Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Russian Federation

Quite a lot is known about Nigeria. Even the most insignificant information can be found on the Internet. I will mention some aspects that need to be pointed out.

It is well known that Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. In terms of population, it ranks 7th in the world and 1st among the states where black residents make up the majority. Exploitation of the country's natural resources, especially oil production, brings huge revenues, but also creates big problems. It should be noted that Nigeria is a member of the Group of Eleven*.

The peoples of Nigeria have a rich history. Archaeological findings indicate that man lived on the territory of modern Nigeria as early as 9 thousand years BC. e. It is assumed that the area around the Benue and Cross rivers was the birthplace of migrants - representatives of the Bantu ethnic group, who later, in the I-II millennium BC, settled in the central and southern regions of Africa.

The British colonized Nigeria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They established their own governance regime and judicial structures, while recognizing the authority of local chieftains. I am of the opinion that the midwife of the emergence of Nigeria was the British business empire "Royal Trading Company". Lord Lugard's unification of the Northern and Southern Protectorates and the creation of the State of Nigeria in 1914 served the business and financial interests of Great Britain. Naturally, it was not in the interests of the colonial Power to create a solid foundation for the development of a viable national State.

Nigeria regained its independence in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country used the parliamentary system inherited from the mother country, which consisted of regional legislative assemblies and a bicameral Parliament. In 1967, a coup d'etat was attempted, resulting in mass killings in the north of the country. The eastern part of Nigeria, which declared itself the Republic of Biafra, tried to become an independent state, which led to the Nigerian civil War (1967-1970).

Then a series of military coups began. Military governments alternated with democratically elected civilian Governments, resulting in a markedly different political system. In 1975, after one of the coups, an attempt was made to rewrite the country's constitution and reintroduce democratic rule. As a result, an American-style constitution was adopted by military decree in 1979. From 1979 to 1983 The government in power was a civilian government, which, in fact, was not a democratic one. This experiment soon failed, but in 1999 it was resumed, and has been going on for 13 years, although not without difficulties.

I speak of "difficulties" based on my personal beliefs. Democracy is not limited to elections, whether they are fair or not. Democracy also means creating institutions that should be above personal and group interests and resist arbitrariness.

From what has been said, it is easy to conclude that Nigeria has been a victim of a military regime and autocracy for 29 years. During this time, the institutions left over from the colonial period were completely destroyed, but corruption, tribalism, undisguised embezzlement, and lack of control began to flourish.-

Report (with some abbreviations) presented at the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences on December 19, 2012.

* The "Group of Eleven" includes 11 modern states: Bangladesh, Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, identified as countries with a high probability of turning national economies into the largest participants in the international system of economic relations of the XXI century (the term was introduced in 2005 G.) (approx. translation.).

the rule of law, the collapse of the education and health systems was observed.

Economy

As a result of the change of one dictator to another, the very soul of Nigeria was destroyed, which turned into a country with a monocultural economy. Nigerians have lost their initiative and interest in working. The few who had the opportunity left the country. A massive brain drain in the 1970s completely paralyzed many sectors of the national economy. The consequences were manifested, in particular, in 1987, when our universities were denied an English classification.

Agriculture, which flourished in the past, experienced a deep decline. The economy has become almost entirely focused on oil production. Multinational companies such as Shell, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Ajip, Totalfina-Elf and others were the main corporations that promoted the Nigerian economy. It was they who began to dictate conditions that even influenced the country's internal policy.

We are committed to changing all this. Having prepared a special plan for socio-economic transformation, the Administration of President G. Jonathan has been making efforts to revive agriculture as the basis of our economy since 2011.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF 1999

After the adoption of the 1999 Constitution, many copies were broken about its provisions. Since the constitution was adopted by the military Government, there has always been a suspicion that in many fundamental ways it did not express the interests of the people. As a result, there is almost unanimous agreement that the Basic Law of Nigeria needs significant amendments. Supporters of the constitutional amendments are not unanimous in the wording of some of them. However, judging by the nature of the debate, many agree that it is necessary to amend the clause on the inviolability of public figures and the impossibility of initiating criminal proceedings against them while they are in the civil service, as well as introduce the principle of fiscal federalism and clearer provisions concerning the activities of local administration.

