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Nigeria

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Nigeria. For more information see SOS Children in
   Nigeria, Africa
                        Federal Republic of Nigeria

   Flag of Nigeria Coat of arms of Nigeria
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress"
   Anthem: Arise O Compatriots, Nigeria's Call Obey
   Location of Nigeria
            Capital           Abuja
                              9°10′N 7°10′E
          Largest city        Lagos
       Official languages     English
   Government                 Federal republic
    - President               Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ ( PDP)
    - Vice President          Atiku Abubakar ( PDP)
          Independence        from the United Kingdom
    - Declared and recognized October 1, 1960
    - Republic declared       October 1, 1963
                                   Area
    - Total                   923,768 km² ( 31st)
                              356,667 sq mi
    - Water (%)               1.4
                                Population
    - 2005 estimate           131,530,000^1 ( 9th)
    - 1991 census             88,992,220
    - Density                 142/km² ( 71st)
                              369/sq mi
           GDP ( PPP)         2005 estimate
    - Total                   $173.7 billion ( 47th)
    - Per capita              $1,188 ( 164th)
          HDI  (2006)         0.448 (low) ( 159th)
            Currency          Naira (₦) ( NGN)
           Time zone          WAT ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST)           not observed ( UTC+1)
          Internet TLD        .ng
          Calling code        +234
   ^1 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects
   of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
   expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
   and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
   and sex than would otherwise be expected.

   Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in
   West Africa and the most populous country on the African continent.
   Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west,
   Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north, and borders the Gulf
   of Guinea in the south. Since 1991, its capital has been the
   centrally-located city of Abuja; previously, the Nigerian government
   was headquartered in Lagos.

   The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and based on
   archaeological evidence, human habitation of the area dates back to at
   least 9000 BC. The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original
   homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and
   southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd
   millennium AD. However, the Nigerian state came into being on October
   1, 1960 when Nigeria declared its independence from the British and at
   present consists of 36 states and the federal capital territory.
   Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 after a sixteen-year interruption
   by a series of military dictators. From 1966 until 1999, Nigeria had
   been ruled (except the short-lived second republic, 1979-1983) by
   military dictators who seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups.

History

   More than 2,000 years ago, the Nok people in central Nigeria were
   producing sculptures.

   In the northern part of the country Kano and Katsina has recorded
   history which dates back to around AD 999. Hausa kingdoms and the
   Kanem-Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West
   Africa. And they harvested pinto beans.

   The Yoruba kingdoms of Ifẹ and Oyo in the western block of the country
   were founded about 700-900 and 1400 respectively. Yoruba mythology
   believes that Ile-Ife is the source of the human race and that it
   predates any other civilization. Ifẹ produced the terra cotta and
   bronze heads, the Ọyọ extended as far as modern Togo. The Kingdom of
   Benin ruled the area at one time. This area used to be called "Eko" by
   the indigenes but the name Lagos became more widely used. In fact, the
   name Lagos came from the Portuguese word for lagoon, resulting in the
   name of the area. However, it was the British in the 19th century that
   established permanent settlement and control over the region. In 1901,
   Nigeria was made a British protectorate and remained under the control
   of Britain until its independence in 1960.

   Newly independent Nigeria's government was a coalition of conservative
   parties: the Nigerian People's Congress (NPC), a party dominated by
   Northerners and those of the Islamic faith, and the Igboand Christian
   dominated National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) led by
   Nnamdi Azikiwe, who became Nigeria's maiden Governor-General in 1960.
   Forming the opposition was the comparatively liberal Action Group (AG),
   which was largely dominated by Yorubas and led by Obafemi Awolowo. The
   nation parted with its British legacy in 1963 by declaring itself a
   Federal Republic, with Azikiwe as the first president. When elections
   came about in 1965, the AG was outmanoeuvered for control of Nigeria's
   Western Region by the Nigerian National Democratic Party an
   ammalgamation of conservative Yoruba elements backed heavily by the
   Federal Government amid dubious electoral circumstances. This left the
   Igbo NCNC to coalesce with the remnants of the AG in a weak progressive
   alliance.
   Map of Nigeria
   Enlarge
   Map of Nigeria

   This disequilibrium in power led in 1966 to a back-to-back military
   coups by regional and ethnic cabals. The first was in January led by
   leftists under General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, the then-army head of
   Igbo extraction, who was installed as head of state. The Igbo-led coup
   was counter-acted by another successful plot, supported primarily by
   Northern military officers and engineered by Northern officers, which
   allowed Lt Colonel Yakubu Gowon to become head of state. The Northern
   coup (the northern coup was actually as a result of the killing of
   Nigerian Leaders who were primarily from the north, this explain why
   Obafemi Awolowo a yoruba , Nnamdi Azikiwe (Igbo) were not killed while
   all almost all their northern counterparts were killed, the north was
   angered by this because they believe the Igbos were out to eliminate
   them) was accompanied by widespread sectarian violence against ethnic
   Igbos migrants in the north and middle belt regions, brought on by the
   blood bath of Northern Leaders in the first Igbo dominated coup, and
   subsequently forced many to flee in large numbers to their homeland in
   the south.

