Flag of Nigeria
Federation and Independence
(1960)
Nigeria
gained independence from the United
Kingdom on 1 October 1960, as the Federation
of Nigeria with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as its prime minister, while retaining
the British monarch, Elizabeth II, as nominal head of state and Queen of
Nigeria. Independent Nigeria's founding government was a coalition of
conservative parties: the Northern People's Congress (NPC) led by Sir Ahmadu
Bello, a party dominated by Muslim Northerners, and the Igbo and
Christian-dominated National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) led by
Nnamdi Azikiwe. Azikiwe replaced the colonial governor-general in November
1960. The opposition comprised the comparatively liberal Action Group (AG),
which was largely dominated by the Yoruba and led by Obafemi Awolowo. At
independence, the cultural and political differences were sharp among Nigeria's
dominant ethnic groups: the Hausa–Fulani ('Northerners'), Igbo ('Easterners')
and Yoruba ('Westerners'). An imbalance was created in the polity by the result
of the 1961 plebiscite. Southern Cameroons (since renamed by separatists as
Ambazonia) opted to join the Republic
of Cameroon while Northern Cameroons
chose to join Nigeria.
The northern part of the country then became larger than the southern part. In
1963, the nation established a Federal
Republic, with Azikiwe as
its first president. When elections were held in 1965, the Nigerian National
Democratic Party came to power in Nigeria's Western Region.
Fall of the First
Republic and Civil War
The disequilibrium and perceived corruption of the electoral
and political process led, in 1966, to back-to-back military coups. The first
coup was in January 1966 and was led mostly by Igbo soldiers under Majors
Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. The coup plotters succeeded in
assassinating Sir Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa alongside prominent
leaders of the Northern Region and also Premier Samuel Akintola of the Western
Region, but the coup plotters struggled to form a central government. Senate
President Nwafor Orizu handed over government control to the Army, then under
the command of another Igbo officer, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. Later, the
counter-coup of 1966, supported primarily by Northern military officers,
facilitated the rise Yakubu Gowon as military head of state. Tension rose
between North and South; Igbos in Northern cities suffered persecution and many
fled to the Eastern Region.
In May 1967, Governor of the Eastern Region Lt. Colonel
Emeka Ojukwu declared the region independent from the federation as a state
called the Republic
of Biafra, under his
leadership. This declaration precipitated the Nigerian Civil War, which began
as the official Nigerian government side attacked Biafra on 6 July 1967 at
Garkem. The 30-month war, with a long siege of Biafra
and its isolation from trade and supplies, ended in January 1970. Estimates of
the number of dead in the former Eastern Region during the 30-month civil war
range from one to three million. France, Egypt, the Soviet Union, Britain,
Israel, and others were deeply involved in the civil war behind the scenes. Britain and the Soviet Union were the main
military backers of the Nigerian government; with Nigeria
utilizing air support from Egyptian pilots provided by Gamal Abdel Nasser,
while France and Israel aided
the Biafrans. The Congolese government, under President Joseph-Desire Mobutu,
took an early stand on the Biafran secession, voicing strong support for the
Nigerian federal government and deploying thousands of troops to fight against
the secessionists.
Following the war, Nigeria enjoyed the oil boom of the
1970s, during which the country joined OPEC and received huge oil revenues.
Despite these revenues, the military government did little to improve the
standard of living of the population, help small and medium businesses, or
invest in infrastructure. As oil revenues fueled the rise of federal subsidies
to states, the federal government became the centre of political struggle and
the threshold of power in the country. As oil production and revenue rose, the
Nigerian government became increasingly dependent on oil revenues and
international commodity markets for budgetary and economic concerns. The coup
in July 1975, led by Generals Shehu Musa Yar'Adua and Joseph Garba ousted Gowon,
who fled to Britain.
The coup plotters wanted to replace Gowon's autocratic rule with a triumvirate
of three brigadier generals whose decisions could be vetoed by a Supreme
Military Council. For this triumvirate, they convinced General Murtala Mohammad
to become military head of state, with General Olusegun Obasanjo as his
second-in-command, and General Theophilus Danjuma as the third. Together, the
triumvirate introduced austerity measures to stem inflation, established a
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, replaced all military governors with
new officers, and launched "Operation Deadwood" through which they
fired 11,000 officials from the civil service.
Colonel Buka Suka Dimka launched the February 1976 coup
against Nigeria's
government, during which General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated. Dimka
lacked widespread support among the military and his coup failed, forcing him
to flee. After the coup attempt, General Olusegun Obasanjo was appointed
military head of state. As head of state, Obasanjo vowed to continue Murtala's
policies. Aware of the danger of alienating northern Nigerians, Obasanjo
brought General Shehu Yar'Adua as his replacement and second-in-command as
Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters completing the military triumvirate, with
Obasanjo as head of state and General Theophilus Danjuma as Chief of Army
Staff, the three went on to re-establish control over the military regime and
organized the military's transfer of power programme: states creation and
national delimitation, local government reforms and the constitutional drafting
committee of the Second Nigerian Republic.
Second Republic
(1979–1983)
Shehu Shagari of the Second Nigerian Republic was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983.
In 1977, a constituent assembly was elected to draft a new
constitution, which was published on September 21, 1978, when the ban on
political activity was lifted. The military carefully planned the return to
civilian rule putting in place measures to ensure that political parties had
broader support than witnessed during the first republic. In 1979, five
political parties competed in a series of elections in which Alhaji Shehu
Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was elected president. All five
parties won representation in the National Assembly. On October 1, 1979, Shehu
Shagari was sworn in as the first President and Commander-in-Chief of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. Obasanjo peacefully transferred power to Shagari,
becoming the first head of state in Nigerian history to willingly step down.
The Shagari government became viewed as corrupt by virtually
all sectors of Nigerian society. In 1983 the inspectors of the state-owned
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) began to notice "the slow
poisoning of the waters of this country".In August 1983 Shagari and the
NPN were returned to power in a landslide victory, with a majority of seats in
the National Assembly and control of 12 state governments. But the elections
were marred by violence and allegations of widespread vote rigging and
electoral malfeasance led to legal battles over the results. There were also uncertainties,
such as in the first republic, that political leaders may be unable to govern
properly which would bring another batch of new military rulers.
Military rule and Third Republic
(1983–1999)
Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 to 1998.
The 1983 military coup state took place on New Year's Eve
of that year. It was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military and
led to the overthrow of the Second
Nigerian Republic
and the installation of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as Head of State. The
military coup of Muhammadu Buhari shortly after the regime's re-election in
1984 was generally viewed as a positive development. Buhari promised major
reforms, but his government fared little better than its predecessor. His
regime was overthrown by another military coup in 1985.
General Buhari was overthrown in 1985 military coup d'état
led by General Ibrahim Babangida, who established the Armed Forces Ruling
Council and became military president and commander in chief of the armed
forces. In 1986, he established the Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986 which
made recommendations for the transition to the Third Nigerian
Republic. In 1989,
Babangida started making plans for the transition to the Third Nigerian
Republic. Babangida
survived the 1990 Nigerian coup d'état attempt, then postponed a promised
return to democracy to 1992.
He legalized the formation of political parties, and formed
the two-party system with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National
Republican Convention (NRC) ahead of the 1992 general elections. He urged all
Nigerians to join either of the parties, which the late Chief Bola Ige famously
referred to as "two leper hands." The two-party state had been a
Political Bureau recommendation. In November 1991, after a census was
conducted, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced on 24 January 1992
that both legislative elections to a bicameral National Assembly and a
presidential election would be held later that year. A process of voting was
adopted, referred to as Option A4. This process advocated that any candidate
needed to pass through adoption for all elective positions from the local
government, state government and federal government.