They are also discussing the creation of separate police units in the country's states, the introduction of a clause in the Constitution that guarantees the zoning of political and elected positions at all levels of government, and, of course, the creation of new states. But this list of questions is not limited.

FISCAL FEDERALISM

Section 162 (1) of the 1999 Constitution states that revenues from minerals extracted in Nigeria should be distributed in such a way that the State in which mining takes place receives at least 13% of the revenues.

Proponents of fiscal federalism believe that such a scheme corresponds to a unitary, and not a federal structure, which is the postulate of Nigeria. They believe that either Nigeria should remain a federation, in which case state revenues are the property of the states that make contributions to the center for public services, or the federal constitution should be abolished and a unitary one adopted to justify the existing system of income distribution.

The main advocates of these amendments are representatives of oil-producing regions, who promote the idea of fair compensation for the depleted resources produced in their regions, and for the resulting environmental problems. There are also those who advocate higher incomes for regions with mineral resources, but do not support the idea of full federalism, which is supported by oil producers-

other regions. However, there is general agreement that section 162 of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to reflect a more liberal and fair approach to this issue.

There is a painful question about the concentration of power in the center. Even the administration of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, complains that the Federal Government has too many issues to manage effectively. Proponents of limiting central power seek to create a system of public administration that respects the needs of all parts of the State and guarantees their real autonomy. The main issues of state administration would be in the hands of state governments, while defense, currency regulation, migration, customs, police, international politics, etc. would remain the responsibility of the central government.

Naturally, when the central government receives approximately 52% of the country's gross income, much is expected of it. It is necessary to maintain thousands of kilometers of roads, support the entire country's infrastructure, security forces, armed forces, foreign policy departments, public education, health care and other social structures. In this state of affairs, it is desirable to reduce the central Government's control over constitutional issues related to the division of power.

Whatever the arguments, there is a general consensus that the current document, which cements all of the country's ethnic groups as a single entity, should be changed. The National Assembly (Parliament)is currently working on this issue countries.

ARTICLE ON THE INVIOLABILITY OF ELECTED CIVIL SERVANTS

The US Constitution, which served as the basis for the current Constitution of Nigeria, has an article prohibiting criminal prosecution of a number of elected persons while they are in public service. First, they need to be impeached, stripped of their positions, and then tried in a regular court. In the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, paragraph 308 is called the "Inviolability Clause". This provision was considered necessary because governors would have to spend time defending themselves against false accusations from their political opponents, thus distracting themselves from their immediate responsibilities of governance.

Proponents of removing the Constitution's inviolability clause say that some elected officials shamelessly plunder the treasury, and when they leave office, they use their ill-gotten wealth to defend themselves in court battles. It is a well-known story that at least one former Nigerian governor was convicted of money laundering in the UK and is now serving a prison sentence along with his wife and mistress.

The difficulty of diplomatic work is that it is impossible to express an independent point of view as a representative of the President. Nevertheless, I will speak out on this topic, regretting that this is purely my opinion.

The article on immunity in the Constitution does not in any way prohibit criminal prosecution. Legislators have all the power to impeach a public official after presenting convincing facts and deprive him of the right of immunity. By the way, the governor of a state is the head of the legislative branch responsible for making public charges.

It is difficult to expect the governor to authorize a judicial investigation of his own activities. On the other hand, in conditions where unsubstantiated accusations, deliberate and malicious slander can be brought against them, the preservation of the immunity clause can play a positive role.

STATE POLICE

In Nigeria, there is a law enforcement organization-the police. Its creation and structure are stipulated by the country's constitution. The police is a federal agency, its leadership consists of the federal command and special commissioners (commissioners) in the states. The irony is that the police force is formally subordinate only to the federal government, and the state governor, who is also the highest security officer in the territory under his jurisdiction, cannot give orders to the police Commissioner, despite the fact that the state police activities are almost entirely funded from the state budget.

