Climate Change Negotiations

Nigeria

MA GABRIELLEN C. QUIJADA
MARIA CHERRYLEN C. QUIJADA
Delegates

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BACKGROUND PAPER

The country of Nigeria, is found in West Africa. It is a member of the Commonwealth of

Nations and its 2 southern edge is coastline along the Atlantic Ocean (called the Gulf of Guinea),
and it borders four other countriesCameroon to the southeast, Chad to the northeast, Niger to
the north, and Benin to the west. As the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria has an area of
923,768 sq km (356,669 sq mi), slightly more than twice the size of California. Its name is
derived from that of its major river, the Niger.
4

Much of Nigeria consists of a low plateau cut by rivers, especially the Niger and Benue.

Most of the country is suitable for agriculture. Its major economic resources are its massive
petroleum and natural-gas deposits.
5

Nigeria can be divided into four distinct geographical regions. Along the coast is a belt

of mangrove forests and swamps, stretching some 16 km (some 10 mi) inland in most places.
This region is cut by numerous lagoons and creeks. In the Niger delta region, the coastal belt
extends some 100 km (some 60 mi) inland. Beyond the coast is a broad, hilly, forested belt,
which gradually rises to the rocky terrain of the Jos Plateau. Beyond this plateau is a region of
savanna, which stretches to a semi-desert zone in the extreme North. A great plain, marked by
occasional outcroppings of granite, the savanna region is Nigerias main agricultural area. In the
East is the Adamawa Massif, which borders Cameroon and in which is Nigerias highest point,
Chappal Waddi, 2419 m (7936 ft) high.

1 Coleman, D. Y. (2015). Nigeria: 2015 Country Review. Nigeria Country Review, 1-323.
2 Retrieved from http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/teachers/curriculum/m25/activity1.php
3.Ibid 1
4-5. Nigeria, Federal Republic of. (2014). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1.

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The Niger Region and its tributariesprincipally the Benue, Kaduna, and Sokoto rivers

drain most of Nigeria. In the North East, the rivers drain into Lake Chad. Navigation is
restricted by rapids and seasonal fluctuations in depth.
7

Nigeria has two distinct climatic zones. Along the coast the equatorial maritime air mass

influences the climate, which is characterized by high humidity and heavy rainfall. To the North
the tropical continental air mass brings dry, dusty winds (harmattan) from the Sahara; the
temperature varies considerably with the season, as does rainfall, which is far less than in the
South.
Iron-ore deposits are widespread in the savanna region of Nigeria, as are salt deposits.
Tin and columbite are found in the plateau area. Great deposits of petroleum and natural gas
are located in the Niger delta and offshore in the bights of Benin and Biafra.
Vegetation zones in Nigeria parallel the climatic zones. In the South, the well-watered
zone is partly covered by dense tropical forests that contain hardwoods such as mahogany and
obeche. 8Oil palms are particularly plentiful. In the plateau and savanna regions, forests give
way to grasslands and such hardy trees as the baobab and the tamarind. In the extreme North
East, semi-desert vegetation prevails. Crocodiles and snakes are found in the swamps and rain
forest zones. Most large animals have disappeared from heavily populated areas. Some
antelope, camels, and hyenas live in the North.
9

With more than 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria is a complex linguistic, social, and cultural

mosaic.

6 The World Bank, Global Development Finance, Country Tables. 1999 to present. Washington, D.C.:
7The World Bank. The World Bank Group, World Development Indicators. 1999 to present. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.
8-9 Ibid 6

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More than half the population consists of the Hausa and Fulani peoples of the North, the
Yoruba of the South West, and the Igbo of the South East. Other ethnic groups include the Edo,
Ijaw, and Ibibio of the South, the Nupe and Tiv of the central part of the country, and the Kanuri
of the North East.
10

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The size and distribution of the

population is a matter of controversy, however. Partly because some areas are relatively
inaccessible, data collection raises problems. And since census numbers are used for political
redistricting, distribution of federal funds, even civil service hiring, the various regions, and the
Christian-dominated south and the Muslim-dominated north as a whole, have a vested interest
in the population distribution. Southerners and other groups have frequently challenged census
results. Results of a census in 2006, disputed, showed a total population of 140,431,790.
Nigeria has an estimated average density of 178 persons per sq km (460 per sq mi). An
estimated 52% of the people live in urban areas.
11