The 1993 presidential election held on June 12, the first
since the military coup of 1983. The results though not officially declared by
the National Electoral Commission – showed the duo of Moshood Abiola and
Babagana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defeated Bashir Tofa and
Slyvester Ugoh of the National Republican Convention (NRC) by over 2.3 million
votes. However, Babangida annulled the elections, leading to massive civilian
protests that effectively shut down the country for weeks. In August 1993,
Babangida finally kept his promise to relinquish power to a civilian
government, but not before appointing Ernest Shonekan head of the Interim
National Government. Babangida's regime has been considered the most corrupt,
and responsible for creating a culture of corruption in Nigeria.
Shonekan's interim government, the shortest in the political
history of the country was overthrown in the coup d'état of 1993 led by General
Sani Abacha, who used military force on a wide scale to suppress the continuing
civilian unrest. In 1995 the government hanged environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa
on trumped-up charges in the deaths of four Ogoni elders. Lawsuits under the
American Alien Tort Statute against Royal Dutch Shell and Brian Anderson, the
head of Shell's Nigerian operation, settled out of court with Shell continuing
to deny liability. Several hundred million dollars in accounts traced to Abacha
were discovered in 1999. The regime came to an end in 1998, when the dictator
died in the villa. He looted money to offshore accounts in western European
banks and defeated coup plots by arresting and bribing generals and
politicians. His successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, adopted a new
constitution on 5 May 1999 which provided for multiparty elections.
Democratization and Fourth Republic
(1999–present)
Olusegun Obasanjo was civilian President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.
On 29 May 1999, Abubakar transferred power to the winner of
the 1999 presidential election, former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo
as the second democratically elected civilian President of Nigeria heralding
the beginning of the Fourth
Nigerian Republic.
This ended almost 33 years of military rule from 1966 until 1999, excluding the
short-lived second republic (between 1979 and 1983) by military dictators who
seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups during the Nigerian military
juntas of 1966–1979 and 1983–1999.
Although the elections that brought Obasanjo to power in the
1999 presidential election and for a second term in the 2003 presidential
election were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria has shown marked
improvements in attempts to tackle government corruption and hasten development.
Ethnic violence for control over the oil-producing Niger Delta region and an
insurgency in the North-East are some of the issues facing the country. Umaru
Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party came into power in the general
election of 2007. The international community, which had been observing
Nigerian elections to encourage a free and fair process, condemned this one as
being severely flawed. The then-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, acknowledged
fraud and other electoral "lapses" but said the result reflected
opinion polls. In a national television address in 2007, he added that if
Nigerians did not like the victory of his handpicked successor, they would have
an opportunity to vote again in four years. Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010. Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Yar'Adua's
successor, becoming the 14th Head of State. Goodluck Jonathan served as acting
president of Nigeria until
16 April 2011, when a new presidential election in Nigeria was conducted. He went on
to win the elections, with the international media reporting the elections as
having run smoothly with relatively little violence or voter fraud, in contrast
to previous elections.
Ahead of the general election of 2015, a merger of the three
biggest opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress
for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction
of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP (nPDP), a faction
of serving governors of the then ruling People's Democratic Party – formed the
All Progressives Congress (APC). In the 2015 presidential election, former
military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari, leader of the CPC faction of
the APC – who had previously contested in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 presidential
elections as the APC presidential candidate defeated incumbent President
Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) by over two million
votes, ending the party's sixteen year rule in the country, and marking the
first time in the history of Nigeria that an incumbent president lost to an
opposition candidate. Observers generally praised the election as being fair.
Jonathan was generally praised for conceding defeat and limiting the risk of
unrest. In the 2019 presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected for
a second term in office defeating his closet rival Atiku Abubakar.
Politics
Nigerian National Assembly, Abuja
Nigeria
is a federal republic modelled after the United States. with executive power
exercised by the President. It is influenced by the Westminster System
model[citation needed] in the composition and management of the upper and lower
houses of the bicameral legislature. The president is both head of state and
head of the federal government; the leader is elected by popular vote to a
maximum of two four-year terms. The president's power is checked by a Senate
and a House of Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called
the National Assembly. The Senate is a 109-seat body with three members from
each state and one from the capital region of Abuja; members are elected by popular vote to
four-year terms. The House contains 360 seats, with the number of seats per
state determined by population.
Ethnocentrism, tribalism, religious persecution, and
prebendalism have plagued Nigerian politics both prior and subsequent to
independence in 1960. All major parties have practised vote-rigging and other
means of coercion to remain competitive. In the period before
Ethnocentrism, tribalism, religious persecution, and
prebendalism have plagued Nigerian politics both prior and subsequent to
independence in 1960. All major parties have practised vote-rigging and other
means of coercion to remain competitive. In the period before 1983 election, a
report of experts prepared by the National Institute of Policy and Strategic
Studies showed that only the 1959 and 1979 elections were held without
systematic rigging. In 2012, Nigeria
was estimated to have lost over $400 billion to corruption since independence.
Kin-selective altruism has made its way into Nigerian politics, resulting in
tribalist efforts to concentrate Federal power to a particular region of their
interests through.
Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo are the three largest ethnic
groups in Nigeria
and have maintained historical preeminence in Nigerian politics; competition
amongst these three groups has fueled animosity. Following the bloody civil
war, nationalism has seen an increase in the southern part of the country
leading to active secessionist movements such as the Oodua Peoples Congress
(OPC) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB), though these groups are largely small and not representative of the
entire ethnic group.
Because of the above issues, Nigeria's political parties are
pan-national and secular in character (though this does not preclude the continuing
preeminence of the dominant ethnicities). The two major political parties are
the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress with
twenty minor opposition parties are registered. As in many other African
societies, prebendalism and high rates of corruption continue to constitute
major challenges to Nigeria.
Law
The country has a judicial branch, with the highest court
being the Supreme Court of Nigeria. There are three distinct systems of law in Nigeria:
Common law, derived from its British colonial past, and a
development of its own after independence;
Customary law, derived from indigenous traditional norms and
practice, including the dispute resolution meetings of pre-colonial Yorubaland
secret societies such as the Oyo Mesi and Ogboni, as well as the Ekpe and
Okonko of Igboland and Ibibioland;
Sharia law, used only in the predominantly Muslim northern
states of the country. It is an Islamic legal system that had been used long
before the colonial administration. In late 1999, Zamfara emphasised its use,
alongside eleven other northern states: are Kano,
Katsina, Niger,
Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna,
Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa, Yobe, and Kebbi.
Military
The Nigerian military is charged with protecting the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, promoting Nigeria's
global security interests, and supporting peacekeeping efforts, especially in West Africa. This is in support of the doctrine sometimes
called Pax Nigeriana.
The Nigerian Military consists of an army, a navy, and an
air force. The military in Nigeria
has played a major role in the country's history since independence. Various
juntas have seized control of the country and ruled it through most of its
history. Its last period of military rule ended in 1999 following the sudden
death of former dictator Sani Abacha in 1998. His successor, Abdulsalam
Abubakar, handed over power to the democratically elected government of
Olusegun Obasanjo the next year.
As Africa's most populated country, Nigeria has
repositioned its military as a peacekeeping force on the continent. Since 1995,
the Nigerian military, through ECOMOG mandates, have been deployed as
peacekeepers in Liberia
(1997), Ivory Coast
(1997–1999), and Sierra
Leone (1997–1999). Under an African Union
mandate, it has stationed forces in Sudan's Darfur region to try to establish
peace.
Since then, the Nigerian military has been deployed across
West Africa, curbing terrorism in countries like Mali,
Senegal, Chad, and Cameroon, as well as dealing with
the Mali War, and getting Yahya Jammeh out of power in 2017.[citation needed]
Foreign relations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja
Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made African unity the centerpiece of
its foreign policy and played a leading role in the fight against the apartheid
government in South Africa.
