Infrastructure Development in Nigeria

A Political and Economic History

Michael O. Onolememen

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367201074
• eBook ISBN: 9781000026351
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Infrastructure
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book examines the politics and economics of infrastructure development in Nigeria from Independence in 1960 up to 2015, and the role of good governance in promoting the socioeconomic wellbeing of citizens.

Arguing for the need for transformational leadership in infrastructure development, the chapters examine policy issues and survey the various administrative, economic, and social-political reforms that have impacted infrastructure development in Nigeria. The author also discusses current national development plans and Vision 20:2020; challenges to infrastructure development, including corruption; and the future potential of a strong infrastructure network for the economy and citizens. Drawing upon his experience within government departments, as well as existing models of leadership and governance, the author explores the role of infrastructure development in promoting the wellbeing and growth of Nigeria.

Combining theory with practical examples of good governance, this book will be of interest for students and researchers of political science and infrastructure development in Africa.

1 The historical evolution of Nigeria

Nigeria – a nation in dire need of infrastructure

It hasn’t always been called Nigeria. For millions of years, it was just an uninhabited landmass on a planet that had, yet, no boundaries. Gradually, continental drift gave what we now recognize as Africa its unique place in the world. It began to evolve into a place rich in natural resources, plant and animal life.

Then humans appeared. Anthropologists have found evidence that the Nok, a Neolithic and Iron Age civilization, settled in that part of West Africa around 800 BC. Further evidence shows that from the eleventh century onwards, tribal civilization began to emerge on what we now call the Gulf of Guinea, and moved north from there. Differences began to appear that were at first dictated by the heat of the sun, the cold at night, the water, the land and the sources of food.

As the millennia passed, other differences appeared. Languages and customs were established, traditions grew, and people chose appropriate types of shelter, clothing and food. Then the steady development of African culture was interrupted by the arrival of the Portuguese explorers at the end of the fifteenth century, and the brutalities of the slave trade from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Internal warfare among different kingdoms and ethnic nationalities gave the British the opportunity to establish control of the most economically viable area around Lagos in the 1850s, and to establish protectorates which lasted until 1914.

Then came Nigeria, a country that is now badly in need of infrastructure.

Figure 1.1 The constituent parts that formed the New Nation, Nigeria.

Becoming Nigeria

Nigeria as we know it now, the country that is named after the Niger river that flows through it from north to south, was established over a century ago. It resulted from the coming together of four geo-political areas in Africa. As we will learn, the amalgamations that created Nigeria have resulted in challenges that continue to affect the people today. Those challenges will become evident in later chapters in the book, but first let’s look at how the country was formed by the union of Lagos, Niger Territories, and the Northern and Southern Protectorates.

Lagos

Lagos was named by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. Lagos comprises the mainland, the islands and the city of Lagos, which is the largest urban center in Nigeria and the economic epicenter of the country. Lagos became a British colony in 1861 and was subordinated first to Sierra Leone and then to the Gold Coast. In 1906, Lagos became part of Southern Nigeria and it, in turn, became part of Nigeria in 1914.

Niger territories

In the late nineteenth century, these coastal territories were controlled by a British company that was originally called the United African Company but was renamed the Royal Niger Company in 1886. The territories were divided between Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1900.

Southern Nigeria Protectorate

This protectorate was created in 1900 when part of the Niger Territories merged with the Niger Coast Protectorate and the Oil Rivers Protectorate. In 1906, Lagos was added and the entire region became known as The Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.

Northern Nigeria Protectorate

In the early 1800s, the major countries in Europe were scrambling for territories in Africa. At the gathering of 1844–1845 called variously the Berlin Conference, the West Africa Conference, or the Congo Conference, the British acquired the territories north of the region. The British protectorate of Northern Nigeria was created to include some of the Niger Territories in 1900.

Figure 1.2 Map showing the three Protectorates of Nigeria.

