ITU INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2016 VISION WITH ACTION United Nations Security Council The situation in Nigeria RESEARCH REPORT Yasemin Melek
Introduction Nigeria has been one of the countries that lurched from one military coup to another. However, it has now an elected leadership. Since the country is one of the most populous countries in Africa, the leaders are facing the increasing challenge of preventing the country from breaking apart because of ethnic and religious lines. Because of the attacks led by the Islamic State aligned Boko Haram, thousands of people died during the past few years. Furthermore, the aspirations of separatists and the supporters of Islamic law have been growing that has embedded divisions and leaded to thousands of Christians to flee. In several northern states the Islamic Law has been imposed. The economic difficulties are also a big problem to Nigeria. The country has been hindering foreign investments and being one of the world s largest oil producers doesn t show its benefit. Definition of Key Terms Ethnicity: By definition an ethnic group is a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language Terrorism: By definition terrorism is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially forpolitical purposes. Discrimination: By definition is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing is perceived to belong to rather than on individual merit. Background Information Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in Africa with a population of 177 million. There are more than 500 ethnic groups, that is why, it is known for its rich ethnic diversity and varying languages and customs. The largest ethnic groups are the Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani and Hausa which are accounting more that 70% of the population. The Edo, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ebirai, Gwari, Jukun, Igala, Nupe, Fulani, Tiv and Idoma are several other ethnic groups that comprise from 25 to 30% of the population. Because of the diversity, there have been numerous political problems since some believe that it is necessary to give a particular
group numerical superiority. There are small minorities of British, Chinese, East Indian, American, Greek, Lebanese and Syrian which are usually immigrants. There are much more immigrants in the former British colony, that come from West and East African countries. Furthermore, there has been a number of Cuban refugees settled in Nigeria after the Cuban revolution. Being a country with rich diversity brings along many languages, there are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria (a couple of them are now extinct). The official language is English, which was chosen in order to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity. Plus, the influence of British colonization that ended in 1960 has a major impact. However most of the ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages. English is mostly used in education, business and for official and political purposes. Nigeria is also a religiously diverse country. Islam and Christianity are the most widely professed religions. Christianity and Islam are almost equally divided in the society and a small part of the population professes in Animism and other religions. According to a 2001 report of the World factbook CIA, about 50% of the population is Muslim, and about 40% of the population is Christian. Islam dominates mostly the northern states and Christianity dominates the Yoruba region and South Eastern Nigeria. General Overview Geography It is situated on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. The neighboring countries of Nigeria are; Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The land area is 910,771 sq km. Government Right now in Nigeria there is an elected leadership. After the long years of military rule, Nigeria is right now in a good place in politics. They have transitioned from military rule to civilian rule. In March 2015 the former military ruler, Muhammad Buhari became the first opposition candidate to win the presidential poll. Even though he was a military ruler, Mr Buhari promised to respect democracy and govern as a civilian leader. His regime back in 1983 was sought to combat crime and corruption, however he was accused of serious rights
abuses several times. He was overthrown by Gen Ibrahim Babangida in 1985. In 2015, Mr Buhari made a major impact on Nigeria by agreeing with neighboring countries against the threat of the islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. This was a major success for the countries well-being. Human Rights According to the US Department of State, the countries human right records remain poor and the most significant problems being, impunity for abuses by security forces, arbitrary arrests, judicial corruption, use of excessive amount of force by security forces, prolonged pretrial detention, and executive influence on the judiciary; rape, torture and some other inhuman and degrading behavior to prisoners and suspects. Plus, harsh and lifethreatening prison and detention centre conditions, societal violence and vigilante killings, child abuse, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, human trafficking for the purposes of forced labor and prostitution; discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, religion and region. Furthermore, in the Northern region, child marriage remains very common and alcohol consumption, infidelity, theft and homosexuality result in harsh punishments such as; long prison terms, amputation, stoning and lashing. The law signed in 2014 clearly states that same sex marriage results in 14 years of prison; the witnesses of gay marriage, public show of same-sex amorous relationships and operating, supporting LGBT clubs and