One exception to the African focus was Nigeria's
close relationship developed with Israel throughout the 1960s. The
latter nation sponsored and oversaw the construction of Nigeria's
parliament buildings.
Nigeria's
foreign policy was put to the test in the 1970s after the country emerged
united from its own civil war. It supported movements against white minority
governments in the Southern Africa sub-region.
Nigeria backed the African
National Congress (ANC) by taking a committed tough line with regard to the
South African government and their military actions in southern Africa. Nigeria
was also a founding member of the Organisation for African Unity (now the
African Union), and has tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole. Nigeria
has additionally founded regional cooperative efforts in West
Africa, functioning as standard-bearer for the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOMOG, economic and military
organizations, respectively.
With this Africa-centered stance, Nigeria
readily sent troops to the Congo
at the behest of the United Nations shortly after independence (and has
maintained membership since that time). Nigeria
also supported several Pan-African and pro-self government causes in the 1970s,
including garnering support for Angola's
MPLA, SWAPO in Namibia, and
aiding opposition to the minority governments of Portuguese Mozambique, and Rhodesia.
Nigeria
retains membership in the Non-Aligned Movement. In late November 2006, it
organised an Africa-South America Summit in Abuja to promote what some attendees termed
"South-South" linkages on a variety of fronts. Nigeria is also a
member of the International Criminal Court, and the Commonwealth of Nations. It
was temporarily expelled from the latter in 1995 when ruled by the Abacha
regime.
Nigeria
has remained a key player in the international oil industry since the 1970s,
and maintains membership in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC), which it joined in July 1971. Its status as a major petroleum producer
figures prominently in its sometimes volatile international relations with
developed countries, notably the United States, and with developing
countries.
Millions of Nigerians have emigrated during times of
economic hardship, primarily to Europe, North America and Australia. It
is estimated that over a million Nigerians have emigrated to the United States
and constitute the Nigerian American populace. Individuals in many such
Diasporic communities have joined the "Egbe Omo Yoruba" society, a
national association of Yoruba descendants in North
America.
In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Nigeria, have signed a joint letter to the UNHRC
defending China's
treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.
Since 2000, Sino-Nigerian trade relations have risen
exponentially. There has been an increase in total trade of over 10,384 million
dollars between the two nations from 2000 to 2016. However the structure of the
Sino-Nigerian trade relationship has become a major political issue for the Nigerian
state. This is illustrated by the fact that Chinese exports account for around
80 percent of total bilateral trade volumes. This has resulted in a serious
trade imbalance, with Nigeria
importing ten times more than it exports to China. Subsequently, Nigeria's
economy is becoming over-reliant on cheap foreign imports to sustain itself,
resulting in a clear decline in Nigerian Industry under such arrangements.
Continuing its Africa-centered foreign policy, Nigeria
introduced the Idea of a single currency for West Africa known as the Eco under
the presumption that it would be led by the Naira, but on December 21, 2019;
Ivorian President Alassane OuattaraI along with Emmanuel Macron multiple other
UEMOA States, announced that they would merely rename the CFA Franc (the
current currency of the UEMOA states) instead of completely replacing the
currency as originally intended. This caused controversy ECOWAS, citing France
Co-opting African Unity and if ratified, would lead to a loss of sovereignty.
As of 2020, the Eco currency has been delayed to 2025.
Administrative divisions
Nigeria
is divided into thirty-six states and one Federal Capital
Territory, which are
further sub-divided into 774 Local Government Areas. In some contexts, the
states are aggregated into six geopolitical zones: North West, North East,
North Central, South West, South East, and South South.The constituent states
of the six geo-political zones are as follows: SOUTH-WEST: Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun,
Ondo, Osun, Oyo; SOUTH-SOUTH: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo,
Rivers; SOUTH-EAST: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo; NORTH-WEST: Kaduna,
Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara; NORTH-CENTRAL: Benue, Kogi,
Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau; NORTH-EAST: Adamawa, Bauchi, Bornue, Gombe,
Taraba, Yobe.
Nigeria
has five cities with a population of over a million (from largest to smallest):
Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Benin
City and Port Harcourt.
Lagos is the largest city in Africa,
with a population of over 12 million in its urban area.
Geography
Nigeria
is located in western Africa on the Gulf
of Guinea and has a total
area of 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi), making it the world's 32nd-largest
country. It is comparable in size to Venezuela,
and is about twice the size of the U.S.
state of California.
Its borders span 4,047 kilometres (2,515 mi), and it shares borders with Benin
(773 km or 480 mi), Niger (1,497 km or 930 mi), Chad (87 km or 54 mi), and
Cameroon (including the separatist Ambazonia) 1,690 km or 1,050 mi. Its
coastline is at least 853 km (530 mi).Nigeria lies between latitudes 4° and
14°N, and longitudes 2° and 15°E.
The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m
(7,936 ft). The main rivers are the Niger
and the Benue, which converge and empty into
the Niger Delta. This is one of the world's largest river deltas, and the
location of a large area of Central African mangroves.
Climate
Nigeria
has a varied landscape. The far south is defined by its tropical rainforest
climate, where annual rainfall is 60 to 80 inches (1,500 to 2,000 mm) a year.
In the southeast stands the Obudu Plateau. Coastal plains are found in both the
southwest and the southeast. This forest zone's most southerly portion is
defined as "salt water swamp", also known as a mangrove swamp because
of the large amount of mangroves in the area. North of this is fresh water
swamp, containing different vegetation from the salt water swamp, and north of
that is rainforest.
Nigeria's
most expansive topographical region is that of the valleys of the Niger and Benue
river valleys (which merge and form a Y-shape). To the southwest of the Niger
is "rugged" highland. To the southeast of the Benue are hills and
mountains, which form the Mambilla Plateau, the highest plateau in Nigeria. This
plateau extends through the border with Cameroon,
where the montane land is part of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon.
The area near the border with Cameroon close to the coast is rich
rainforest and part of the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests ecoregion, an
important centre for biodiversity. It is habitat for the drill monkey, which is
found in the wild only in this area and across the border in Cameroon. The
areas surrounding Calabar, Cross
River State,
also in this forest, are believed to contain the world's largest diversity of
butterflies. The area of southern Nigeria
between the Niger and the Cross Rivers
has lost most of its forest because of development and harvesting by increased
population, with it being replaced by grassland (see Cross-Niger transition
forests).
Everything in between the far south and the far north is
savannah (insignificant tree cover, with grasses and flowers located between
trees). Rainfall is more limited, to between 500 and 1,500 millimetres (20 and
60 in) per year. The savannah zone's three categories are Guinean
forest-savanna mosaic, Sudan
savannah, and Sahel savannah. Guinean
forest-savanna mosaic is plains of tall grass interrupted by trees. Sudan savannah
is similar but with shorter grasses and shorter trees. Sahel
savannah consists of patches of grass and sand, found in the northeast. In the
Sahel region, rain is less than 500 millimetres (20 in) per year and the Sahara Desert
is encroaching. In the dry northeast corner of the country lies Lake Chad,
which Nigeria shares with Niger, Chad
and Cameroon.
Plant ecology
Nigeria
is greatly endowed with numerous tree species of which the majority of them are
native while few are exotic. Report. shows that high percentage of man-made
forests in the country is dominated with exotic species. This culminated from
the assumption that exotic trees are fast-growing. However, studies have also
investigated the growth of indigenous trees in with that of exotic species.
Many countries in Africa
are affected by Invasive Alien Species (IAS). In 2004, the IUCN–World
Conservation Union identified 81 IAS in South Africa, 49 in Mauritius, 37 in
Algeria and Madagascar, 35 in Kenya, 28 in Egypt, 26 in Ghana and Zimbabwe, and
22 in Ethiopia. However, very little is known about IAS in Nigeria, with most
technical reports and literatures reporting fewer than 10 invasive plants in
the country. Aside from plant invaders, Rattus rattus and Avian influenza virus
were also considered IAS in Nigeria.
