Nigeria as One of the Largest Countries in the World in Terms of Size and Population - Report Example

Lecturer: Introduction Nigeria is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of size and population. As of July it had 174,507,589 people, making it the eighth most populated republic in the world. The country is considered to be one of the few radically developing countries with an economic growth of near 3.4% per annum (OECD). This growth could have been much higher except for the factors that impede growth including corruption and civil wars. The last survey on corruption conducted in 2012 by General Social Survey ranked Nigeria the most corrupt country in Africa and number five in the whole world. Apart from that, Nigeria has employed one of the most effective and practical political systems in the world which has in turn helped stabilized the country and give the citizens an opportunity to develop the country (Ojeleye 34). This paper will look at the democratic institutions of the country and the legislature; the redistribution systems employed by the government; and lastly determine the attitude and opinion changes of Nigerians over time on the various issues that affect them. Democracy and the Electoral System Nigeria is a country made up of 36 states which are further divided into local governments after getting rid of the districts that were set up by the British in the colonial era. It is a democratic republic employing a federal system of government like the one employed by the US (Ojeleye 24). The system is also presidential where the president is elected directly by the people of Nigerian as opposed to a parliamentary one where it is the legislature that elects a president among themselves. The government is divided into three; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. These arms operate based on a system of checks and balances limiting excess use of power. The arms however subscribe to the doctrine of separation of powers as advanced by Baron de Montesquieu (van Deth and Elinor 56). The president on being elected by the people becomes the head of state and the head of the government along with other subsequent duties that come with being the president, for example, commander-in-chief of the Nigeria armed forces. The legislature, also called the national assembly, assumes the bicameral Westminster model. The upper house is known as the senate and is made up of 360 members while the lower house is known as the House of Representatives made up of 109 members. In order to serve in any of the houses one must have been elected by the electorates (Ojeleye 89). Nigeria employs a proportional representation system. Each state produces 3 senators and 10 representatives elected by the people. Nigeria has many political countries but only 18 have national coverage. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the most popular enjoying a 53.3%, followed by All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) at 16.3% and Actions Congress (AC) a distant third at 7.47%. The rest percentage is shared by the others which may have some regional strength and presence but just not enough to nominate a candidate for presidency. The last election was held in 2011 after the demise of President Umaru Yar’Adua who had ascended to the reins of power in 2007 (OECD). In that election PDP secured 260 of the 360 senate seats and 85 of the 109 House of Representative seats. ANPP was second securing 62 of the 360 senate seats and 16 of the House of Representative seats while AC got 32 senate seats and 6 House of Representative seats. These three parties took 99% of all the elective seats on offer. It is also important to note that since the elections resumed in 1999 the PDP has controlled presidency Apart from the system of checks and balances, Nigeria also has Human Rights watch organizations and other several institutions that ensure that democracy is maintained and grows. Over the recent years, there have been efforts to gag the media and intimidate the less popular parties. The democratic institutions are the ones that have maintained sanity and objectivity by arranging demonstrations and issuing strike threats unless their demands are addressed. The Central Organization of Trade Unions is also used objectively to ensure that the spirit of democracy is maintained (CIA). The Redistribution and the Welfare State The redistribution system of a country refers to how the income and other resources of that country are ploughed back into the society so that the welfare of the citizens is improved. These resources are supposed to provide public services in the public health sector, transport, security and other sectors that directly affect the citizens. The welfare state is a similar concept where the government undertakes to promote the economy and improve the social well-being of its citizens (Alesina and Glaeser 97). Nigeria does not have any clear redistribution systems and welfare states specifically designed to cater for the needs of the Nigerians. Nigeria tries to implement the European Social Model of welfare state where a percentage of the government revenue is set aside to provide public services and in effect improve the well-being of the citizens by providing the basic services necessary for sustainable livelihood at a lower charge or even free. The government instead relies on other measures of poverty reduction through taxation and other similar measures of income and wealth redistribution (Ojeleye 134). As of 2012, the economy growth rate stood at 5.6%. The benefits of this growth could not be felt since the population grew at 2.54% and the unemployment levels rose to 23.9%. This brought the total dependency ratio at 83.5%. With such a high percentage of the population dependent the government should appropriate more funding towards welfare state course. Currently, only 5.3% of the GDP is channeled towards improving the welfare of the citizens (OECD). This ranks Nigeria the 127th country in terms of the percentage appropriated for redistribution; this is not a generous welfare system at all. But then, Nigeria is a third world country with high corruption levels hence making devolution of funds quite ineffective. In the year 2012, Nigeria