organizations results in 10 years of prison. Terrorism The militant insurgent group Boko Haram has been a constant threat to the Nigerians since several years. Boko Haram by definition means learning, reading is a sin. The terrorist group has killed numerous civilians, abducted women and girls, conscripted young men and boys and destroyed homes and schools that resulted in the displacing of hundreds and thousands. Boko Haram is one of the biggest threats that Nigeria is facing in history. The Islamist group has also threatened the media by bombing several newspaper offices in Kaduna and Abuja Unfortunately, Nigeria doesn t have the power to stop this terrorist group; the government security forces are making very little effort. However, the president Muhammad Bahari has had a major diplomatic success in June 2015 when the neighboring countries agreed upon the commanding of a joint force in order to counter Boko Haram, because clearly rotating the
command by themselves would be insufficient. The Islamic State aligned terrorist group still remains a really big problem to be resolved since the attacks on schools and homes are increasing every day and the life of civilians are threatened. Economy According to the World Bank Nigeria is a mixed economy emerging market and has reached lower middle income status because of its abundant supply of well- developed financial, legal, transport, communications sectors; and natural resources. Plus, the stock exchange is one of the best in Africa. The former British colony is ranked 30 th in the world in terms of GDP in 2012. Nigeria has good trade relations with the US. Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted the economic growth as about 8% each year. Previously, because of years of military rule, mismanagement and corruption, the economic development had been hindered. After the restoration of democracy, the successful economic reforms have been made, leading to a significant economic development and change. As of 2014 Nigeria became the biggest economic power in Africa overthrowing South Africa. Timeline of Events In order to learn about the Nigeria even better and understand its origins. Here is the timeline of specific events that made a difference in the Nigerian history. 800 BC- The Nok settled in Jos plateau which is in Nigeria 16-18 th centuries- Millions of Nigerians were forced to go to Americans because of the slave trade. 1850s- Britain established presence around Lagos and becomes the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria over the next 70 years. 1922- Part of the former German Colony, Kamerun, becomes part of Nigeria under the mandate of League of Nations. 1960s- Along with Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Belawa leading a coalition government, independence is achieved. However the Prime Minister killed in a coup in 1966
Nigeria 1967- Three eastern states started a civil war calling themselves the Republic of Biafra 1983- The Major-General of Nigeria named Muhammad Buhari takes over the country with a bloodless coup, ushering in a period of 16 years of government overthrow and political instability, 1999- Presidential and parliamentary elections, multiparty elections transitioning from military to civilian rule. 2000- Adoption of the Islamic (Sharia) law by several northern states opposing to the Christian community. Christians flee from Nigeria community. 2009- The islamist terrorist group Boko Haram starts a campaign of violence which drags into a complete chaos and spreads to neighboring countries. One high profile incident is when the group kidnapped 200 school girls in 2014. Previous Attempts to Solve this Issue There has been problems concerning human rights abuses for a long time in Nigeria, however Nigeria is facing a new threat which is the terrorist group Boko Haram. Since 2009 Nigerian government are trying to solve this issue which is growing every day. The government has been negotiating with foreign powers and neighboring countries in order to stop terrorism in Nigeria. The current government has also taken action to decrease the rate of birth and to develop the economy. However, the real threat to Nigeria is the fact that lots of people are dying because of terrorism. Possible Solutions Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and has the biggest economy. The country is very diverse in terms of ethnicity, language and religion. Every nation should be aware of the threats that the civilians are facing and know that terrorism is everywhere. Delegates should act a one to fight against terrorism. Perhaps an international coalition or a summit against terrorism can be proposed in this situation. Furthermore, Nigeria has numerous internal problems such as human right abuses. The delegates should work on minimizing these abuses
and making reforms on the constitution. Bearing in mind those human rights are violated because of the ethnic and religious diversity of the country. Delegates should also make sure the political stability is maintained since the chaos created by the terrorist group Boko Haram can lead to political and economic stability. Lastly, delegates should be aware of the fact that they are there to help a country that is permanently under the threat of a terrorist group, they should think about what Nigeria needs before acting upon their own benefits. Bibliography http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13949550 http://www.theguardian.com/world/nigeria http://www.infoplease.com/country/nigeria.html http://www.mapsofworld.com/nigeria/facts.html http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nigeria-boko-haram-surrender-military-islamic-extremistmaiduguri/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cameroon-nigeria-join-forces-to-free-boko-haram-hostages/ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/