The initial entry of IAS into Nigeria
was mainly through exotic plant introductions by the colonial rulers either for
forest tree plantations or for ornamental purposes. The entry of exotic plants
into Nigeria
during the post-independence era was encouraged by increasing economic
activity, the commencement of commercial oil explorations, introduction through
ships, and introduction of ornamental plants by commercial floriculturists.
Due to overexploitation, the remaining natural ecosystems
and primary forests in Nigeria
are restricted to the protected areas which include one biosphere reserve,
seven national parks, one World Heritage site, 12 Strict Nature Reserves
(SNRs), 32 game reserves/wildlife sanctuaries, and hundreds of forest reserves.
These are in addition to several ex-situ conservation sites such as arboreta,
botanical gardens, zoological gardens, and gene banks managed by several
tertiary and research institutions. In the semi-arid and dry sub-humid
savanna's of West Africa, including Nigeria, numerous species of herbaceous
dicots especially from the genera Crotalaria, Alysicarpus, Cassia and Ipomea
are known to be widely used in livestock production. Quite often they are
plucked or cut, and fed either as fresh or conserved fodders. The utilization
of these and many other herbs growing naturally within the farm environment is
opportunistic.
Many other species native to Nigeria, including Soybean and its
varieties, serve as an important source of oil and protein in this
region.[citation needed] There are also many plants with medicinal purposes
that are used to aid the therapy in many organs. Some of these vegetations
include, Euphorbiaceae, that serve purposed to aid malaria, gastrointestinal
disorders and many other infections. Different stress factors such as droughts,
low soil nutrients and susceptibility to pests has contributed to Maize
plantations being an integral part of agriculture in this region.
As industrialization has increased, it has also put species
of trees in the forest at risk to air pollution and studies have shown that in
certain parts of Nigeria,
trees have shown tolerance and grow in areas that have a significant amount air
pollution.
Environmental issues
Nigeria's
Delta region, home of the large oil industry, experiences serious oil spills
and other environmental problems, which has caused conflict.
Waste management including sewage treatment, the linked
processes of deforestation and soil degradation, and climate change or global
warming are the major environmental problems in Nigeria. Waste management presents
problems in a mega city like Lagos
and other major Nigerian cities which are linked with economic development,
population growth and the inability of municipal councils to manage the
resulting rise in industrial and domestic waste. This huge waste management
problem is also attributable to unsustainable environmental management
lifestyles of Kubwa Community in the Federal
Capital Territory,
where there are habits of indiscriminate disposal of waste, dumping of waste
along or into the canals, sewerage systems that are channels for water flows,
and the like.
Haphazard industrial planning, increased urbanisation,
poverty and lack of competence of the municipal government are seen as the
major reasons for high levels of waste pollution in major cities of the
country. Some of the 'solutions' have been disastrous to the environment,
resulting in untreated waste being dumped in places where it can pollute
waterways and groundwater.
In 2005 Nigeria
had the highest rate of deforestation in the world, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). That year, 12.2%, the
equivalent of 11,089,000 hectares had been forested in the country. Between
1990 and 2000, Nigeria
lost an average of 409,700 hectares of forest every year equal to an average
annual deforestation rate of 2.4%. Between 1990 and 2005, in total Nigeria lost
35.7% of its forest cover, or around 6,145,000 hectares. Nigeria had a 2019
Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.2/10, ranking it 82nd globally
out of 172 countries.
In 2010, thousands of people were inadvertently exposed to
lead-containing soil / ore from informal gold mining within the northern state
of Zamfara. While estimates vary, it is thought that upwards of 400 children
died of acute lead poisoning, making this perhaps the largest lead poisoning
fatality epidemic ever encountered. As of 2016, efforts to manage the exposure
are ongoing.
Economy
Nigeria
is classified as a mixed economy emerging market. It has reached
lower-middle-income status according to the World Bank, with its abundant
supply of natural resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications,
transport sectors and stock exchange (the Nigerian Stock Exchange), which is
the second-largest in Africa.
Nigeria
was ranked 21st in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) in 2015. Nigeria is the
United States' largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and supplies a
fifth of its oil (11% of oil imports). It has the seventh-largest trade surplus
with the U.S.
of any country worldwide. Nigeria
is the 50th-largest export market for U.S.
goods and the 14th-largest exporter of goods to the U.S. The United States is the country's
largest foreign investor. Following the oil price collapse in 2014–2016,
combined with negative production shocks, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth
rate dropped to 2.7% in 2015. In 2016 during its first recession in 25 years, the
economy contracted by 1.6%.Fiscal year 2016 was characterized by currency
depreciation and the attendant higher prices of petroleum products,
electricity, and imported foods pushed inflation to 18.55% in December 2016
from 9.55% in December 2015.
In 2019, the economy began to recover slightly with the
nation's real GDP growing by 2.3% and the IMF estimating another increase of
2.3% in 2020.
Economic development has been hindered by years of military
rule, corruption, and mismanagement. The restoration of democracy and
subsequent economic reforms have successfully put Nigeria back on track towards
achieving its full economic potential. As of 2014 it is the largest economy in
Africa, having overtaken South
Africa. Next to petrodollars, the
second-biggest source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria are
remittances sent home by Nigerians living abroad. During the oil boom of the
1970s, Nigeria accumulated a significant foreign debt to finance major
infrastructural investments. With the fall of oil prices during the 1980s oil
glut Nigeria
struggled to keep up with its loan payments and eventually defaulted on its
principal debt repayments, limiting repayment to the interest portion of the
loans. Arrears and penalty interest accumulated on the unpaid principal, which
increased the size of the debt. After negotiations by the Nigerian authorities,
in October 2005 Nigeria and
its Paris Club creditors reached an agreement under which Nigeria
repurchased its debt at a discount of approximately 60%. Nigeria used
part of its oil profits to pay the residual 40%, freeing up at least $1.15
billion annually for poverty reduction programmes. Nigeria made history in April 2006
by becoming the first African country to completely pay off its debt (estimated
$30 billion) owed to the Paris Club.
Nigeria
is trying to reach the Sustainable Development Goal Number 1, which is to end
poverty in all its forms by 2030.
Agriculture
As of 2010, about 30% of Nigerians are employed in
agriculture. Agriculture used to be the principal foreign exchange earner of Nigeria.
Major crops include beans, sesame, cashew nuts, cassava,
cocoa beans, groundnuts, gum arabic, kolanut, maize (corn), melon, millet, palm
kernels, palm oil, plantains, rice, rubber, sorghum, soybeans and yams.Cocoa is the leading non-oil foreign exchange earner. Rubber is the
second-largest non-oil foreign exchange earner.
Prior to the Nigerian civil war, Nigeria was self-sufficient in food.
Agriculture has failed to keep pace with Nigeria's
rapid population growth, and Nigeria
now relies upon food imports to sustain itself. The Nigerian government
promoted the use of inorganic fertilizers in the 1970s. In August 2019, Nigeria closed its border with Benin to stop rice smuggling into
the country as part of efforts to boost the local production.
Petroleum and mining
Nigeria
is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest
exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. (The country joined OPEC in
1971.) Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40%
of GDP and 80% of Government earnings. However, agitation for better resource
control in the Niger Delta, its main oil-producing region, has led to
disruptions in oil production and prevents the country from exporting at 100%
capacity.