netted revenue worth US $22.35 billion and spent $27.87 billion ending up with a budget deficit of -2.1% of the GDP, the 39th highest in the world. The public debt rose to 16.9% of the GDP (CIA). All these factors made it hard to provide a generous welfare state to its citizens. Nigeria was ranked 183rd poorest country in terms of per capita income by ALLBUS yet the country has the Africa’s richest person. In fact, Nigeria boasts of having six of the top ten richest Africans. The issue of income disparity widening is real in Nigeria. The authorities are therefore employing a progressive tax system to net more income and also reduce the huge income disparity (OECD). Post-materialism, Attitudes and Opinions Post materialism refers to the change of individuals values from materialism to autonomy and self-expression. Materialism is that attitude or desire to fulfill one’s material needs first (Savicka 126). Using the above definitions Nigeria’s level can be termed as least post-materialistic. This is because 70% of the population is living below the poverty line and the satisfaction of basic wants to them takes preference above freedom and autonomy. 70% of the population is working in the agriculture sector, 10% is working in industries while the 20% is working in the service provision sector. For this society to transform from materialistic to post-materialistic, the percentage of the population working in the industries has to increase and technological advancement through creativity and innovation has to be promoted. Over-reliance on agriculture is a threat to development since production is highly susceptible to environmental changes yet the produce is not of high value. It is the industries that can add value to agricultural produce (Ojeleye 167). Over the past decade, Nigerians have experienced a transformation of attitudes and opinions of several issues that directly affect them, some of the issues are discussed herein after. The issue of whether homosexuality is acceptable featured in the concerns of Nigerians. Homosexuals, world over, are agitating to be legally acknowledged and some of the developed countries, for example the US, do recognize them and classify them as a special minority group. In a study conducted in Nigeria in 2012 established that 78.5% are of the view that there is no justifiable reason for one to be a homosexual, 10.9% stated that they are relatively justifiable while, 1.0% stated that homosexuals are absolutely justified in their choice of sexual alignment. The study also showed that it is only 18.7% of the population that live with a homosexual neighbor that will not be bothered, or at least talk to their friends about it; 81.5% would. This shows a considerable change in attitude from the study conducted in 2002 where 85.3% explicitly opposed acknowledgement of homosexuals (World Values Survey). Currently, when the Nigerians were asked whether people should be left to choose their sexual orientation and enjoy their sexual life 14.1% agreed, 78.3% disagreed while 7.6% had no take on the issue. In the US 45% agreed, 50.5% of the population disagreed while the rest had no take on the issue of homosexuals. In Nigeria this marks a development in terms of those who agreed as it indicates that people are becoming more liberal in their thinking. The other issue that seemed to raise a lot of heat is that of environmental conservation. Nearly all the people concurred that the environment should be protected and that the government should institute measures to curb deforestation and increased pollution. However, the population differed on the funds that were allocated in the fighting of environmental pollution. In 2012, 56.3% of Nigerians agreed that the issue is important and the government is justified in the extra efforts is putting towards environmental conservation. 30.7% were undecided while 13% viewed the issue as not that important. This is a remarkable change in attitude considering that in 2002 nearly 85% did not prioritize environmental conservation (World Values Survey). In 2002, only 3% of the population could consider paying more taxes or reduce their salaries so that a fund for environmental conservation could be established, as of 2012 the figure had risen to almost 7% of the population. On the issue of abortion, 72.4% believed that it is justifiable, 14.6% were of the view that it abortion can be justified depending on the circumstances surrounding that particular case and so the issue of justifiability can only be determined on a case by case basis. 2.6% believed abortion is always justifiable; the rest 11.4% did not have a take (CIA). Lastly, according to most Nigerians euthanasia was 64.2% justified, 5.6% would like the decision based on a case by case basis, 3.2% believe that it is always justifiable while 12.0% were undecided. This attitude towards life showed much improvement as opposed to 54.3% who believed that euthanasia is justified. The past decade has seen drastic change in attitudes, most moving in the general direction towards liberalism. As the economy and the world changes it is imperative that Nigerians also embrace the changes so as to foster globalization and civilization just like in the other parts of the world (World Values Survey). Works Cited Alesina, Alberto., and Glaeser, Edward. “Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference.” Oxford: Oxford University Press. Print. CIA. “Nigeria.” The World Fact book. 6 December 2012. Web. 24 November 2013. OECD. “Public Governance: Governments can do more to regain trust.” Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 5 May 2004. Web. 24 November 2013. OECD. “OECD Economic Surveys.” OEC iLibrary. 4 June 2012. Web. 24 November 2013. Ojeleye, Olukunle. “The Story of Post-war Demobilization and Reintegration in Nigeria. London: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Print. Savicka, Aida. “Postmaterialism and Globalization: The specificity of value change in post-communism milieu. London: Research Institute of Culture. Print. Van Deth, Jan., and Elinor, Scarbrough. “The Impact of Values.” London: Oxford University Press. Print. World Value Survey. “Perceptions of Life.” World Value Survey. 23 January 2012. Web. 24 November 2013. Read More