NIGERIA By: Wilfredo Galarza Joseph Palmisano Miron Leveston Gary Chung Rene Soto Alex Alavez

Geography

Nigerian Geography Nigeria has a diverse geographical makeup. It has lush jungle areas Sandy deserts. Raging rivers

Nigerian Jungle Jungles of Nigeria are rich with plant and animal life. Home to native animal the Drill Monkey. Tropical weather is only found in this area of Nigeria as it does not spread to the rest of the country.

Nigerian Rivers Niger River and Benue Rivers are the main rivers of Nigeria. The Niger is provided with water by the Benue They come together at the Niger Delta

Nigerian Deserts Contains part of the Sahara Desert Due to droughts, desert is growing 2,000 square miles every year. The northeastern state of Yobe is 50% desert.

The Land of the People

The Land and Its People There is a strong relationship between the people of Nigeria and its land. The people of Nigeria believe that the land is very resourceful.

Nigeria The people of Nigeria are very serious when it comes to their land They try to take care of it as much as possible. Their farming is done on the land.

Nigeria The land has always been a part of the people. They do not know anything else. They are not very used to technology.

Nigeria The people of Nigeria worship their land like a god. They try to please it by watering it and plowing it. They believe if they do this, they will be rewarded. Their reward will be fruits and vegetables.

Nigeria The people of Nigeria hate when others pollute their land. If they see destruction to their land, they will rebel. their land is sacred It is treated like another member of a family.

Nigeria Before Colonization

Nigeria Before Colonization The Nok culture is the earliest identifiable civilization in Nigeria’s north. The Nok are also the earliest of West Africa’s known ironworkers.

The Kanem-Bornu Empire The northern region’s first documented state was the kingdom of Kanem. (West Chad) By the 9th century profited from trade with N. Africa and the Nile valley. The kingdom never had a period of peace. The Kanem soon intermarried the people, Kanueri and the Bornu.

Education Before Colonization Before the Europeans, groups in Nigeria had their own education systems, taught cultural skills and community awareness. Public schools did not exist, nor did any schools higher than primary level. For Nigerian children, education took place in the home or village courtyard.

The Hausi- Fuluni The Hausi culture in the 7th century were smelting iron ores. The Ife kingdom was the first of the Yoruba kingdoms in the 11th and 12th centuries. The city Oyo soon arose as major city. The Oyo empire collapsed when it went into a civil war.

Relation To Book Nigeria was slow to feel the penetration of Europe. So in a sense Nigeria was lucky. In 1884 and 1885 European powers made their way into Africa. Britain soon claimed Nigeria. Before Europeans and oil made their way to Nigeria. Nigeria was peaceful. The majority of people are now uneasy and feel betrayed.

Nigeria’s Struggle for Independence

Unity and Faith Nigeria achieved it’s Independence on October 1st, 1960 It was originally a constitutional Monarchy The government leaders were a coalition of conservative parties: Nigerian People's Congress (NPC), Igboand National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC)

Struggle for Power Fighting for its share of power was the liberal party called the Action Group Nigeria left its British legacy behind in 1963, and declared itself a federal republic The Nigerian National Democratic Party beat the Action Group to power of Nigeria’s Western Region in 1965. This left the Action Group and National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons to join together.

Sectarian Violence In 1966, the Igbo people started a military coup to take back power. The coup proved to be successful, but it led to much sectarian violence against the Igbo people. In 1967 the Eastern region of Biafran declared itself independent The Nigerian Gov’t declared war against the Biafrans, which led to Biafran being apart of Nigeria again

Long Term Corruption The founding of OPEC was the first sign of Nigerian gov’t being more dependent on oil production that agricultural production. Nigerian rulers over the past thirty years have been accused of being corrupt Each of these corrupt rulers have been forcibly removed through military coup Nigeria’s current president Olusegun Obasanjo has shown a commitment to ridding the government of corruption.

Nigerian Politics

Politics of Nigeria Nigeria’s government is a federal presidential representative democratic republic. Has executive, legislative and judicial powers. Very similar to the U.S.

Executive Branch The president is the head of state and the head of government. The president is elected by the people. The president heads the Federal Executive Council. The executive branch is divided into twenty-nine different ministries. Ministries include health, transportation, police affairs, education, defense, etc.

Legislative Branch Consists of two chambers. The House of Representatives has 360 members, all elected to a four year term. The Senate has 109 members, also elected to four year terms.

Legal System Four systems of law in Nigeria. English Law – derived from English colonists Common Law Constitutional Law Sharia Law – high Muslim population in the North There is a Supreme Court like the U.S. Highest court of the land

States of Nigeria

Relation To Book Nigerian government reflects the influence of the English colonists The white men’s beliefs impacted the Nigerians The government has greatly evolved from how the clan was governed in the book

Nigerian Leaders

Past Leaders It was not until the 1960s when Nigeria achieved their independences, that they have leaders. The political scene was a struggle between two corrupted politicians who abused their power. In the 1964-1965 election, there were brutal violence among the elections, leading to the death of 2,000 people. Then the army decided to take over, under the command of Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, an Ibo.

Gowon Regime It turns out that Ironsi leadership was short-lived because he was overthrew. The new leader was Gowon, a Christian. Tension increased at this time, and a civil war broke, killing 2 million people. Gowon planned to use military forces to maintain power, thus, he build a strong armed force. He wanted a new constitution Nigerian fear that Gowon sought to maintain military power over the nation. Gowon was eventually overthrew in a bloodless coup.

General Murtala Muhammad Muhammad was elected to demobilized the military and cut off civil service, creating a new states. He removed the previous officers that were in office for Gowon. He openly supported the Soviet Union. Muhammad was assassinated in 1976, and was replaced by Obasanjo who reformed a new constitution for Nigeria.

The Leaders from 1980-Present The Nigerian government undergo years of corruption and was unable to gain a strong leader. Babagida was the most corrupted president, because he self-declared himself as president causing a spark violence among the people of Nigeria. General Abacha took the presidency in 1993 and he made Nigeria the most violent nation with his military rule; fortunately, he would die later under mysterious causes. The Nigerian current president today is Obasanjo, who was re-elected in 1998 and 2003.

Olusegun Obasanjo-Current President Olusegun Obsanjo was in the presidency for three times in the election of 1976, 1998 and 2003. He is a Christian, and his religion has lead to violence in Nigeria due to a large number of Muslims there. He has lead a public campaign against corruption and hope to bring forth economic reforms. Obsanjo hopes to re-build a strong Nigerian government.

Conclusion Nigeria is a very sacred place to its people. Family is a major part of Nigerian’s lives. Nigeria has greatly evolved since its pre-colonization times. Nigeria is a place of much diversity. Nigerian people have experienced many hardships, but remain to be an influential people in our time.

Works Cited 17 Oct. 2006. 26 Oct. 2006 <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html>. 26 Oct. 2006 <http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Nigeria.html>. 26 Oct. 2006 <http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/nigeria/nigeriaov.html>. Country Studies. 15 June 2006. 26 Oct. 2006 <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ngtoc.html>.