The Niger
Delta Nembe Creek Oil field was discovered in 1973 and produces from middle
Miocene deltaic sandstone-shale in an anticline structural trap at a depth of 2
to 4 kilometres (7,000 to 13,000 feet). In June 2013, Shell announced a
strategic review of its operations in Nigeria, hinting that assets could be
divested. While many international oil companies have operated there for
decades, by 2014 most were making moves to divest their interests, citing a
range of issues including oil theft. In August 2014, Shell Oil Company said it
was finalising its interests in four Nigerian oil fields.
Nigeria
has a total of 159 oil fields and 1,481 wells in operation according to the
Department of Petroleum Resources. The most productive region of the nation is
the coastal Niger
Delta Basin
in the Niger Delta or "South-south" region which encompasses 78 of
the 159 oil fields. Most of Nigeria's
oil fields are small and scattered, and as of 1990, these small fields
accounted for 62.1% of all Nigerian production. This contrasts with the sixteen
largest fields which produced 37.9% of Nigeria's petroleum at that time.
In addition to its petroleum resources, Nigeria also
has a wide array of underexploited mineral resources which include natural gas,
coal, bauxite, tantalite, gold, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and
zinc. Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry in Nigeria is still
in its infancy.
Services and tourism
Nigeria
has a highly developed financial services sector, with a mix of local and
international banks, asset management companies, brokerage houses, insurance
companies and brokers, private equity funds and investment banks. Nigeria has
one of the fastest-growing telecommunications markets in the world, major
emerging market operators (like MTN, 9mobile, Airtel and Globacom) basing their
largest and most profitable centres in the country. Nigeria's ICT sector has
experienced a lot of growth, representing 10% of the nation's GDP in 2018 as
compared to just 1% in 2001. Lagos is regarded as one of the largest technology
hubs in Africa with its thriving tech ecosysytem. Several startups like
Paystack, Interswitch, Bolt and Piggyvest are leveraging technology to solve
issues across different sectors. Tourism in Nigeria centers largely on events,
due to the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain
forests, savannah, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.
Abuja
is home to several parks and green areas. The largest, Millennium Park,
was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and officially opened in December
2003. Lagos, subsequent to the re-modernization
project achieved by the previous administration of Governor Raji Babatunde
Fashola, is gradually becoming a major tourist destination, being one of the
largest cities in Africa and in the world. Lagos is currently taking
steps to become a global city. The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originated
from Iperu Remo, Ogun
State), which took place
on 25 April, was a step toward world city status. Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a
business-oriented and a fast-paced community. Lagos has become an important location for
African and "black" cultural identity. Many festivals are held in Lagos; festivals vary in
offerings each year and may be held in different months. Some of the festivals
are Festac Food Fair held in Festac Town Annually, Eyo Festival, Lagos Black
Heritage Carnival, Lagos Carnival, Eko International Film Festival, Lagos
Seafood Festac Festival, LAGOS PHOTO Festival and the Lagos Jazz Series, which
is a unique franchise for high-quality live music in all genres with a focus on
jazz. Established in 2010, the event takes place over a 3- to 5-day period at
selected high-quality outdoor venues. The music is as varied as the audience
itself and features a diverse mix of musical genres from rhythm and blues to
soul, Afrobeat, hip hop, bebop, and traditional jazz. The festivals provide
entertainment of dance and song to add excitement to travelers during a stay in
Lagos.
Lagos has a number of sandy
beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including Elegushi
Beach and Alpha Beach.
Lagos also has
a number of private beach resorts including Inagbe Grand Beach Resort and
several others in the outskirts. Lagos has a variety of hotels ranging from
three-star to five-star hotels, with a mixture of local hotels such as Eko
Hotels and Suites, Federal Palace Hotel and franchises of multinational chains
such as Intercontinental Hotel, Sheraton, and Four Points by Hilton. Other
places of interest include the Tafawa
Balewa Square, Festac town, The Nike Art Gallery, Freedom Park,
Lagos and the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Nigeria
suffers from lack of adequate transportation infrastructure. As of 1999, its
194,394 kilometres of road networks are the main means of transportation. Of
which 60,068 kilometres (37,325 mi) (including 1,194 km (742 mi) of
expressways) are paved roads and as of 1998 (west.), 134,326 kilometres are
unpaved roads of city, town and village roads. The railways have undergone a
massive revamping with projects such as the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway
being completed connecting northern cities of Kano,
Kaduna, Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos.
There are 54 airports in Nigeria;
the principal airports are Murtala Muhammed International
Airport in Lagos
and Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport
in Abuja. Three
other international airports are Mallam
Aminu Kano
International Airport
in Kano, Akanu
Ibiam International
Airport in Enugu
and Port Harcourt International Airport
in Port Harcourt.
As with other transportation facilities, the airports suffer from a poor
reputation for safety and operational efficiency.
Government satellites
The government has recently begun expanding this
infrastructure to space-based communications. Nigeria
has a space satellite that is monitored at the Nigerian National Space Research
and Development Agency Headquarters in Abuja.
The Nigerian government has commissioned the overseas production and launch of
four satellites.
NigComSat-1, was the first Nigerian satellite built-in 2004,
was Nigeria's third
satellite and Africa's first communication
satellite. It was launched on 13 May 2007, aboard a Chinese Long March 3B
carrier rocket, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. The
spacecraft was operated by NigComSat and the Nigerian Space Research and
Development Agency. On 11 November 2008, NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running
out of power because of an anomaly in its solar array. It was based on the
Chinese DFH-4 satellite bus, and carries a variety of transponders: four
C-band; fourteen Ku-band; eight Ka-band; and two L-band. It was designed to
provide coverage to many parts of Africa, and the Ka-band transponders would
also cover Italy.
The satellite was launched from Russia
on 27 September 2003. Nigeriasat-1 was part of the worldwide Disaster
Monitoring Constellation System. The primary objectives of the Nigeriasat-1 were:
to give early warning signals of environmental disaster; to help detect and
control desertification in the northern part of Nigeria; to assist in
demographic planning; to establish the relationship between malaria vectors and
the environment that breeds malaria and to give early warning signals on future
outbreaks of meningitis using remote sensing technology; to provide the
technology needed to bring education to all parts of the country through
distant learning; and to aid in conflict resolution and border disputes by
mapping out state and International borders. NigeriaSat-2, Nigeria's
second satellite, was built as a high-resolution earth satellite by Surrey
Space Technology Limited, a United Kingdom-based satellite technology company.
It has 2.5-metre resolution panchromatic (very high resolution), 5-metre
multispectral (high resolution, NIR red, green and red bands), and 32-metre
multispectral (medium resolution, NIR red, green and red bands) antennas, with
a ground receiving station in Abuja.
The NigeriaSat-2 spacecraft alone was built at a cost of over £35 million. This
satellite was launched into orbit from a military base in China. On 10
November 2008 (0900 GMT), the satellite was reportedly switched off for
analysis and to avoid a possible collision with other satellites. According to
Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, it was put into "emergency mode
operation in order to effect mitigation and repairs".[184] The satellite
eventually failed after losing power on 11 November 2008. On 24 March 2009, the
Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, NigComSat Ltd. and CGWIC
signed another contract for the in-orbit delivery of the NigComSat-1R
satellite. NigComSat-1R was also a DFH-4 satellite, and the replacement for the
failed NigComSat-1 was successfully launched into orbit by China in
Xichang on 19 December 2011. The satellite, was stated to have a positive
impact on national development in various sectors such as communications,
internet services, health, agriculture, environmental protection and national
security.
NigeriaEduSat-1 was a satellite designed, built, and owned
by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), in conjunction with Nigeria's National Space Research and
Development Agency and Japan's
Kyushu Institute of Technology. It was equipped with 0.3 megapixel and 5
megapixel cameras, and with the rest of the satellite fleet took images of Nigeria. The
satellite transmitted songs and poems as an outreach project to generate
Nigerian interest in science. The signal could be received by amateur radio
operators. The satellite constellation also conducted measurements of the
atmospheric density 400 kilometres (250 mi) above the Earth. The satellite cost
about US$500,000 to manufacture and launch.
