Nigeria

Despite vast oil wealth, problems of corruption and mismanagement have left Nigeria one of the poorest countries in the world. Tensions and unrest within the country can often be attributed to growing income disparities, with an increasing gap between the rich and the poor of the country. Estimates have well over 60% of Nigerians living beneath the poverty line. In rural areas in the center of the country, especially in Plateau State, farmers are competing for land and resources with herders.

Abuses by the police remain widespread and routine—impunity from prosecution is the biggest single obstacle to combating this problem. Several thousand “armed robbery” suspects have been killed by the Nigerian police in recent years, as well as scores of people in custody or in the course of routine duties such as traffic control. Torture, ill-treatment, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrest and detention and extortion are often perpetrated by or with the knowledge of senior police. In August 2005, President Obasanjo publicly acknowledged that Nigerian police officers have committed murder and torture, but it remains to be seen whether this statement is backed by any serious attempts of reform.

Shari’a (Islamic law) has been extended to give Shari’a courts jurisdiction over criminal cases in twelve of Nigeria’s thirty-six states. Sahri’a has provisions for sentences that amount to cruel and degrading treatment, including stoning, amputations, and floggings. Many trials in Shari’a courts fail to conform to international standards and do not respect due process even as defined by official Shari’a legislation. Defendants rarely have access to a lawyer, are not informed of their rights, and judges are often poorly trained. The manner in which Shari’a is applied also tends to openly discriminate against women, particularly in adultery cases, where standards of evidence differ based on the sex of the accused.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a widespread practice, despite government opposition. Domestic violence is pervasive, and wife beating is permissible under the penal code.

Although prostitution is illegal in Nigeria, there are more than 1 million female sex workers.

There have been significant gains in civil liberties since the end of military rule, however several restrictions on freedom of expression still remain. Federal Police and State Security Service forces continue to harass and occasionally detain publishers, editors and journalists in response to articles that accused politically prominent individuals of corruption. There have also been numerous cases of arrests, detention, ill-treatment, intimidation and harassment of critics and opponents of the government.

In recent years, Nigeria has repeatedly been shaken by outbreaks of intercommunal violence, often fueled by government mismanagement and political manipulation. Human Rights Watch estimates that between two thousand and three thousand people have been killed by these clashes along ethnic and religious lines. The government has often failed to impugn and punish those responsible for instigating and planning these attacks.

Recently, state and local governments throughout Nigeria have enacted policies that discriminate against “non-indigenes” (individuals not ethnically indigenous of a particular area) by denying them access to important aspects of socio-economic mobility. These non-indigenes are considered second-class citizens, and are openly denied the right to compete for government jobs and academic scholarships, while state-run public universities subject non-indigenes to discriminatory admissions policies and higher fees. Instead of working to combat this discrimination, federal government policies have often served to legitimize and reinforce it, thus exacerbating interethnic and interreligious tension.

The HIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria is decreasing, but still remains a serious problem. The national prevalence rate as of 2003 was 5%. However, state prevalence rates vary from as low as 1.2% in Osun state to as high as 12% in Cross River state. Overall, 13 of 36 states have prevalence rates of over 5%. These figures support the claim that there are explosive, localized epidemics in some states. HIV/AIDS rates are highest for young people between the ages 20 and 24, at 5.6%. Over 60% of new HIV infections are in the 15-25 year old age group. It is estimated that in 2005 there were 220,000 deaths from AIDS, and 930,000 AIDS orphans living in Nigeria. There has been an alarming increase in the number of HIV positive children in recent years, 90% of whom contract the virus from their mothers.

Currently very few Nigerians have access to basic HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support or treatment services. Around 520,000 people are estimated to require antiretroviral therapy (ART), and only 17,000 are currently receiving treatment. There are presently 50 treatment sites for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

Factors contributing to the spread of HIV in Nigeria include lack of information, stigma and discrimination, and poor healthcare services. The preponderance of women infected with HIV in Nigeria (57%) is attributed to marriage practices (men are permitted to have extramarital sex, and young girls are unable to negotiate condom use), female circumcision (85% of women undergo it at some point in their lives, putting them at risk of contracting the disease from unsterilized instruments), and sex work.

