Political+Culture

__​__**Political Culture in Nigeria**

__a. List and explain all the major political culture trends cited.__
 * Patron-clientelism (prebendalism) – the leader gives select clients, linked to him by ethnicity and religion, favors that aren’t offered to others in exchange for their support, leading to corruption. Only a few people benefit.
 * State control/undeveloped civil society – the state controls religion, political participation, the economy, and individual liberties. It usually reinforces clientelism and restricts democracy.
 * Tension between modernity and tradition – the struggle between advancement and traditional standards.
 * Religious conflict – Islam and Christianity feed both ethnic and political conflicts
 * Georgraphic influences – Nigeria has 6 ethnic groups that can be divided into different geographic zones:
 * Northwest are the Hausa-Fulani people (Muslim)
 * Northeast are the small groups like the Kanuri (Muslim)
 * The Middle Belt also has small groups (Muslim and Christian mix)
 * Southwest are the Yoruba (40% Muslim, 40% Christian, and 20% native religions)
 * Southeast are the Igbo (Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians)
 * The Southern Zone contains small minority groups

__b. For each trend, find a picture/video to highlight what she is discussing__.    
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Patron-clientelism (prebendalism)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">State control/undeveloped civil society
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Tension between modernity and tradition
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Religious conflict
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Geographic influences

<span style="color: #1a1718; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__c. For EACH trend, find a current events article to explain how this aspect of Political Culture manifests itself in modern society.__
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Patron-clientelism []
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, now acting President of Nigeria, has asked Nigerians to stop putting adverts in newspapers to congratulate him. This has long been a way for people to curry favor with Nigeria’s leadership. Nigeria is infamous for its corruption and patronage with past leaders. This is a good step in trying to decrease the corruption. Acting president Goodluck Jonathan has shown that he is against such patron-clientelism by asking that people stop trying to curry favor with him, saying that accountability and transparency were most important to him.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11pt;"> State control []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The current Nigerian president, Umaru Yar’Adua, has been residing in a hospital in Saudi Arabia since November due to illness. Mass protests, cabinet splits, and legal challenges are only a few of the conflicts that have emerged due to his long absence. Government business has also frozen, threatening progress in the Niger Delta. Both houses of Nigeria’s National Assembly are demanding that Vice President Goodluck Jonathan serve as an acting president in the face of President Yar’Adua’s absence for a degree of order to be maintained. Such an explosion of current issues in Nigeria proves that the state is extremely important in regulating the country.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;">Tension between modernity and tradition <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11pt;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11pt;"> The Ajibola Panel has ruled that the Hausa community is to blame for the 2008 Jos crisis. Because of this, Hausa settlements are to be given to the Plateau State Government. These settlements will become modern cities by constructing new roads, housing and schools in the area. This relates to modernity vs. tradition because these settlements that have belonged to the Hausa people for such a long time will now become urbanized. The government wants to remove the slums and open up clinics and better, more modern schools.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;">Religious conflict []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;"> Nigeria is wrought with religious conflict, predominately between Muslims and Christians. In a recent 3 day riot over the building of a mosque, 300 were left dead, while 800 were wounded. Airplane flights have been suspended and the vice president, Jonathan Goodluck has ordered troops to reinstate order and keep a 24 hour watch on the city. Jos is especially susceptible to such conflicts because it is right on the border between the Muslim dominated north and Christian south.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Geographic influences []
 * Nigeria’s Middle Belt is formed by the 8th and 12th parallels south. The Middle belt separates the Muslim North and the Christian South. As a result, the Middle Belt is a place of great religious contention. Politics is greatly affected by these two regions. When the northern region introduced the Sharia law, Christians in the south were outraged. When the Miss World competition was to be held in Nigeria in 2002, Muslims in the north protested fiercely. The South has better doctors, professors, and scientists which the north desperately needs. Both sides believe that the other is trying to infringe upon the other and gain the upper hand.