Demographics
Nigeria's
population increased by 57 million from 1990 to 2008, a 60% growth rate in less
than two decades. As of 2017, the population stood at 191 million. Around 42.5%
of the population were 14 years or younger, 19.6% were aged 15–24, 30.7% were
aged 25–54, 4.0% aged 55–64, and 3.1% aged 65 years or older. The median age in
2017 was 18.4 years. Nigeria
is the most populous country in Africa and
accounts for about 17% of the continent's total population as of 2017; however,
exactly how populous is a subject of speculation.
The United Nations estimates that the population in 2018 was
at 195,874,685 distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a
population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre. National census
results in the past few decades have been disputed. The results of the most
recent census were released in December 2006 and gave a population of
140,003,542. The only breakdown available was by gender: males numbered
71,709,859, females numbered 68,293,008. In June 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan
said Nigerians should limit their number of children.
According to the United Nations, Nigeria has been undergoing
explosive population growth and has one of the highest growth and fertility
rates in the world. By their projections, Nigeria is one of eight countries
expected to account collectively for half of the world's total population
increase in 2005–2050. By 2100 the UN estimates that the Nigerian population
will be between 505 million and 1.03 billion people (middle estimate: 730
million). In 1950, Nigeria
had only 33 million people.
One in six Africans is Nigerian as of 2019.[better source
needed] Presently, Nigeria
is the seventh most populous country in the world. The birth rate is
35.2-births/1,000 population and the death rate is 9.6 deaths/1,000 population
as of 2017, while the total fertility rate is 5.07 children born/woman.
Nigeria's
largest city is Lagos.
Lagos has grown
from about 300,000 in 1950 to an estimated 13.4 million in 2017.
Languages
There are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria; nine
of them are now extinct.In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more
than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to
facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the
influence of British colonisation which ended in 1960.
Many French speakers from surrounding countries have
influenced the English spoken in the border regions of Nigeria and
some Nigerian citizens have become fluent enough in French to work in the
surrounding countries. The French spoken in Nigeria
may be mixed with some native languages but is mostly spoken like the French
spoken in Benin.
French may also be mixed with English as it is in Cameroon.
The major languages spoken in Nigeria
represent three major families of languages of Africa: the majority are
Niger-Congo languages, such as Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Fulfulde, Ogoni, and Edo. Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily in Borno
and Yobe State, is part of the Nilo-Saharan
family, and Hausa is an Afroasiatic language.
Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in
their own languages, English as the official language is widely used for
education, business transactions and for official purposes. English as a first
language is used by only a small minority of the country's urban elite, and it
is not spoken at all in some rural areas. Hausa is the most widely spoken of
the three main languages spoken in Nigeria itself.
With the majority of Nigeria's populace in the rural
areas, the major languages of communication in the country remain indigenous
languages. Some of the largest of these, notably Yoruba and Igbo, have derived
standardised languages from a number of different dialects and are widely
spoken by those ethnic groups. Nigerian Pidgin English, often known simply as
"Pidgin" or "Broken" (Broken English), is also a popular
lingua franca, though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang.
The pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the Niger Delta
Regions, predominantly in Warri, Sapele, Port Harcourt,
Agenebode, Ewu, and Benin City.
Religion
National Church of Nigeria, Abuja
The Abuja National MosqueNigeria
is a religiously diverse society, with Islam and Christianity being the most
widely professed religions. Nigerians are nearly equally divided into Muslims
and Christians, with a tiny minority of adherents of Traditional African
religions and other religions. As common in other parts of Africa where Islam
and Christianity are dominant, religious syncretism with the Traditional
African religions is common throughout Nigeria.
Islam dominates North Western (Hausa, Fulani and others) and
a good portion of Northern Eastern (Kanuri, Fulani and other groups) Nigeria. It
also has a number of adherents in the South Western, Yoruba part of the
country. Nigeria has the
largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa.
Protestant and locally cultivated Christianity are also widely practiced in
Western areas, while Roman Catholicism is a more prominent Christian feature of
South Eastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in
the Ibibio, Annang, Efik, Ijo and Ogoni lands of the south. The 1963 census
indicated that 47% of Nigerians were Muslim, 34% Christian, and 18% members of
local indigenous religions. The vast majority of Muslims in Nigeria are Sunni belonging to
Maliki school of jurisprudence; however, a sizeable minority also belongs to
Shafi Madhhab. A large number of Sunni Muslims are members of Sufi
brotherhoods. Most Sufis follow the Qadiriyya, Tijaniyyah and/or the Mouride
movements. A significant Shia minority exists (see Shia in Nigeria). Some
northern states have incorporated Sharia law into their previously secular
legal systems, which has brought about some controversy. Kano State
has sought to incorporate Sharia law into its constitution. The majority of
Quranists follow the Kalo Kato or Quraniyyun movement. There are also Ahmadiyya
and Mahdiyya minorities, as well as followers of the Baháʼà Faith.
An 18 December 2012 report on religion and public life by
the Pew Research Center stated that in 2010, 49.3 percent of Nigeria's
population was Christian, 48.8 percent was Muslim, and 1.9 percent were
followers of indigenous and other religions, or unaffiliated. However, in a
report released by Pew
Research Center
in 2015, the Muslim population was estimated to be 50%, and by 2060, according
to the report, Muslims will account for about 60% of the country.
The 2010 census of Association of Religion Data Archives has
also reported that 48.8% of the total population was Christian, slightly larger
than the Muslim population of 43.4%, while 7.5% were members of other religions.
However, these estimates should be taken with caution because sample data is
mostly collected from major urban areas in the south, which are predominantly
Christian.2 Among Christians, the Pew Research survey found that 74% were
Protestant, 25% were Catholic, and 1% belonged to other Christian
denominations, including a small Orthodox Christian community. In terms of
Nigeria's major ethnic groups, the Hausa ethnic group (predominant in the
north) was found to be 95% Muslim and 5% Christian, the Yoruba tribe
(predominant in the west) was equally split between Christians and Muslims with
10% adherents of traditional religions, while the Igbos (predominant in the
east) and the Ijaw (south) were 98% Christian, with 2% practicing traditional
religions. The middle belt of Nigeria
contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who
were found to be mostly Christians and members of traditional religions, with a
small proportion of Muslims.
Leading Protestant churches in the country include the Church of Nigeria
of the Anglican Communion, the Assemblies of God Church, the Nigerian Baptist
Convention and The Synagogue, Church
Of All Nations. Since the
1990s, there has been significant growth in many other churches, independently
started in Africa by Africans, particularly
the evangelical Protestant ones. These include the Redeemed Christian Church of
God, Winners' Chapel, Christ Apostolic Church
(the first Aladura Movement in Nigeria),
Living Faith Church Worldwide, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Evangelical
Church of West Africa, Mountain of Fire and Miracles, Christ Embassy, Lord's Chosen
Charismatic Revival Movement, Celestial Church of Christ, and Dominion City.
In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Aladura Church, the Seventh-day Adventist and
various indigenous churches have also experienced growth.
The Yoruba area contains a large Anglican population, while
Igboland is a mix of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and a small population of
Igbo Jews. The Edo area is composed predominantly of members of the Pentecostal
Assemblies of God, which was introduced into Nigeria by Augustus Ehurie Wogu and
his associates at Old Umuahia. For the Yoruba, the precise percentage of
Muslims and Christians is unknown but in states like Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and Kogi, it
is equally split between Christians and Muslims while the Yoruba states of
Ekiti and Ondo are predominantly Christian.
