Nigeria - February 2006
TUC background briefing
February 2006
Background
Nigeria, with a population of over 130m, is the most populous country in Africa (more than one in ten Africans is Nigerian). It is also one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Nigeria has an important Muslim community (60% according to some estimates), a minority of which is considered to be receptive to radical Islam.
The country is heavily dependent on oil exports that make up about 90% of its export revenue. It is the largest oil producer in Africa. Recent attacks on oil installations have caused concern over a possible deterioration of the security situation and disruption of oil exports.
Nigeria has been governed by military regimes for most of its recent history since independence from Britain in 1960. In 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo was democratically elected. He won a second term in 2003. The accession to power of a democratic regime has considerably enhanced the international stature of the country. Nigeria plays a key role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and remains an important member of the Commonwealth.
The Nigerian economy has been mismanaged for decades. President Obasanjo's regime is publicly committed to economic reforms and the fight against corruption. Nigeria's per capita income is about US$390. 57% of the population - some 75m according to the DFID - is estimated to be below the international poverty-line. Social indicators place Nigeria among the poorest countries in the world. One in five children dies before reaching the age of five. HIV/AIDS has become a serious public health problem. Nigeria is estimated to have about two million HIV/AIDS orphans.
Nigeria is one of the most heavily indebted nations in the world. Its debts totalled US$ 30bn before agreement was reached to reduce them to US$12.4bn. The country is an important recipient of development assistance, although the amount of aid per capita remains low.
Trade unions
The TUC has long enjoyed close relations with the Nigerian trade union movement, notably, with the Nigeria Labour Congress which was one of the few free organisations active under the military dictatorship. Nigeria has ratified 38 ILO conventions including C29, C87, C98, C111, C138 and C182.
The TUC has supported the efforts of the NLC to protect trade union rights when they are under threat. As well as supporting the NLC when military rule was in place, in 2004, the TUC, in collaboration with the ICFTU, protested against the Government's attempts to reform the Trades Union Act and pointed out that the proposed Bill contained a number of provisions that violated workers' rights and that the powers vested in the Minister of Labour were also in conflict with Convention 87. In 2004, following the detention of Adams Oshiomhole, NLC President, the TUC wrote to President Olusegun Obasanjo, expressing dismay over the action of the State Security Service (SSS). We remain concerned about government attitudes to free trade unionism, although relations ebb and flow.
The TUC and the NLC are collaborating in a two-year project, funded by the DFID, aimed at reducing discrimination against women in the workplace through enhancement of the capacity of trade unions to address the concerns of women workers. Project activities include workshops on gender training, strategic planning, basic trade union education, collective bargaining, information and communications technology as well as campaigning activities for International Women's Day.
As well as trade union freedom generally, recent trade union concerns include the need for action against corruption (they are critically supportive of the current government's action on this); concern about rises in oil prices (leading to a number of general strikes); calls for the Nigerian debt to be cancelled; and concern about the lack of infrastructure (partly due to corruption), which holds the Nigerian economy back.
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