The 1914 amalgamation

In 1914, largely for economic reasons (because the Northern Nigeria Protectorate was suffering financial losses), there was an amalgamation of Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate, into what is now known as Nigeria in 1914. The Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria existed under British rule until 1960, when it gained independence. Several different names were used in the beginning, but by 1963 it had become the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The purpose of this book is to understand the infrastructure evolution of this republic, but first we need to consider the context. This contextual insight will help us to appreciate what shaped the various leaderships at different times, and how it impacted infrastructure development in Nigeria. Let’s begin with 15 facts about Nigeria that will show what the country has become today.

Fifteen facts about Nigeria

1. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is bordered by the countries of Benin to the west, Chad to the north-east, Cameroon on the east, Niger to the north, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
2. Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, with about 185 million citizens, making it the seventh largest country by population in the world.
3. It started as 3 protectorates, and later morphed into 2 protectorates, 3 regions, 4 regions, 12 states, 19 states, 21 states, 24 states until it became 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory which includes the capital, Abuja.
4. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Ijaw are the largest of more than 500 ethnic groups in Nigeria.
5. The official language is English, but there are over 250 local languages and dialects.
6. The south of Nigeria is mostly populated by Christians, and the north is mostly Muslims, with a minority of people practicing indigenous faiths.
7. The coastal city of Lagos is the largest in Nigeria, and saw significant growth as one of the largest centers for trans-Atlantic slave trade from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. The slave trade forced thousands of able-bodied Nigerians against their will to live in plantations in Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and parts of the United States until 1833, when the British government prohibited all trade in human beings.
8. Lord Lugard amalgamated the Northern and Southern protectorates and named it Nigeria in 1914. However, the anti-colonial movement became active under the leadership of Herbert Macaulay, who was considered the father of Nigerian nationalism. The independence movement won more and more ground. Names such as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Anthony Enahoro and Sir Tafawa Balewa are closely associated with Nigeria’s independence, which was won on October 1, 1960.
9. In May 1967, the Eastern Region declared independence as a state called the Republic of Biafra, under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu. The Nigerian Civil War began as the official Nigerian government side (dominated by soldiers from the north and west) attacked Biafra (southeastern) on 6 July 1967 at Garkem. The 30-month civil war, with a long siege of Biafra and its isolation from trade and supplies, ended in January 1970. Estimates of the number of dead in the former Eastern Region are between 1 and 3 million people, from warfare, disease, and starvation.
10. The formal education system includes six years of basic elementary schooling, three years of junior secondary education, and three years of senior secondary education. Many schools are over-capacity, and literacy rates among children and adults are higher than the global average.
11. An oil boom began in the 1970s. Nigeria is now the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. The country joined OPEC in 1971. Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40% of GDP and 80% of government earnings. However, agitation for better resource control in the Niger Delta, its main oil producing region, has led to disruptions in oil production and prevents the country from exporting at 100% capacity.
12. There are three systems of law: Common Law, Customary Law, and Sharia Law. These systems, along with the Supreme Court of Nigeria, attempt to address the pervasive crime and corruption that we will discuss in Chapter 8.
13. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and OPEC.
14. Nigeria is the 20th largest economy in the world, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively. It overtook South Africa to become Africa’s largest economy in 2014. The 2013 debt-to-GDP ratio was 11%.
15. Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank. It has been identified as a regional power on the African continent, a middle power in international affairs and has also been identified as an emerging global power. Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globe’s n...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• About the author
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Acknowledgments
• 1 The historical evolution of Nigeria
• 2 Concepts and realities of leadership, governance, and infrastructure development in Nigeria
• 3 Infrastructure development in Nigeria: policy issues
• 4 Reforms and infrastructure development
• 5 The national development plans
• 6 Vision 20: 2020
• 7 Corruption and other obstacles to infrastructure development
• 8 Strategies for infrastructure development
• 9 The importance of infrastructure development
• 10 Conclusion
• Index