic and human rights growth will depend on a diligent and dedicated leadership that is able to tackle these myriad issues.
- Former Army Reservist Cody Francis Guilty of Conspiring to Steal Government Funds - September 30, 2024
- Alphonse Bazile, Rayshaud Green Jailed 180 Months for Firearms Offences - September 30, 2024
- Gretna Resident Felix Mackey Sentenced to 192 Months in Prison for Methamphetamine, Cocaine Hydrochloride, Cocaine Base Trafficking - September 30, 2024