Lagos, Nigerias largest city, has an estimated population of 11,000,000. Other large

cities include Benin City (1,055,000), Ibadan (3,000,000), Kaduna (1,375,000), Kano
(3,330,000), Maiduguri (854,000), Ogbomosho (941,000), Port Harcourt (972,000), and Zaria
(847,000). In December 1991 the capital moved from the coastal city of Lagos to Abuja
(1,900,000) in the centrally located Federal Capital Territory.
About 50% of Nigerias people are Muslim, 40% are Christians, and traditional religions
are practiced by the remainder of the population.
10 The World Bank, Global Development Finance, Country Tables. 1999 to present. Washington, D.C.:
11 The World Bank. The World Bank Group, World Development Indicators. 1999 to present. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.

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Islamic law has been imposed in a number of states, including some with relatively large
Christian populations.
Education and Culture.

12

Within the boundaries of modern Nigeria are some of the

earliest educational and artistic traditions in West Africa. Superimposed on these are the
influences of British colonial rule and European missionary educational systems. During the
1970s an increasingly self-confident federal government sought to rapidly modernize Nigeria,
using Western education as a major tool. Revenue from the sale of crude petroleum helped to
finance such modernization.
Old Koranic schools are widespread throughout the North, and missionaries brought
Western education to the coastal areas as early as the 1830s. In 1976 free primary education
was established throughout Nigeria. Today, the majority of Nigeria's adults can read and write.
Under a new educational system introduced in 1982, primary schooling (officially compulsory)
takes six years to complete. Secondary schooling is organized in two successive phases of
three years each. Western higher education, begun in 1948, has spread throughout the country.
British-style universities have been augmented by a growing system of American-influenced
teachers colleges and technical colleges.
Economic.

13

Nigeria traditionally was an agricultural country, and, at independence in

1960, it provided the bulk of its own food needs and exported a variety of agricultural goods,
notably palm oil, cacao, rubber, and peanuts. By the 1970s, however, petroleum had supplanted
cash crops as the major source of foreign exchange.

12Nigeria: Economic background. (2005). (). New York: The Economist Intelligence Unit N.A., Incorporated. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/466714850?accountid=50192
13Coleman, D. Y. (2015). Nigeria: 2015 Country Review. Nigeria Country Review, 1-323.

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14

The agricultural sector was unable to keep up with population growth and Nigeria

became a net importer of food. Nigeria is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) and it became the worlds eighth largest exporter of oil. However, oil
revenues were squandered through mismanagement and corruption, and little effort was made
to diversify the economy. Political instability, inadequate infrastructure, and heavy foreign debt,
added to the countrys problems.
In the early 2000s, the federal government took steps to modernize the banking system,
curb inflation, privatize oil refineries, and undertake other programs to bolster the economy. In
2005 Nigeria won approval for a debt relief package. However, poverty remained widespread.
15

Influenced by rising petroleum revenues, Nigerias gross domestic product (GDP)

increased by an annual average of 9% during 196580. In October 2014, Nigeria's finance

minister said he expected the country's economic growth for 2015 to reach 6.75 percent,
despite the risks posed by falling global oil prices to government revenues. Economic
Performance Reforms initiated earlier this decade have put Nigeria in a position of strength in
the face of the global economic crisis, but the crisis has adversely affected the economy through
lower oil prices. Following strong growth from 2006 to 2008, real GDP slowed in 2009 reflecting
weaker demand from the public sector and decelerating credit extension to the private sector.
Real GDP growth was strong from 2010 to 2012.
As petroleum prices and revenues declined, the steep drop in petroleum income,
coupled with a continued rise in population, led to economic stagnation in the 1980s and early
90s; inflation averaged nearly 20% annually, and the countrys foreign debt more than tripled. In
the early 2000s, as the country started benefiting again from high oil prices on the world market
and from some economic reforms, GDP revived.
15 Ibid 13

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16

About 60% of the countrys labor force is engaged in agriculture. Most Nigerians are

subsistence farmers, producing sorghum, millet, and cattle in the North and maize, rice, and
yams in the S. Cassava, legumes, and tomatoes are raised throughout Nigeria, as are poultry,
goats, and sheep. By the 1970s, however, petroleum had supplanted cash crops as the major
source of foreign exchange.
17

Large amounts of plantains and sugarcane also are produced. Palm oil, an export crop

to Europe as early as the 19th century, as well as cacao and peanuts, both leading export
products in the 1950s and the 60s, were neglected after the oil boom of the 1970s. Cotton,
raised in the N, began to be grown for domestic use in the early part of the 20th century. Most of
Nigerias agricultural goods are grown on small family farms. Large plantations were
discouraged until the 1950s, but since then they have been significant in the production of
rubber, palm oil, and cacao.
Forests cover much of Nigeria. Much of Nigerias annual fish catch comes from the
countrys rivers and lakes, with most of the rest being taken from the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria is one of the worlds leading producers of crude petroleum.