Before I was appointed to this post, I served as the attorney general of my state, and I know firsthand the situation when music is not ordered, but only paid for. The real work of the police takes place on the ground-in the states. Even the American constitution, which we copied, presupposes the existence of departments of the FBI and state police that investigate crimes and traffic violations committed in the states.

Proponents of a regional police force argue that with a population of more than 170 million and 36 states, Nigeria is too large a country to have a unified police force. They believe that there are not enough police forces in the country, and talk about a sharp increase in crime and a complete lack of professionalism in the Nigerian police, which needs to be reformed. In support of their arguments, they point to other countries with a federal structure as examples: the United States, India, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, where there are federal and state police. It is also important to note that the UCHA service-

Police training is the most effective way to collect data on urban crime and terrorism, which has become a big problem in our country. All this needs to be reflected in the Constitution.

LOCAL ADMINISTRATION

The 1999 Constitution provides for the preservation of local authorities as the only form of local self-government recognized by the Constitution. The Constitution includes a list of 771 names of local administrations. The country's legislative bodies should develop laws to regulate their activities, indicating the terms of operation in this composition.

Gaps in the Constitution and the disregard of some governors for local governments strongly require the introduction of clear provisions in the Constitution to comply with the spirit and letter of the law. In an effort to address these concerns, the Federal Government appointed a commission headed by Alpha Belgore, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, "to address gaps in the 1999 Constitution" and grant local governments independence from the State. Proponents of amendments concerning local administrations are in favor of including them in the Constitution based on the conclusions and decisions of this commission.

ZONING, OR ROTATION OF POWER STRUCTURES

Questioning the so-called democratic principles and the rule of law in the United States, American lawyer Doug Hammerstrom expressed the opinion:: "Those who seek to build democracy should not be bound by the false claim that the rule of law is democratic. History teaches us that a strong legal system is a powerful bulwark against popular sovereignty. One of our most important tasks is to return to the fundamental issues that were solved by undemocratic means in the past."*

Nigeria, according to the Constitution, is a Federal Republic consisting of 36 states and the capital territory of Abuja. However, what are called zones have quietly infiltrated the political process, with 36 states divided into six geopolitical zones that do not have any constitutional role. Politicians soon identified a very important role for the zones, using them as the basis for rotating the office of president.

Fortunately, the ruling People's Democratic Party, the largest in Nigeria, has provided for the principle of zoning, or alternate tenure of public office, in article 7.2 of the Constitution, which states:: "In accordance with the principle of equality of parties,fairness and fairness, the party should adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elected positions, and this should be ensured by the relevant executive committee at all levels."

Due to the influence and number of party members, the internal mechanism for allocating political positions now seems to have gained the approval of the entire political class, to the point that it is widely believed that including the principle of zoning and rotation in our Constitution as a method for allocating public positions is the most popular constitutional requirement.

Nigeria includes 6 geopolitical zones: South-East, South-West, North-Central, North-East and North-West. Although zones are not fixed in the Constitution, they have become the basis for power distribution and political participation in the country since the term was first mentioned in 1995. Proponents of the principle of zoning and rotation of power argue that this practice is as old as human existence on earth, and is older than democracy itself. They claim that the Greeks practiced this system in Athens, primarily in Sparta, and that the Roman Empire used it with great efficiency.

It was also pointed out that the principle of zoning and rotation as part of a democratic culture, used to address the challenges inherent in a multilingual society, promotes justice, compromise, equal opportunities and coexistence. It leads to a reduction in negative impulses and an end to the practice of endless retention of power by one group of people, especially in a country such as ethnically and religiously fragmented Nigeria.

The argument is that if power systematically alternates between different zones, the political space not only expands: in the process, competent and capable leaders appear who can change our country and bring it to a higher level. The principle of rotation of power based on zones would also strengthen loyalty to the authorities, because this would guarantee access to the highest positions for all participants in the political system.