Further, Nigeria
has become an African hub for the Grail Movement and the Hare Krishnas, and the
largest temple of the Eckankar religion is in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, with a total capacity of 10,000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS)
announced creation of new Owerri mission in Nigeria in 2016.
Health
A hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital
Health care delivery in Nigeria is a concurrent
responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country, and the private
sector. Nigeria
has been reorganising its health system since the Bamako Initiative of 1987,
which formally promoted community-based methods of increasing accessibility of
drugs and health care services to the population, in part by implementing user
fees. The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through
community-based health care reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable
provision of services. A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all
areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators
and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.
HIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria
is much lower compared to the other African nations such as Botswana or South Africa whose prevalence
(percentage) rates are in the double digits. As of 2019, the HIV prevalence
rate among adults ages 15–49 was just 1.5 percent. In the same year, the life
expectancy in Nigeria
is 54.7 years on average, and just 71% and 39% of the population have access to
improved water sources and improved sanitation, respectively. As of 2019, the
infant mortality is 74.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.
In 2012, a new bone marrow donor program was launched by the
University of Nigeria to help people with leukaemia, lymphoma,
or sickle cell disease to find a compatible donor for a life-saving bone marrow
transplant, which cures them of their conditions. Nigeria became the second African
country to have successfully carried out this surgery. In the 2014 Ebola
outbreak, Nigeria was the
first country to effectively contain and eliminate the Ebola threat that was
ravaging three other countries in the West African region, the unique method of
contact tracing employed by Nigeria
became an effective method later used by countries such as the United States,
when Ebola threats were discovered.
The Nigerian health care system is continuously faced with a
shortage of doctors known as 'brain drain', because of emigration by skilled
Nigerian doctors to North America and Europe.
In 1995, an estimated 21,000 Nigerian doctors were practising in the United States
alone, which is about the same as the number of doctors working in the Nigerian
public service. Retaining these expensively trained professionals has been
identified as one of the goals of the government.
Education
Education in Nigeria
is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Local authorities take responsibility
for implementing policy for state-controlled public education and state schools
at a regional level. The education system is divided into Kindergarten, primary
education, secondary education and tertiary education. After the 1970s oil
boom, tertiary education was improved so it would reach every subregion of Nigeria. 68% of
the Nigerian population is literate, and the rate for men (75.7%) is higher
than that for women (60.6%).
Nigeria
provides free, government-supported education, but attendance is not compulsory
at any level, and certain groups, such as nomads and the handicapped, are
under-served. The education system consists of six years of primary school,
three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school,
and four, five or six years of university education leading to a bachelor's
degree. The government has majority control of university education. Tertiary
education in Nigeria
consists of universities (Public and Private), polytechnics, monotechnics, and
colleges of education. The country has a total of 129 universities registered
by NUC among which federal and state government own 40 and 39 respectively
while 50 universities are privately owned. In order to increase the number of
universities in Nigeria
from 129 to 138 the Federal Government gave nine new private universities their
licences in May 2015. The names of the universities that got licenses in Abuja
included, Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun
State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University,
Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State; Kings University, Ode-Omu, Osun State; Michael and Cecilia
Ibru University, Owhrode, Delta State; Mountain Top University, Makogi/Oba Ogun
state; Ritman University, Ikot-Epene, Akwa- Ibom State and Summit University,
Offa, Kwara State.
First-year entry requirements into most universities in Nigeria
include: Minimum of SSCE/GCE Ordinary Level Credits at a maximum of two
sittings; Minimum cut-off marks in Joint Admission and Matriculation Board
Entrance Examination (JAMB) of 180 and above out of a maximum of 400 marks are
required. Candidates with a minimum of Merit Pass
in National Certificate of Education (NCE), National Diploma (ND) and other
Advanced Level Certificates minimum qualifications with a minimum of 5O/L
Credits are given direct entry admission into the appropriate undergraduate
degree programs. Students with required documents typically enter university
from age 17–18 onwards and study for an academic degree.
Crime
Nigeria
is home to a substantial network of organised crime, active, especially in drug
trafficking. Nigerian criminal groups are heavily involved in drug trafficking,
shipping heroin from Asian countries to Europe and America;
and cocaine from South America to Europe and South Africa. Various Nigerian
confraternities or student "campus cults" are active in both
organised crime and in political violence as well as providing a network of
corruption within Nigeria. As confraternities have extensive connections with
political and military figures, they offer excellent alumni networking
opportunities. The Supreme Vikings Confraternity, for example, boasts that
twelve members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are cult members.
There is some major piracy in Nigeria, with attacks directed at
all types of vessels. Consistent with the rise of Nigeria
as an increasingly dangerous hot spot, 28 of the 30 seafarers kidnapped
globally between January and June 2013 were in Nigeria. On lower levels of
society, there are the "area boys", organised gangs mostly active in
Lagos who specialise in mugging and small-scale drug dealing. Gang violence in Lagos resulted in 273
civilians and 84 policemen killed in the period of August 2000 to May 2001.
Internationally, Nigeria is infamous for a form of
bank fraud dubbed 419, a type of advance fee fraud (named after Section 419 of
the Nigerian Penal Code) along with the "Nigerian scam", a form of
confidence trick practised by individuals and criminal syndicates. These scams
involve a complicit Nigerian bank (the laws being set up loosely to allow it)
and a scammer who claims to have money he needs to obtain from that bank. The
victim is talked into exchanging bank account information on the premise that
the money will be transferred to them and they will get to keep a cut. In
reality, money is taken out instead, and/or large fees (which seem small in
comparison with the imaginary wealth he awaits) are deducted. In 2003, the
Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (or EFCC) was created,
ostensibly to combat this and other forms of organised financial crime.
Poverty
Nigeria
poverty rates have gone down significantly in the last few years, because of
economic growth. The World Bank states Nigeria has had a 7.4% economic
growth in July, 2019 which has been their highest yet since the gross domestic
product rate decreased to 2%. While as of May 4, 2020 40% of Nigerians live in
poverty, this number still shows the growth of the developing country, with a
previously counted 61% of the population living in poverty in 2012. Having made
their own plans to reduce this number, The Federal Republic of Nigeria has presented
a plan to lower this number tremendously to the World Bank Group. Mostly
because of government instability, which affects the rate at which citizens of Nigeria
are employed is the major reason for the poverty levels being higher in certain
periods of time.
Corruption
Nigeria
has been pervaded by political corruption. Nigeria was ranked 143 out of 182
countries in Transparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index;
however, it improved to 136th position in 2014. More than $400 billion were
stolen from the treasury by Nigeria's
leaders between 1960 and 1999. In 2015, incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari
said corrupt officials have stolen $150 billion from Nigeria in the last 10 years.
Women's rights and issues
Nigeria
is a state party of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women It also has signed Maputo Protocol, an
international treaty on women's rights, and the African Union Women's Rights
Framework. Discrimination based on sex is a significant human rights issue,
however. Forced marriages are common. Child marriage remains common in Northern Nigeria. 39% of girls are married before age 15,
although the Marriage Rights Act banning marriage of girls below 18 years of
age was introduced on a federal level in 2008.
Human rights
Nigeria's
human rights record remains poor. According to the U.S. Department of State,
the most significant human rights problems are: use of excessive force by
security forces; impunity for abuses by security forces; arbitrary arrests;
prolonged pretrial detention; judicial corruption and executive influence on
the judiciary; rape, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of
prisoners, detainees and suspects; harsh and life‑threatening prison and detention
centre conditions; human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution and forced
labour; societal violence and vigilante killings; child labour, child abuse and
child sexual exploitation; domestic violence; discrimination based on
ethnicity, region and religion.
Under the Shari'a penal code that applies to Muslims in
twelve northern states, offences such as alcohol consumption, homosexuality,
infidelity and theft carry harsh sentences, including amputation, lashing,
stoning and long prison terms. According to 2013 survey by the Pew Research
Center, 98% of Nigerians
believe homosexuality should not be accepted by society.
