Politics

The politics of Nigeria takes place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Nigeria is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Constitution

Nigeria is a Federal Republic modelled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and overtones of the UK Westminster model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses in the bicameral legislative branch.

The president presides as both Chief of State and Head of Government and is elected by popular vote to a maximum of two four-year terms. The president's power is checked by a Senate and a House of Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called the National Assembly. The Senate is a 109-seat body with three members from each state and one from the capital region of Abuja; members are elected by popular vote to four-year terms. The House contains 360 seats and the number of seats per state is determined by population.

Executive Branch

The president is elected by the people. He is both the chief of state and head of government and heads the Federal Executive Council.

Legislative Branch

The National Assembly has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 360 members, elected for a four year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 109 members, elected for a four year term in 36 three-seat constituencies (corresponding to the country's states) and one seat in a single-seat constituency (the federal capital, Abuja).

Legal System

There are four distinct systems of law in Nigeria:

1. English Law, which is derived from its colonial past with Britain;
2. Common law, a development of its post colonial independence;
3. Customary law, which is derived from indigenous traditional norms and practices;
4. Sharia law, used only in the predominantly Hausa and Muslim north of the country. An Islamic legal system was first implemented in Zamfara State in late 1999, 11 other states followed suit, these include: Kano, Katinsa, Niger, Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa, Yobe, and Kebbi.

There is a Judicial branch with a Supreme Court which is regarded as the highest court of the land.

Ethnic Groups and Politics

Ethnocentricism, sectarianism (especially religious), and prebendalism have played a dominant role in Nigerian politics since and even prior to independence in 1960. Nigeria's three largest ethnic groups have maintained historical pre-eminence in Nigerian politics; competition amongst these three groups, the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo, has fuelled corruption and graft at the expense of more than 250 other ethnicities. This disproportionality extends to both civilian and military spheres. Simplistically speaking Nigeria's most perceptible political divide exists between the largely Muslim North and the secular South, while political conflict also occurs between the federal government and the states, as well as amongst the states themselves.

Military

The military of Nigeria has played a major role in the country's history, often seizing control of the country and ruling it through major periods of its history. Its last period of rule ended in 1999 following the death of the leader of the previous military junta Sani Abacha in 1998.

Taking advantage of its role of sub-saharan Africa's most populated country, Nigeria has repositioned its military as an African peacekeeping force. Since 1995, the Nigerian military through ECOMOG mandates have been deployed as peacekeepers in Liberia (1997), Ivory Coast (1997-1999), Sierra Leone 1997-1999 and presently in Sudan's Darfur region under an African Union mandate.

Active duty personnel in the three Nigerian armed services totals approximately 76,000. The Nigerian Army, the largest of the services, has about 60,000 personnel deployed in two mechanised infantry divisions, one composite division (airborne and amphibious), the Lagos Garrison Command (a division size unit), and the Abuja-based Brigade of Guards. It has demonstrated its capability to mobilise, deploy and sustain battalions in support of peacekeeping operations in Liberia, former Yugoslavia, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia and Sierra Leone.

The Nigerian Navy (7,000) is equipped with frigates, fast attack craft, convettes and coastal patrol boats. The Nigerian Air Force (9,000) flies transport, trainer, helicopter and fighter aircraft, but most are currently not operational.

Nigeria also has pursued a policy of developing domestic training and military production capabilities. Nigeria has continued a strict policy of diversification in its military procurement from various countries. After the imposition of sanctions by many Western nations, Nigeria turned to the People's Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, and India for the purchase of military equipment and training.

Foreign Relations

Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made the liberation and restoration of the dignity of Africa the centrepiece of its foreign policy and played a leading role in the fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Nigeria's foreign policy was soon tested in the 1970s after the country emerged united from its own civil war and quickly committed itself to the liberation struggles going on in the Southern Africa sub-region. Though Nigeria never sent an expeditionary force in that struggle, it offered more than rhetoric to the African National Congress (ANC) by taking a committed tough line with regard to the racist regime and their incursions in southern Africa, in addition to expediting large sums to aid anti-colonial struggles. Nigeria was also a founding member of the Organisation for African Unity (now the African Union), and has tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole. Nigeria has additionally founded regional cooperative efforts in West Africa, functioning as standard-bearer for ECOWAS and ECOMOG, economic and military organisations respectively.

With this African-centred stance, Nigeria readily sent troops to the Congo at the behest of the United Nations shortly after independence (and has maintained membership since that time); Nigeria also supported several Pan African and pro-self government causes in the 1970s, including garnering support for Angola's MPLA, SWAPO in Namibia, and aiding anti-colonial struggles in Mozambique, and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) military and economically.

Nigeria retains her membership in the Non-Aligned Movement, and in late November 2006 organised an Africa-South America Summit in Abuja to promote what some attendees termed "South-South" linkages on a variety of fronts. Nigeria is also a member of the International Criminal Court, and the Commonwealth of Nations, from which it was temporarily expelled in 1995 under the Abacha regime.

Nigeria has remained a key player in the international oil industry since the 1970s, and maintains membership in Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC which it joined in July, 1971.