Nigeria

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As Nigeria celebrates 100 years of unification between their northern and southern halves, they stand poised to assume a leadership role among African countries. With over 250 different ethnic groups comprising its citizenry, even a nation as successfully diverse as Nigeria can expect to encounter some roadblocks to establish and maintain stability. The biggest threats facing Nigeria today are systemic corruption, terrorist violence, and social/human rights.
Nigeria’s 144 ranking out of 177 countries by Transparency International is just one benchmark of the endemic corruption issue in Nigeria, which ranges from politicians who funnel embezzled government revenue to foreign bank accounts; to police departments requiring bribes before conducting investigations or granting bail; and universities where school officials charge bribes for admissions and students pay teachers for improved grades.1,2 These types of political and economic corruption exacerbate the security challenges Nigeria faces as officials would rather expend government funds to augment personal fortunes than utilize them to counter militaristic threats against the nation, such as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lida’awati wal Jihad (Boko Haram). At the local level, police officers who take bribes to allow anyone to pass through a checkpoint unchallenged further expose the nation’s populace to potential security hazards through the freedom of movement gained by insurgent/terrorist elements. Additionally, discriminate and unequal applications of civil justice and legal rights against various socio-economic classes continue to engender state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses.3,5
The threats Nigeria faces are the harbingers of the threats the country poses since the dim...

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...ALDAS: Nigeria is poised to become Africa's most powerful nation. Business Day Live. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://www.bdlive.co.za/articles/2012/01/04/ronak-gopaldas-nigeria-is-poised-to-become-africa-s-most-powerful-nation;jsessionid=2650350BEE847FEF1CB5B35CB8C75A30.present1.bdfm
13. Steve, F. (2014, April 2). Nigeria Rising: The Woman Behind The Nation's Economic Turnaround. Forbes. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2014/04/02/nigeria-rising-the-woman-behind-the-nations-economic-turnaround/5/
14. Okonjo-Iweala, N. (2014, April 30). Reforming Nigeria. Global. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/discussions/interviews/reforming-nigeria
15. Comparing Debt Ratios. (n.d.). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703789104576272891515344726

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