Under a law signed in early 2014, same-sex couples who marry
face up to 14 years each in prison. Witnesses or anyone who helps gay couples
marry will be sentenced to 10 years behind bars. The bill also punishes the
"public show of same-sex amorous relationships directly or
indirectly" with ten years in prison. Another portion of the bill mandates
10 years in prison for those found guilty of organising, operating or
supporting gay clubs, organizations and meetings.
In the Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom, about 15,000 children
were branded as witches; most of them ended up abandoned and abused on the
streets.
Literature
Nigerian citizens have authored many influential works of
post-colonial literature in the English language. Nigeria's best-known writers are
Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature, and Chinua
Achebe, best known for the novel Things Fall Apart (1958) and his controversial
critique of Joseph Conrad.
Music and film
Nigeria has had a huge role in the development of various
genres of African music, including West African highlife, Afrobeat, Afrobeats,
and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques that have been
linked to the Congo, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica and worldwide.
Many late 20th-century musicians such as Fela Kuti have
famously fused cultural elements of various indigenous music with American jazz
and soul to form Afrobeat which has in turn influenced hip hop music. JuJu
music, which is percussion music fused with traditional music from the Yoruba
nation and made famous by King Sunny Ade, is from Nigeria. Fuji music, a Yoruba percussion style, was
created and popularised by Mr. Fuji, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.
Afan Music was invented and popularised by the Ewu-born poet
and musician Umuobuarie Igberaese. There is a budding hip-hop movement in Nigeria. Kennis
Music, the self-proclaimed number-one record label in Africa, and one of
Nigeria's biggest record labels, has a roster almost entirely dominated by
hip-hop artists.
Notable musicians from Nigeria include: Sade Adu, King
Sunny Adé, Onyeka Onwenu, Dele Sosimi, Adewale Ayuba, Ezebuiro Obinna, Ebenezer
Obey, Femi Kuti, Lagbaja, Dr. Alban, Bola Abimbola, Tuface Idibia, Aá¹£a, Nneka,
Wale, P Square,
Wizkid, Skepta, Davido CB and D'Banj.
In November 2008, Nigeria's
music scene (and that of Africa) received international attention when MTV
hosted the continent's first African music awards show in Abuja. Additionally, the very first music
video played on MTV Base Africa (the 100th station on the MTV network) was
Tuface Idibia's pan-African hit "African Queen".
The Nigerian film industry is known as Nollywood (a blend of
Nigeria and Hollywood)
and is now the 2nd-largest producer of movies in the world after India's
Bollywood. Nigerian film studios are based in Lagos,
Kano and Enugu,
forming a major portion of the local economy of these cities. Nigerian cinema
is Africa's largest movie industry in terms of
both value and the number of movies produced per year. Although Nigerian films
have been produced since the 1960s, the country's film industry has been aided
by the rise of affordable digital filming and editing technologies
Some films and audio documentaries include:
Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, an
audio documentary produced by Amy Goodman first aired in 1998 on Democracy
Now!.
Sweet Crude, a documentary film produced and directed by
Sandy Cioffi about Nigeria's
oil-rich Niger Delta.
Poison Fire, a documentary exposing oil and gas abuses in Nigeria,
featuring Friends of the Earth Nigeria volunteers, which premiered at the
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.[citation needed]
Nollywood Babylon, a 2008 documentary by Montrealers Ben
Addelman and Samir Mallal about the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood. It
premiered at the Festival de nouveau cinema de Montreal 2008.
The 2009 thriller film The Figurine is generally considered
the game changer, which heightened the media attention towards New Nigerian
Cinema revolution. The film was a critical and commercial success in Nigeria, and it
was also screened in international film festivals. The 2010 film Ije by Chineze
Anyaene, overtook The Figurine to become the highest grossing Nigerian film; a
record it held for four years, until it was overtaken in 2014 by Half of a
Yellow Sun(2013). By 2016, this record was held by The Wedding Party, a film by
Kemi Adetiba.
By the end of 2013, the film industry reportedly hit a
record-breaking revenue of ₦1.72 trillion (US$11 billion). As of 2014, the
industry was worth ₦853.9 billion (US$5.1 billion) making it the third most
valuable film industry in the world, behind the United
States and India. It contributed about 1.4% to
Nigeria's
economy; this was attributed to the increase in the number of quality films
produced and more formal distribution methods.
T.B. Joshua's Emmanuel TV, originating from Nigeria, is one of the most viewed television
stations across Africa.
There are many festivals in Nigeria, some of which date to the
period before the arrival of the major religions in this ethnically and
culturally diverse society. The main Muslim and Christian festivals are often
celebrated in ways that are unique to Nigeria or unique to the people of
a locality. The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has been working with
the states to upgrade the traditional festivals, which may become important
sources of tourism revenue.
Cuisine
Nigerian cuisine, like West African cuisine in general, is
known for its richness and variety. Many different spices, herbs, and
flavourings are used in conjunction with palm oil or groundnut oil to create
deeply flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot with chili peppers.
Nigerian feasts are colourful and lavish, while aromatic market and roadside
snacks cooked on barbecues or fried in oil are plentiful and varied.
Sport
Football is largely considered Nigeria's national sport and the
country has its own Premier League of football. Nigeria's national football
team, known as the "Super Eagles", has made the World Cup on Six
occasions 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and most recently in 2018. In April
1994, the Super Eagles ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest
ranking achieved by an African football team. They won the African Cup of
Nations in 1980, 1994, and 2013, and have also hosted the U-17 & U-20 World
Cup. They won the gold medal for football in the 1996 Summer Olympics (in which
they beat Argentina)
becoming the first African football team to win gold in Olympic football.
The nation's cadet team from Japan '93 produced some
international players notably Nwankwo Kanu, a two-time African Footballer of
the year who won the European Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam and later
played with Inter Milan, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth. Other
players who graduated from the junior teams are Nduka Ugbade, Jonathan
Akpoborie, Victor Ikpeba, Celestine Babayaro, Wilson Oruma and Taye Taiwo. Some
other famous Nigerian footballers include John Obi Mikel, Obafemi Martins,
Vincent Enyeama, Yakubu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Odemwingie and Jay-Jay Okocha.
Nigerian football supporters at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
According to the official May 2010 FIFA World Rankings,
Nigeria was the second top-ranked football nation in Africa and the 21st
highest in the world. Nigeria
is also involved in other sports such as basketball, cricket and track and
field. Boxing is also an important sport in Nigeria; Dick Tiger and Samuel
Peter are both former World Champions.
In March 2021, the global governing body FIBA ranked Nigeria as Africa's
top men's basketball nation. Nigeria's
national basketball team made the headlines internationally when it qualified
for the 2012 Summer Olympics as it beat heavily favoured world elite teams such
as Greece and Lithuania.
Nigeria has been home to numerous internationally recognised basketball players
in the world's top leagues in America, Europe and Asia. These players include
Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, and later NBA draft picks Solomon
Alabi, Yinka Dare, Obinna Ekezie, Festus Ezeli, Al-Farouq Aminu, Olumide
Oyedeji and others. The Nigerian Premier League has become one of the biggest
and most-watched basketball competitions in Africa.
The games have aired on Kwese TV and have averaged a viewership of over a
million people.
Nigeria
made history by qualifying the first bobsled team for the Winter Olympics from
Africa when their women's two-person team qualified for the bobsled competition
at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang,
South Korea.
In the early 1990s, Scrabble was made an official sport in Nigeria. By the
end of 2017, there were around 4,000 players in more than 100 clubs in the
country. In 2015, Wellington Jighere became the first African player to win
World Scrabble Championship.
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