18

Nigerian oil has a

low sulfur content, making it particularly attractive to American and European buyers seeking to
reduce air pollution. Much natural gas also is recovered. Tin and columbite are mined in the Jos
Plateau area, and coal is produced in the Onitsha region. Limestone, iron ore, lead, and zinc
also are mined.
19

Scattered throughout Nigeria are small family businesses producing traditional craft

goodspottery, carvings, ornamental cloth, and leather goodsand more modern consumer
goods, such as bricks and other building materials, milled grain, and beverages.

16 Ibid 14
16-17 The World Bank Group, World Development Indicators. 1999 to present. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.
18-19 Coleman, D. Y. (2015). Nigeria: 2015 Country Review. Nigeria Country Review, 1-323.

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Large-scale enterprises, which include motor-vehicle assembly plants, petroleum

refineries, and factories producing textiles, rubber goods, aluminum, iron and steel, and
petrochemicals, have been established, mostly in the S, in the 1970s. But the manufacturing
sector employs only 2% of the workforce.
Much of Nigerias electricity is produced each year in hydroelectric facilities, and almost
all the rest is generated in thermal plants.
Commerce and Industry. The national currency of Nigeria is the naira, which is divided
into 100 kobo. 20Currency and banking are supervised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (1958). A
number of European and American banks have offices in Nigeria; however, since 1976, all
banks operating in the country have been required to have ownership that is at least 60%
Nigerian. In the mid-1990s the government responded to a severe downturn in the banking
sector by detaining hundreds of bank directors, managers, and debtors; 26 failed banks were
liquidated in January 1998.
Much of the internal trade of Nigeria revolves around the sale of foodstuffs and
domestically produced consumer goods.

21

Open-air markets, operated by women, and small

general stores, some owned by Lebanese, are widespread. Modern department stores are
found in the large cities. Lagos, Onitsha, Aba, Kano, and Ibadan are major commercial centers.
22

Sales of crude petroleum and petroleum products accounted for more than 90% of

Nigeria's export earnings. Major imports include chemical products, electronics, food products,
machinery, petroleum products, and transportation equipment. Nigeria's most important trade
partners are Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the
United States.
23

Nigeria depends heavily on its nationwide network of roads. In late 1970s, expressway
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20-23 Coleman, D. Y. (2015). Nigeria: 2015 Country Review. Nigeria Country Review, 1-323.

expressways linking Lagos to Ibadan and Benin City were built. But many of the country's roads
are unpaved and rutted. Few Nigerians own an automobile. Buses and taxisoften jammed
with passengersoperate along the main roads. Railroads have declined in importance
because of competition from Nigerias road system. The main seaports are at Lagos, Port
Harcourt, and the Delta Port complex, including Warri, Burutu, and Sapele. International airports
are located at Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt; smaller airfields serve other major cities.
Government.24 The central reality of Nigerias political life since independence in 1960
has been the rivalry and suspicion between the traditional, Muslim, Hausa and Fulani
domination in the north and the modern, Westernized south led by Yoruba and Igbo politicians.
Following military rule during 196679, civilian government was restored on Oct. 1, 1979, under
a new constitution that established Nigeria as a federal democratic state. This constitution was
suspended following a military coup on Dec. 31, 1983.

25

Promulgation of another new

constitution in 1989 was expected to pave the way for a return to civilian rule in the early 1990s.
In November 1993, however, after yet another military coup, civilian elected officials were
dismissed, political activity was outlawed, and parts of the 1979 constitution were restored
pending a new constitutional conference. A constitution drafted in 1995 was never implemented;
instead, the military regime continued to rule by decree. Since the restoration of civilian
government in May 1999, a new constitution based on the 1979 model has been the law of the
land.
International Organizations.

