NIGERIA COUNTRY ASSESSMENT APRIL 2001 Country Information and Policy Unit CONTENTS 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 - 1.5 2. GEOGRAPHY 2.1 3. ECONOMY 3.1 - 3.3 4. HISTORY Post - independence historical background The Abacha Regime 4.1 - 4.2 4.3 - 4.8 Death of Abacha and related events up until December 1998 4.9 - 4.16 Investigations into corruption 4.17 - 4.21 Local elections - 5 December 1998 4.22 Governorship and House of Assembly Elections 4.23 - 4.24 4.25 - 4.26 Parliamentary elections- 20/2/99 4.27 Presidential elections - 27/2/99 4.28 - 4.29 Recent events 5. HUMAN RIGHTS: INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE POLITICAL SYSTEM 5.1 - 52 THE CONSTITUTION 5.3 - 5.5 THE JUDICIARY 5.6 - 5.8 (i) Past practise 5.9 - 5.13 (ii) Present position 5.14 - 5.15 5.16 - 5.19 LEGAL RIGHTS/DETENTION 5.20 - 5.22 THE SECURITY SERVICES 5.23 - 5.26 POLICE 5.27 - 5.30 PRISON CONDITIONS 5.31 - 5.35 HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE 6. HUMAN RIGHTS: ACTUAL PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS (i) The Abacha Era (ii) The Abubakar Era 6.1 - 62 6.3 - 66 (iii) Current Human Rights Situation 6.7 1 7. HUMAN RIGHTS: GENERAL ASSESSMENT SECURITY SITUATION FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY/OPINION: 7.1 - 7.3 (i) The situation under Abacha: 7.4 (ii) The situation under General Abubakar 7.5 - 7.8 (iii) The present situation 7.9 - 7.14 MEDIA FREEDOM (i) The situation under Abacha: 7.15 (ii) The situation under General Abubakar 7.16 (iii) The situation under the present government 7.17 - 7.26 7.28 - 7.30 Television and Radio FREEDOM OF RELIGION 7.31 - 7.36 (i) The introduction of Sharia law, and subsequent events. 7.37 - 7.41 ETHNIC GROUP 7.42 - 7.48 7.49 - 7.50 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 8. HUMAN RIGHTS: SPECIFIC GROUPS POLITICAL GROUPS/HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATIONS 8.1 - 8.3 O'ODUA PEOPLE'S CONGRESS 8.4 - 8.10 MINORITIES - THE OGONI 8.11 - 8.18 GENERAL SITUATION IN THE NIGER DELTA 8.19 - 8.24 WOMEN 8.25 - 8.30 8.31 - 8.33 (i) Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 8.34 - 8.38 CHILDREN 8.39 - 8.41 STUDENT CULTS 8.42 - 8.43 HOMOSEXUALS 9.1 - 9.7 CULTS - THE OGBONI 9.8 - 9.9 MONITORING 9.10 INTERNAL FLIGHT ANNEX A: INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS ANNEX B: MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES/PRO DEMOCRACY GROUPS ANNEX C: PROMINENT PEOPLE PAST AND PRESENT ANNEX D: CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OCTOBER 1991 - APRIL 2001 ANNEX E: BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1. This assessment has been produced by the Country Information & Policy Unit, Immigration & Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a variety 2 of sources. 1.2. The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to catalogue all human rights violations. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3. The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. 1.4. It is intended to revise the assessment on a 6-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum producing countries in the United Kingdom. 1.5. The assessment has been placed on the Internet (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/asylum/asylum_contents02.html). An electronic copy of the assessment has been made available to: Amnesty International UK Immigration Advisory Service Immigration Appellate Authority Immigration Law Practitioners' Association Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants JUSTICE Medical Foundation for the care of Victims of Torture Refugee Council Refugee Legal Centre UN High Commissioner for Refugees 3 2. GEOGRAPHY 2.1. The Federal Republic of Nigeria currently consists of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) containing the capital Abuja. It is a West African coastal state bordered by Benin to the west, Niger to the north, Chad to the north-east and Cameroon to the south-east. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, the 1991 national census found there to be 88.5 million Nigerians. The current unofficial estimate is over 100 million. Nigeria is a former British colony, and many influences are visible in contemporary Nigeria with English recognised as the official language, although the many tribal based languages remain mother tongue to large sections of the population. [1] 3. ECONOMY 3.1. The economy has declined for much of the last three decades. Most of the population of approximately 120 million were rural and engaged in small-scale agriculture. Agriculture accounted for less than 40% of gross domestic product but employed more than 65% of the work force. The agriculture and manufacturing sectors deteriorated considerably during the oil boom decades. The collapse of market agriculture