Deck 11: Nigeria

Question 1

Nigeria was constructed by the French, who combined different ethnic groups that had previously lived separately.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The British used direct rule in Nigeria, necessitating a large presence of British persons for staffing.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The British created the Nigerian Legislative Council in 1914 to pacify those calling for independence.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

World War I weakened European empires and thus contributed to decolonization in Africa.

Question 5

Abacha was by far Nigeria's most benevolent dictator.

Question 6

Freedom House rates Nigeria as "partly free."

Question 7

Nigeria is prone to praetorianism.

Question 8

Nigerian oil revenues have been a tremendous asset for ordinary Nigerians in their attempts to escape poverty.

Question 9

Most African countries were within the Soviet sphere of influence by the 1960s.

Question 10

Many of the cleavages in Nigerian society are cross-cutting, increasing the chances that Nigeria will experience political destabilization.

Question 11

The relationship between the Nigerian central and state governments is characterized as a(n) __________ system.

A) confederation
B) unitary
C) federal
D) tribal

Question 12

From independence until 1999, Nigeria was under __________ more than half the time.

A) one-party rule
B) military rule
C) communist control
D) democratic government

Question 13

Nigeria has a __________ system.

A) parliamentary
B) semipresidential
C) presidential
D) plural executive

Question 14

Nigeria's economy is heavily dependent on __________.

A) diamonds from the Muslim North
B) oil from the Niger Delta
C) gold from the Northeast
D) iron from the Christian South

Question 15

In 1885, the __________ carved up Africa among European colonial powers.

A) Pan African Commissions
B) Royal Niger Company
C) Berlin Conference
D) Divide et Impera

Question 16

Nigerian ethnic differences and tensions were exacerbated by the British policy of __________.

A) post-colonial monopolization
B) direct rule
C) financial sequestration
D) divide and rule

Question 17

Which African colonial power caused the most damage?

A) Britain
B) France
C) Belgium
D) the Netherlands

Question 18

What are the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria?

A) Ijaw, Ogoni, and Yoruba
B) Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo
C) Ogoni, Igbo, and Ijaw
D) Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa

Question 19

Who won the 2011 Nigerian presidential election?

A) Goodluck Jonathan
B) Umaru Yar'Adua
C) Olusegun Obasanjo
D) Abdulsalami Abubakar

Question 20

Which of the following accurately describes the Nigerian legislature?

A) It is bicameral.
B) It is a single-party legislature.
C) Representatives do not receive a salary.
D) Representation is based on heredity.

Question 21

How are seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives distributed?

A) based on each state's population
B) evenly across states
C) based on the relative size of ethnic groups in each state
D) in accordance to the share of GDP produced in each state

Question 22

Which of the following accurately describes the governments of the northern Nigerian states?

A) They are communist.
B) They follow Muslim religious law.
C) They employ direct democracy.
D) They are controlled by the French government.

Question 23

Which of the following is most underrepresented in the Nigerian House of Representatives?

A) the wealthy
B) small states
C) small ethnic groups
D) large ethnic groups

Question 24

Nigeria is currently best characterized as a __________ system.

A) nonpartisan
B) dominant-party
C) multi-party
D) weak-party

Question 25

What is Nigeria's largest political party?

A) People's Democratic Party (PDP)
B) Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)
C) Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
D) Boko Haram (BH)

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the People's Democratic Party?

A) a Muslim party that is strongest in the north
B) a Muslim party that is strongest in the south
C) a Christian party that is strongest in the north
D) a Christian party that is strongest in the south

Question 27

The Biafra War was primarily fought over __________.

A) oil
B) human rights abuses
C) religious freedom
D) control of the Lagos seaport

Question 28

Which of the following best describes Nigerian attitudes about democracy?

A) Most Nigerians believe in democracy and are reasonably satisfied with how well it has worked in Nigeria.
B) A majority of Nigerians would prefer a Muslim theocracy to a democracy.
C) Most Nigerians want democracy but are dissatisfied with how it currently operates in Nigeria.
D) A majority of Nigerians are so frustrated with democracy that they would rather try an authoritarian form of government.

Question 29

Which of the following best describes how revenue from oil has impacted Nigeria?

A) Oil revenue has benefitted a few considerably and has benefitted all Nigerians somewhat.
B) Oil revenue has helped most Nigerians escape poverty.
C) The collapse of the oil industry in Nigeria has been devastating to the Nigerian economy.
D) Most oil revenue goes only to a small segment of the population.

Question 30

Which of the following could prove most challenging for Nigerian democracy in the future?

A) the lack of natural resources
B) the lack of a middle class
C) Nigeria's large Christian population
D) communist influence

Question 31

Which of the following best describes the people and government of Nigeria?

A) egalitarian
B) communist
C) homogeneous
D) fragmented

Question 32

Which of the following best describes the political economy of Nigeria?

A) a failed state
B) an economic tiger
C) a BRIC nation
D) a fragile state

Question 33

The theft of oil revenue by government officials makes Nigeria a __________.

A) sweetbread
B) kleptocracy
C) failed state
D) divide-and-rule state

Question 34

Who owns the Nigerian oil fields?

A) wealthy Nigerians
B) the Nigerian government
C) foreign investors
D) multinational energy corporations

Question 35

How have Nigeria's ethnic and religious differences contributed to the fragility of its democracy? Are these differences likely to turn Nigeria into a failed state? Explain and provide comparisons with at least one other country that we have studied this semester.

Question 36

How has oil wealth contributed to Nigeria's problems? What has been the general relationship between oil wealth and economic growth in Africa? Is there any way to escape this relationship?

Question 37

What type of legislative system does Nigeria have? Compare and contrast the Nigerian legislative system with that of the United States. Are these differences good or bad for Nigeria? Explain your rationale.

Question 38

How has Nigeria used federalism to decrease ethnic tensions? Has this system been successful? Why or why not?

Question 39

Is Nigeria a wealthy country? Are the people of Nigeria wealthy? What factors have led to this situation? What do your answers suggest about the health and stability of Nigerian democracy?