Serious outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis still occur in the north. Malaria and tuberculosis are the diseases of widespread. Just under half of all deaths are thought to be among children, who are especially vulnerable to malaria and account for 75% of registered malaria deaths. As of 2000, almost 15% of all Nigerian children did not live to their fifth birthday. Malaria and diarrheal diseases accounted for, respectively, 30% and 20% of childhood mortality.

A program for the eradication of river blindness and malaria has been undertaken in cooperation with The World Health Organization.

In 2000, the average life-expectancy was only 47 years old.

Many of Nigeria’s environmental problems are those typical of developing states, such as excessive cultivation and deforestation, which has resulted in loss of soil fertility. Oil spills, the burning of toxic wastes, and urban air pollution are problems in more developed areas. Water pollution is also a problem due to improper handling of sewage. Fifty-four percent of the renewable water resources is used for farming activity, and 15% for industrial purposes. Safe drinking water is available for 78% of urban dwellers and 49% of the rural population.

Primary education is the responsibility of the states and local councils. State and federal authorities have concurrent powers over post-primary education. The first six years of primary education are compulsory. Primary education begins in the local language but often introduces English in the third year.

Education in the southern states have advanced more than in the northern states, due to the contribution of Christian missions to the Nigerian educational system. Teacher-training colleges are operated by missions or voluntary societies; their schools, however, are regulated and largely supported by the government.

There are 13 polytechnic colleges and four colleges of technology. A major obstacle to the further advancement of education in Nigeria is the shortage of qualified teachers.

Girls’ Power Initiative - The mission of GPI as a national organization is to educate girls between the ages of 10-18 years concerning their health, rights, self reliance skills and needs from a gender perspective through information, communication, counseling and community intervention.

Global Medical Missions - Global Medical Missions is dedicated to alleviating poverty in rural African communities through the provision of free healthcare, education, housing, rural access roads, water and sanitation.

Great Relief for Orphans and Widows (GROW) Nigeria - To contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of orphans and widows through the establishment of a training center and an orphanage home for efficient skill development and the provision of basic education to the most vulnerable of the society with the view of putting in place a safety net to protect them. We strive to become a dependable source of poverty reduction among the orphans and widows in our community, Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.

Heal the Land Initiative in Nigeria (HELIN) - Heal the Land Initiative in Nigeria (HELIN) is a non profit organization that advocate and ensure that our target groups have equal access to high life saving care and treatment. We are involved in prevention and impact mitigation programs in communities. HELIN works to enrich and enhance the personal dignity and quality of women, young people (especially orphans and vulnerable children), LWHA and people affected by AIDS.

Liberty 4 Africa [L4A] - The mission of L4A is to organize health programs to focus on prevention of infections and diseases, as well as to carry out research on health and child health development. We encourage youth development and mobilization for peace building and conflict resolution.

World Youth Empowerment Foundation - Our mission is to empower the Youths to be more productive, more focused and more determined to succeed. Re-channeling their abilities and zeal into positively constructive ventures that will have direct meaningful impact in the life of the citizens of the Nation in which the organization is established.

Heritage Nigeria - Heritage Nigeria is a non-profit NGO committed to create public awareness about women’s rights, youth degradation, HIV/AIDS, and child abuse and woman battery. We aim to cater to the oppressed by educating prison inmates, renovating orphanages and homes for the handicapped. We are looking for volunteers to assist in an orphanage home in Lagos or Ogun State. Volunteers focus on educational training, consisting primarily of English language classes. Active participation in programs such as health education, games, drawing and painting is encouraged. We are also looking for supervisors who can help us in the construction of a new orphanage in Ipara Remo. We are also currently looking for volunteer teachers to teach in public schools in a small town in the south of Nigeria. We are constantly in need of volunteers for various projects, so please visit our website if you are interested.

World Humanitarian Anchor Service Corp - We are an NGO and Volunteering Organization located in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. We organize seminars/awareness programs, talent hunting, youth empowerment, skill training, humanitarian service, volunteer placement, voluntary work camp, cultural exchange, and the promotion of world peace and stability. We need members to represent around hthe globe that can help us assist our members in their countries.