This is ultimately a response to the fears of minorities and a solution to the problem left over from colonial rule. However, it is noteworthy that although the zones are not constitutionally fixed, all federal appointments in Nigeria are made by the Government, based on the existence of six geopolitical zones, and thus all parts of the country are represented in the Government.

In this dispute, the Russians should not use their own standards to make up their minds about us. Russia doesn't have the same ethnic problems that we have, and it doesn't have the same ethnic problems that we have.

* The Rule of Law versus Democracy // By What Authority. Vol. 5, N 1, Winter 2002 - http://www.poclad.org/BWA/2002/BWA_2 002_WINTER.html

the political system has already outgrown the problems of formation that we are discussing here. The ideal situation would be to choose leaders based on competence, merit, and distinction, rather than place of birth or origin. When that time comes, one of our most important tasks will be to return to the core issues that were resolved in the past through undemocratic means.

PROBLEMS OF THE NIGER DELTA

The demand for transparency in the dealings of major oil companies eventually led to the emergence of rebel groups in the oil - rich Niger Delta region. The conflict arose in the early 1990s due to tensions between foreign oil corporations and ethnic groups living in the region, primarily Ogoni and Ijo, who felt that they were being used.

Ethnic and political unrest persisted throughout the 1990s and did not stop, despite the transition to democracy and the Government of Olusegun Obasanjo coming to power in 1999, which led to the militarization of almost the entire region and clashes between ethnic groups and the Nigerian armed forces and police (including the Nigerian mobile Police).

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a leading militant group, has set out as its main political goal to expose the activities of oil corporations aimed at exploiting the region's natural resources, and to fight for the rights of the population in the Niger Delta, as well as against the destruction of the natural environment.

The Economist, a British magazine, described MEND as a movement that " portrays itself as a political organization that wants a significant portion of oil production revenues to go to poor areas - where this oil is produced." In fact, MEND is more like an umbrella organization for several armed groups that often pay with cash or weapons for armed attacks on oil fields, sabotage, looting, destruction of property, guerrilla warfare, and kidnappings in the Niger Delta.

AMNESTY

On June 26, 2009, the Nigerian Government announced that it would grant amnesty and unconditional pardons to Niger Delta fighters for 60 days, from August 6, 2009 to October 4, 2009. The then President of Nigeria, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, signed the amnesty document after consulting with the National Council of State. Within 60 days, the rebels were required to hand over weapons including rocket-propelled grenades, small arms, explosives, ammunition and even ships in exchange for training in civilian professions and rehabilitation.

The Government has launched a policy aimed at correcting militants, training them in various educational institutions, including abroad, and adapting them to normal life. About 100 of them are students and postgraduates studying in the Russian Federation, for which we are very grateful to the Russian government.

I should add, however, that there are still pockets of unrest in the region, but this is more likely the usual crime that the security service is currently dealing with.

BOKO HARAM MOVEMENT

In fact, Boko Haram began its existence as an extremist religious group led by Mohammed Yusuf. Later it turned into a commercial enterprise, as members of the sect rob banks, kidnap for ransom and blackmail people. The biggest challenge we face in eliminating Boko Haram is the media. Terrorists around the world get satisfaction and success when their actions are made public. Glasnost is oxygen for terrorists.

Some Northern Nigerians, who were educated in the West, justify religious fanaticism and terrorist attacks on the basis of the poverty of the population. In addition, they believe that since the days of colonialism, Western education and Christianity were planted in the North by southerners. The answer was resistance to Western education and the Western way of life, which, in their view, reflects not just a sentiment driven by cultural differences, but a deep-rooted belief.

They claim that civil servants and politicians (not necessarily northerners) are products of this system - corrupt and incompetent, flying abroad, shopping in Dubai, and sending their children to expensive Western schools. They swear that it was dissatisfaction with Western education that grew in the ranks of young people in northern Nigeria during the formation of Boko Haram as a "nonviolent" organization. It allegedly turned violent after President Yar'Adua launched a crackdown on the group in 2009, its leader was assassinated, it went underground and re-emerged in 2010, carrying out "new" attacks.