contributed significantly to the country's urbanization and increased unemployment. Although the great bulk of economic activity is outside the formal sector, recorded gross domestic product per capita was $250. Much of the nation's wealth continued to be concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite mostly through corruption and non-transparent government contracting practices. During the year, petroleum accounted for over 98% of the country's export revenues, most of the government's revenues, and almost all foreign investment. During 2000 the economy was static, with growth still impeded by grossly inadequate infrastructure, endemic corruption, and general economic mismanagement. The country's ports, roads, water, and power infrastructure are collapsing. Chronic fuel shortages that have afflicted the country for several years continued to be a problem. Food production has not kept pace with population growth. An estimated two-thirds of the population live in poverty, and are subject to malnutrition and disease. Since the end of military rule in 1999, the Government has made progress in liberalizing the exchange rate regime, reducing controls on the private sector, and increasing expenditures for key social sectors. [1][3] President Obasanjo has expressed his support for privatisation [116] and on 29 July 1999 he set out a three-stage plan for privatisation. He has also created a National Council on Privatisation to ensure that assets were correctly evaluated and their sale properly managed. [117] 3.2. President Obasanjo has announced a fiscal policy to encourage farming and manufacturing, along with a job creation scheme to create 20,000 new jobs in the year 2000. The economy remains moribund and the infrastructure poor, but the increase in oil price has assisted the civilian government in its economic policies, and has led to a drop in inflation to 7.5% in 1999. [2] A large section of the population survives on subsistence farming or very low incomes. There is no central social welfare system in Nigeria and this has intensified the anxiety associated with job insecurity. President Obasanjo has stated 4 that he will create a panel to address these problems. [118] The World Bank has pledge its support for poverty alleviation, and has promised to assist by reducing the interest on Nigeria’s outstanding loans, and allowing a ten year grace period for economic improvement. [119] The World Bank in May 2000 provided $ 75 million for education projects, and projects to assist in managing the economy. [245] 3.3. On 4 January 2000 it was announced that the Nigerian government would set up a Poverty Alleviation Council to improve peoples lives. The remit of this council will include job creation, industrial development and a review of public service wages. The Nigerian government has also stressed its commitment to improving agricultural productivity, by clearing land, providing fertiliser, seed and other resources to farmers. [193] 4. HISTORY Post-Independence Historical background 4.1. Nigeria achieved independence on 1st October 1960, but with a legacy of regional, ethnic and religious problems that have remained. These have been major factors in Nigeria's experience of military rule, which accounts for 25 out of the 35 years since independence. In this time Nigeria has experienced two elected civilian governments and more recently one unelected predominately civilian "interim" government. 4.2. During the 8 year tenure of Major-General Ibrahim Babangida - (1985-1993), political activity was unbanned in May 1989 and 2 national political parties were created on 7 October 1989, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC). The SDP and NRC contested a series of local, state governorship, and federal assembly elections, culminating in a presidential election on 12 June 1993. The presidential election, were believed to have been won by the SDP candidate Chief Moshood Abiola. However, the full results were never announced and the Babangida Government annulled the election. This precipitated a period of political uncertainty that was not dissipated by Babangida's appointment of a short-lived, Interim National Government (ING). This was headed by the businessman Chief Ernest Shonekan but with continuing military influence in the guise of Defence Minister General Sani Abacha. On 17 November 1993 General Abacha ousted the ING and reinstated military rule. [1] The Abacha Regime 4.3. On 11 June 1994 Chief Moshood Abiola declared himself President, which led to his arrest on 23 June 1994. His trial on charges of treason was repeatedly adjourned and he remained in custody until his death on 7 July 1998. In the aftermath of his arrest, over a hundred pro-democracy activists were arrested in protests centred on the cities of Lagos and Ibadan.