Public Policy in Nigeria Delia Trimble Pd.1. Outline Employment Oil and Environmental Consequences HIV/AIDS Democratization Ethnic and Religious Tensions.

Public Policy in NigeriaDelia Trimble Pd.1

Outline

• Employment

• Oil and Environmental Consequences

• HIV/AIDS

• Democratization

• Ethnic and Religious Tensions

• Welfare State

• Gender Issues

Employment

• In 2011, trade unions sought to address issues in workplace.

• Still facing unresolved problems:

o Unemployment rate: 23.9%

o Laws favor rights of employer over employee

o Minimum wage is $0.55 but cost of living is high

o Literacy rate: 61.3% (limiting job selection)

o Highest number of citizens living on less than two dollars per day, compared to other regional African countries

Oil

•In 1970s, abundance of oil gave Nigeria large international leverage

•Member of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

•Advantages:

o Relied on heavily by developed countries when Middle Eastern tensions come about

o Opportunity for vast wealth creation

•Disadvantages:

o Over reliance on oil

o Times of low oil prices have come with large debt

o Unstable situation in the Niger Delta, violent methods and protests

o Harmful environment effects

o Piracy

Democratization

• Last military regime ended in 1999, signs of democracy since then

o Legislature rejected President Obasanjo’s attempt to alter the constitution

o Civic and religious groups openly criticized way in which government handled the 2007 election

o Media involvement in preventing election fraud

o Peaceful presidential transition for first time in Nigeria’s history between President Obsanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua.

o Freedom House score of 4, “partly free”

o Successful elections in Fourth Republic

Ethnic and Religious Tensions

•Regions primarily separated on the basis of religion

•Three major ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba) possess unique and different cultures, strong sense of tribal cohesion

•Boko Haram

o “western education is sinful”

obased in the North

oKnown for attacking Christians and govt. targets, bombing churches, attacking schools and police stations, kidnapping Western tourists

o recent control by Al-Qaeda

o100,000 widows created by Boko Haram

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hw0_UISxUY

HIV/AIDS Epidemic • Second highest number of new infections of HIV every year.

• 3.7% of the population living with HIV.

• In 2011, 210,000 Nigerians died from AIDS, increase from the 170,000 that died in 2001.

• Strategies in place to help prevent so many infections:

o education

o protected sex

o media campaigns and public awareness

o prevention of mother-to-child blood transfusions

People Living with HIV/AIDS Worldwide

Malaria and Infant Mortality

• Estimated 100 million malaria cases per year, followed by over 300,000 deaths per year

• Malaria contributes to estimated 11% of maternal mortality

• Estimated over 65% of population living in poverty, making prevention and treatment difficult

• Life expectancy at birth: 52 years

• 78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012, 16th highest in the world

Gender Issues

• 49% women, 51% men

• 38% of women in Nigeria lack a formal education

• DFID gender report in Nigeria

• Women’s rights dependent on regional differences

• North: Islam based, women have far less opportunities to pursue education, employment, etc.

• South: more common that women have access to a good education, wider variety of job opportunities, etc.

• Women tend to be leaders within extended families, often remain at home to manage family matters, especially in rural areas

Welfare State

• Current Pension System: all public-sector employees, private-sector employees in firms with five or more workers

• Old-Age Pension, Disability Pension, Survivor Pension

• Unemployment: no statutory benefits are provided

• still very persistent insecurity challenges

Works Cited

•https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html

•http://www.humanrights.de/doc_en/countries/nigeria/background/transition_democracy.html

•AP Comparative Government and Politics: Nigeria Briefing Paper written by Paul J. Kaiser, University of Pennsylvania

•http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7840310.stm

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry_in_Nigeria

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_in_the_Niger_Delta

•http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-nigeria.htm

•http://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/231771/Public/December-MalariaFactSheet2.pdf

•http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2012/11/07/gender-inequality-the-nigerian-case

•http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2012-2013/africa/nigeria.html