Nigeria is a country with a lot of controversies. And the BBC has prepared a set of maps which illustrate Nigeria according to different criteria.
1. Political views
Mainly supported by Christian and animist south, Jonathan became President in 2011 with 59.6% of the vote while Muhammadu Buhari had most backing in the largely Muslim north. It was the first time a vote had split the country along these lines. Defections by state governors have since changed the country’s political map.
2. Ethnic map
Nigeria is also divided among numerous ethno-linguistic groups. The Hausa-Fulani people, based in the north are mostly Muslims. The Yorubas of the south-west are split between Muslims and Christians and the Igbos of the south-east and neighbouring groups are mostly Christian or animist. Most Boko Haram fighters are ethnic Kanuris.
3. Oil sources
Petrol products account for 90% of the country’s export earnings.But the recent fall in oil prices has forced the government to revise its budget, and cut growth forecasts. For the first time since 1999, Nigeria’s government revenue is shrinking and the value of the national currency, the naira, is falling.
READ ALSO: How Oil Crisis Can Destroy Nigeria
4. Poverty
Poverty is still widespread in Nigeria, despite the country’s recent boom years. The national bureau of statistics states that almost two-thirds of the population lived in absolute poverty – ie without basic needs like food, safe drinking water and shelter – in 2009-10.
The problem is worst in the north – Jigawa state has the highest poverty rate, of 88.5%, while in Sokoto it is 86%.
5. Healthcare
The northern half of the country also has the lowest take-up of childhood vaccinations. In the north-western state of Sokoto, only 1.4% of children aged 12-23 months had received all their basic vaccinations, including BCG, measles, DPT and polio.
According to the 2013 demographic and health survey, the country’s nine most northerly states all have vaccination rates below 15%. Some northern groups have boycotted immunisation programmes in the past, saying they were a Western plot to make Muslim women infertile.
However, more recently the country has been making good progress. The Global Eradication Initiative says that January 2015 marked six months since the last case of polio in the country.
READ ALSO: Nigerians Indignant About Healthcare System
6. Literacy
Literacy is seen as one of the keys to raising living standards for the next generation. Again the north/south divide is evident, with lower school attendance across northern Nigeria. The percentage of pupils aged 13-18 attending secondary school is only 12.3% of students in Yobe.
READ ALSO: Economy: See What Jonathan Tries To Hide
No comments:
Post a Comment