Past political rule
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In 1875, Nigeria had become a British colony. North and South Nigeria were ruled separately, where there was direct control over the South and an Indirect Rule in the North. The system of Indirect Rule involved the use of local chiefs and traditional institutions to implement colonial policies in North Nigeria (Umaru, 2013, p. 46).
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As there was more control over South Nigeria, the British brought in connections with the European world to the Southern part of the country. Contact with Europeans began with the arrival of Portuguese ships in 1486 and the British, French, and Dutch soon followed (Curry, 2006). Together with this, Christianity was brought in and it quickly spread throughout South Nigeria. The British rule introduced a different culture, trade, education and more importantly, a westernised lifestyle to the South. Trade and education made the country more prosperous and this started the poverty gap between South and North Nigeria.
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On the other hand, because of the Indirect Rule, North Nigeria was governed by existing traditional institutions. Meanwhile, the rapid growth and success recorded by the Christian missionaries in the South caused the Northern traditional rulers to exert pressure to stop the advance of Christianity in the north-western and north-eastern parts of the country.
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Thus, the British formed a major compromise to discourage Christian missionary activity in Northern Nigeria. With this arrangement, the colonial leaders not only took sides but created a division between the North and the South that was geographical and at the same time religious. (Umaru, 2013, p. 48).
Religious divide in Nigeria
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In Nigeria today, 50% of people are Muslims, 40% are Christians and 10% hold indigenous beliefs (CIA World Factbook, 2015). There is tension between the two main religious groups in Nigeria which is Islam (50%) and Christianity (40%) (SMIC, 2015). The divide is mainly caused by the past colonial rule under and there is also a strong correlation between the North-South regional split and the Muslim-Christian religious split. Although this division is significant, it has strengthened the bond between Nigerians within the two regions (SMIC, 2015).
The divide however, has caused unequal allocation and distribution of developmental funds between the two regions. This has overtime been carried out based on favouritism and ethnic inclination by government officials and authorities, with no consideration for effects of social and economic investments (Raheem, Oyeleye, Aladekoyi, 2014). In the next sections, we will show how this has caused a wide poverty gap between the two regions.
The divide however, has caused unequal allocation and distribution of developmental funds between the two regions. This has overtime been carried out based on favouritism and ethnic inclination by government officials and authorities, with no consideration for effects of social and economic investments (Raheem, Oyeleye, Aladekoyi, 2014). In the next sections, we will show how this has caused a wide poverty gap between the two regions.
Poverty level in Nigeria
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Unemployment in the north is extremely high. Nigeria is described to be a country of two nations, where the South is much more stable and prosperous, but the north on the other hand, is in a poverty trap (Odunsi, 2016). South Nigeria has relatively low poverty rates, ranging from 16% in the South West to 28.8% in the South East. Poverty rates in the North West and North East, however, are 45.9% and 50.2%, respectively. While the South of Nigeria (especially the South West) has experienced a strong positive dynamic in poverty reduction in recent years, the poverty rate in the North West has remained stagnant, while poverty has actually increased in the North East (Abuja, 2014).
Economy
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North Nigeria
Nigeria has a relatively hot climate. North Nigeria has less intense rainfalls than the South, with an annual precipitation of 500mm, as compared to the South’s, which is in the thousands. Nigeria benefits from a tropical climate with lush vegetation and a diverse range of crops that grow all year round, thus it thrives on agriculture. Agriculture provides most of the jobs for the poverty stricken people in North Nigeria. It engages about 70% of the labor force (Nations Encyclopedia, 2007). Its farms are usually small and scattered, and farming is using done with simple tools. These farms produce about 80% the country’s total food (Yakubu, 2007; Akanegbu, 2007). The farmers earn from crops such as rubber, timber groundnut and palm produce, which shows that not only do they produce food crops, but they also produce raw materials for the industries. However, due to the thrive on agriculture, it has resulted in the Northerners relying on agriculture for generations and not developing their other industries. This has caused them to be poorer in terms of their income and being less developed as compared to the South.
Nigeria has a relatively hot climate. North Nigeria has less intense rainfalls than the South, with an annual precipitation of 500mm, as compared to the South’s, which is in the thousands. Nigeria benefits from a tropical climate with lush vegetation and a diverse range of crops that grow all year round, thus it thrives on agriculture. Agriculture provides most of the jobs for the poverty stricken people in North Nigeria. It engages about 70% of the labor force (Nations Encyclopedia, 2007). Its farms are usually small and scattered, and farming is using done with simple tools. These farms produce about 80% the country’s total food (Yakubu, 2007; Akanegbu, 2007). The farmers earn from crops such as rubber, timber groundnut and palm produce, which shows that not only do they produce food crops, but they also produce raw materials for the industries. However, due to the thrive on agriculture, it has resulted in the Northerners relying on agriculture for generations and not developing their other industries. This has caused them to be poorer in terms of their income and being less developed as compared to the South.
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South Nigeria
South Nigeria is the one that provides the economic mainstay of the economy, oil. Upon the discovery of crude oil and its subsequent exportation, there was a boom in the economy of Nigeria as it accounted for over 80% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Petroleum, a product made from oil plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, it contributes to 40% of the country's GDP as well as 80% of government earnings and hence it's a major factor in its economic status. As a result, Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa.
The economy of South Nigeria has been increasing at an average of 7% a year for the past decade. Extensive oil reserves are located in South Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. (Campbell, 2011)
South Nigeria is the one that provides the economic mainstay of the economy, oil. Upon the discovery of crude oil and its subsequent exportation, there was a boom in the economy of Nigeria as it accounted for over 80% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Petroleum, a product made from oil plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, it contributes to 40% of the country's GDP as well as 80% of government earnings and hence it's a major factor in its economic status. As a result, Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa.
The economy of South Nigeria has been increasing at an average of 7% a year for the past decade. Extensive oil reserves are located in South Nigeria, in the Niger Delta. (Campbell, 2011)
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The upstream oil industry is the single most important sector in Nigeria’s economy. According to the 2012 BP Statistical Energy Survey, Nigeria had oil reserves amounting 37.2 billion barrels at the end of 2011, equivalent to 41.4 years of current production. The country produced an average of 2457.3 thousand barrels of crude oil per day in 2011, making up 2.93% of the world’s production. This is also a 0.1 % from 2010. As mentioned, most of this is produced from the prolific Niger River Delta (MBendi, 2016). South Nigeria also has natural resources such as oil and gas which the North Nigeria does not have/ Thus, it has an economic advantage geographically as oil brings a lot more profit than the agriculture in the North.
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