26

In addition to the Commonwealth of Nations and the UN,

Nigeria is a member of the African Union, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries,
the World Trade Organization, the Economic Community of West African States, and the

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24-25 Nigeria, Federal Republic of. (2014). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1.
26 World Bank

Organization of the Islamic Conference, and is an African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) state of
the European Union. The countrys membership in the Commonwealth of Nations was
suspended in 1995 because of human rights abuses but reinstated in 1999 when constitutional
government was restored.
Energy Consumption and Demand. As one of the world's largest oil producers,
27

Nigeria's economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector and has been a member of the

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 1971. In 2011, Nigeria produced
about 2.53 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of total liquids, well below its oil production capacity of
over 3 million bbl/d, due to production disruptions that have compromised portions of the
country's oil for years.
28

The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on its hydrocarbon sector, which

accounted for more than 95 percent of export earnings and more than 75 percent of federal
government revenue in 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In addition to oil, Nigeria holds the largest natural gas reserves in Africa, but has limited
infrastructure in place to develop the sector.

29

Natural gas that is associated with oil production

is mostly flared, but the development of regional pipelines, the expansion of liquefied natural
gas infrastructure, and policies to ban gas flaring are expected to accelerate growth in the
sector, both for export and domestic use in electricity generation.
According to Energy Information Administration (EIA),

30

in 2010 total energy

consumption was about 4.4 Quadrillion Btu (111,000 kilotons of oil equivalent). Of this,
traditional biomass and waste accounted for 82 percent of total energy consumption. This high

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percent share represents the use of biomass to meet off-grid heating and cooking needs, mainly
in rural areas.

27-29 The Encyclopedia of Earth

30 US. Energy Information Administration

EIA data for 2009 indicate that electrification rates for Nigeria were 50 percent for the country
as a whole leaving approximately 76 million people without access to electricity in Nigeria.
Other estimates place the countrywide electrification rate as low as 45 percent.
Nigeria has vast natural gas, coal, and renewable energy resources that could be used
for domestic electricity generation. However, the country lacks policies to harness resources
and develop new (and improve current) electricity infrastructure. 31The Nigerian government has
had several plans to address the need for power, including a recent announcement to create 40
gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2020 (compared to 2009 installed capacity of 6 GW). Achieving
this goal will mainly depend on the ability of the Nigerian government to utilize currently flared
natural gas.
Viewpoint on Climate Change. Often it is argued that Africa need not care about climate
change because in global dimensions Africa itself produces negligible greenhouse gases.
Climate change is primarily caused by the developed countries, so they should be the ones
dealing with it. However, it is the bitter irony that Africa contributes least of all the continents to
the climate change, but will probably suffer most from its consequences. According to
economists

31

it is a typical case of negative external effects, an externalisation of costs: A

noninvolved party bears the costs of a third partys actions.

32

Africa produces one ton of CO2 per person per year according to American statistics.

South Africa, the most industrialised country of the continent, generates 8,44t, meanwhile Mali
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which is at the lowest level of industrialisation, produces less than one-tenth of a ton per person
per year. The whole of Africa produces about 920,000t each year, less than 4% of the global
production.
31 Ibid 29
32 Paehler, H., Nigeria In The Dilemma Of Climate Change,2007

By comparison, 33the United States of America generate about 16t per person per year,
altogether about 5.7 billion tons and 23% of the global production. Therewith they are the
biggest producer. China, the new star in the CO2-sky, is going to surpass the USA soon.
Although these information date from 2002, proportions probably havent changed considerably
and can serve to roughly estimate the role that Africa plays in this context of climate change.
As Africa is exposed to a number of resource-consuming stressors, comparatively few
resources remain to react proactively on the climate change. Seeing the climate change as an
external shock to the continent caused by the externalisation of costs of a third party, payments
and assistance can be considered to be a reasonable way to compensate Africa for the negative
climate effects.34 In January 2007 at the German African Summit in Accra, initiated by the
Federal President of Germany, the former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, appealed to
international assistance in order to cope with the consequences of the climate change. He
claimed that all countries should adhere to the respective international agreements.
35

Forty percent of the African Gross National Product is obtained in agriculture and 70%

of all African labour is employed in this sector. The dominant role of agriculture makes it obvious
that even minor climate deteriorations can cause devastating socioeconomic consequences.

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33 Ibid 32
34-35 Ibid

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