What " new " attacks, if, as they claim, it was a "nonviolent" group, will remain a mystery! Let me put it bluntly: Nigeria must remain a modern State, and there is no place for terrorism. The claim that Boko Haram was encouraged by the federal Government to undermine the North is beyond common sense.

Terrorism is a new phenomenon in Nigeria, and the Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach based on a robust law enforcement, security and security system.-

development of a strategy, negotiations, constructive interaction with religious leaders, as well as the implementation of the so-called Transformation Program, in particular aimed at reducing poverty, creating jobs and mass education of the population.

There is no doubt that we have long been featured in the international media as a problematic and unsuccessful region. Recent events have created a fear that the Nigerian State is facing a threat to its very existence. These fears, however, are unfounded: Nigeria is not going to "burn".

Boko Haram, like any terrorist group, feeds on fear, and in this case the fear generated by the organization itself is too exaggerated. Despite the chaos caused by Boko Haram, there is every reason to believe that it is not as dangerous as the media claims. It is imperfect in many ways and is not invincible.

THE ISSUE OF FUEL SUBSIDIES

There is no doubt that the removal of fuel subsidies, while painful, was the right decision by the federal government. Some argue that one of the main problems associated with the abolition of fuel subsidies was the lack of public awareness of the purpose of this decision. In addition, the population was not warned about the cancellation of subsidies and felt offended, since it also occurred during the Christmas holidays. The reality is that subsidies have been most beneficial to the wealthiest segments of the population.

While the subsidy may still make a big difference to ordinary citizens, in reality, not many Nigerians can benefit from a fuel subsidy. Outside of Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, most Nigerians buy fuel on the black market at prices significantly higher than the officially subsidized level. President Jonathan's government has taken on a task of enormous importance to the country's budget by cutting fuel subsidies [25% of our national budget], but what really warms the soul is that the scammers who have been engaged in fuel fraud for many years have been prosecuted and lost their untouchability. A journey of a thousand miles, as they say, begins with a single step.

DRAFT LAW ON THE OIL INDUSTRY

This draft law was developed and presented to the National Assembly in 2004 by the Obasanjo Government with the sole purpose of creating a modern legal framework for the functioning of the oil industry, where incompetence, corruption and inefficiency flourish.

The bill provides for the active participation of Nigerian entrepreneurs in the exploitation of oil fields and the prevention of abuses carried out by the regulatory body - the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Nigeria's vast oil resources are the foundation of its economy, political power,and international standing. The fact that the bill is still under consideration is absolutely unacceptable. To attract foreign direct investment in the industry, a law regulating the development of the industry is necessary. The National Assembly must save the country by passing a law on the oil industry.

THE ROLE OF RUSSIA

There is a practice of developing a system of mutual commitments and incentives between African Governments and their international partners to implement good governance and political reforms in exchange for the financial and political support needed to overcome poverty in the Black continent. No matter what domestic policies they pursue, these countries deserve help.

Developing diplomatic and trade ties with Nigeria can pay real dividends. Nigeria is one of the main links in the global oil supply chain, a source of strategic raw materials, agricultural products, fresh water and energy needed for global economic growth; our forests play an essential role in shaping the planet's climate.

Our population of more than 170 million people is a major consumer of Russian goods. Maintaining peace and progress in Nigeria should be of great interest to the Russian Federation. In order to build balanced relations between Russia and Nigeria, it would be most appropriate to make decisions at the highest government level, primarily in the field of training security personnel and making direct investments in the oil and gas sector. These solutions will allow Russia to gain its share of the Nigerian market and gain access to the country's natural resources.

* * *

Nigeria's problems are not insurmountable. The main one is that the country suffers from biased media coverage. What one person does wrong is blamed on the government. In other circumstances, the world would sympathize with the country in case of failure, but not in the case of us. We've learned to live with it. I can only say that the number of expatriates living in Nigeria, despite the security problems, is not decreasing.

Translated from English by K.Political scientists S. V. KOSTELYANTS and V. N. NIKITINA

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