What You Need to Know: Commentary and Responses

8. Nigeria: Regime
These questions are intended as a way to gather basic information necessary to begin a comparative process. I see
small groups of students finding answers to questions about one country and presenting their results to other
students.

1. What basic law(s) define the Nigerian regime?

Constitution (1999)

2. How long has the current regime in Nigeria been functioning?

Since 1999

3. How does that history strengthen or weaken the regime?

The short history implies that the regime is vulnerable to political, economic, and social pressures.
The transitions from elected officials to newly elected officials has been successful and the death of
Yar'Adua and the succession of Jonathan was another test the regime passed.

4. What was the last significant change in the Nigerian regime?

The transition from military to civilian rule in '99.

5. How did that change come about?

Military ruler died; generals engineered election of retired general (Obasanjo), who oversaw an
election of a civilian leader (Yar'Adua, brother of an aide in Obasanjo's 1970s' military government)
eight years later

6. How resilient has the regime been in the past 20 years when it comes to adapting to and
accommodating change? Examples?
The regime's resilience has to be questioned since there has been little change: corruption is
rampant, small elite (including military chiefs) wield power

7. Are there pressures for regime change or threats of regime change from within the political
system? What are they?
Ethnic and religious groups who feel mistreated and shut out of the corridors of power threaten the
unity of the state and the regime; reliance on oil revenues is a source of instability

8. Are there pressures for regime change or threats of regime change from outside the domestic
political system? What are they?
Very little; NGOs pressure the government for policy reform on transparency and corruption, but
not regime change

9. Is the regime organized as a unitary system, a federal system, a confederal system, or a

coalition? (Evidence?)
It's formally a federation, but state governments have little power and rely on the national
government for nearly all their revenue.

©2012 Ken Wedding

 What You Need to Know: Commentary and Responses

10. Does the regime function as a unitary system, a federal system, a confederal system, or a
coalition? (Evidence?)
With the exception of the establishment of sharia law in northern, Islamic states, the system
functions as a unitary one.

11. To what extent is there separation of powers or fusion of powers? (Evidence?)

There is formal separation of power, but the national legislature and courts are fairly powerless.

12. How democratic is the regime? (Evidence?)

Elections have been contested and observers have judged them fair in many ways, though not free
of corruption and cheating.

13. What limits or threatens Nigerian sovereignty?

Its capacity is limited by lack of resources (except oil) and corruption that diverts resources to the
personal fortunes of leaders. The deep divisions between numerous ethnic groups also threaten
national sovereignty.

14. How does that factor limit or threaten Nigerian sovereignty?

Nigeria is unable to carry out basic functions like building infrastructure (schools, roads, etc.).
Cleavages mean that national policies have to try to satisfy hundreds of ethnic/religious groups,
which is nearly impossible.

15. Are those limits or threats significant? Why or why not?

Yes. The lack of resources, corruption, and cleavages make the state very difficult to run and
threaten the regime's stability and existence.

©2012 Ken Wedding