   The perpetration of violence against Igbos, which some Igbos considered
   to be of genocidal proportions, increased their desire for autonomy and
   protection from the military's wrath. By May 1967, the Eastern Region
   had declared itself an independent state called the Republic of Biafra
   under the leadership Lt Colonel Emeka Ojukwu. A a lull of several
   months occurred after the declaration, to be interrupted when the
   Biafrans invaded the de facto neutral terrain of the Midwest Region. As
   Biafra was now perceived as expansionist, this provoked a violent
   response from the federal military government who retook the Midwest
   with ease, escalating the conflict into a full-scale war which resulted
   in over a million deaths and the reincorporation of Biafran territory
   into the republic, the Nigerian government though the clear winner in
   the war was magnanimous in declaring that there was no victor or
   vanquished in the senseless war carried out by a group that many
   believed are still responsible for the ills of Nigeria today. There are
   those who says those who led the war were too young to understand the
   ramification of what they were doing, The leaders on both sides were in
   their mid to late twenties during the war.

   Following the war, Nigeria became to an extent even more mired in
   ethnic strife, as the defeated southeast was now conquered territory
   for the federal military regime, which changed heads of state twice as
   Murtala Mohammed staged a bloodless coup against Gowon; Olusegun
   Obansanjo succeeded the former after an assassination. During the oil
   boom of the 1970's, Nigeria helped initiate the founding of OPEC and
   billions of dollars generated by production in the oil-rich Niger Delta
   flowed into the coffers of the Nigerian state. However, increasing
   corruption and graft at all levels of government squandered most of
   these earnings. As oil production increased, the Nigerian economy and
   government grew increasingly dependent on the revenue it generated,
   while the simultaneous drop in agricultural production precipitated
   food shortages.

   Nigerians participated in a brief return to democracy beginning in 1979
   when Obasanjo transferred power to the civilian regime of Shehu
   Shagari. The Shagari government was viewed as corrupt and incompetent
   by virtually all sectors of Nigerian society, so when the regime was
   overthrown by the military coup of Mohammadu Buhari shortly after the
   regime's fraudulent re-election in 1984, it was generally viewed as a
   positive development by most of the population. Buhari promised major
   reforms but his government proved little better than its predecessor,
   and his regime was overthrown via yet another military coup in 1986.

   The new head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, promptly declared himself
   President and Commander in chief of the Armed Forces and the ruling
   Supreme Military Council and also set 1990 as the official deadline for
   a return to democratic governance. Babangida's tenure was marked by a
   flurry of political activity: he instituted the International Monetary
   Fund's Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) to aid in the repayment of
   the country's crushing international debt, which most federal revenue
   was dedicated to servicing. He also inflamed religious tensions
   throughout the nation and particularly the south by enrolling Nigeria
   in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, he survived an abortive
   coup and pushed back the promised return to democracy to 1992. When
   free and fair elections were finally held in 1993, Babangida declared
   the results showing a presidential victory for M.K.O. Abiola null and
   void, sparking mass civilian violence in protest which effectively shut
   the country down for weeks and forced Babangida to resign. Babangida's
   regime is adjudged to be the most corrupt in the history of the nation
   as it was during his time that corruption was institutionalized in
   Nigeria.

   Babangida's caretaker regime headed by Ernest Shonekan survived only
   until late 1993 when General Sani Abacha took power in another military
   coup. Abacha proved to be perhaps Nigeria's most brutal ruler and
   employed violence on a wide scale to suppress the continuing pandemic
   of civilian unrest. The regime of terror would come to an end in 1998
   when the dictator was found dead amid dubious circumstances.

   Abacha's death finally yielded an opportunity for return to civilian
   rule and Nigeria elected Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba and former
   military head of state, as the its new president. Although the
   elections which brought Obasanjo to power in 1999 and again in 2003
   were condemned as anything but free and fair, Nigeria has shown marked
   improvements in attempts to tackle government corruption and to hasten
   development at all levels. This is despite continuing calls for a
   Sovereign National Conference to discern the genuine will of the
   people, which the president has deftly sidestepped for eight years, as
   well as widespread disputes and ethnic violence over the oil producing
   land of the Niger Delta. While Obasanjo has shown the willingness to
   fight corruption, he has also been accused by the vice president of
   corruption, though this is as a result of the vice president's
   indictment for corrupt practices by a panel the president set up to
   investigate his vice on allegation corruption raised by Rep Jefferson
   of the United states congress.

Government and politics

   Olusegun Obasanjo, the current president of Nigeria.
   Enlarge
   Olusegun Obasanjo, the current president of Nigeria.

   Nigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with
   executive power exercised by the president and overtones of the
   Westminster model in the composition and management of its upper and
   lower houses. The president's power is checked by a Senate and a House
   of Representatives, which are combined in a body called the National
   Assembly. The current president of Nigeria is Olusegun Obasanjo who was
   elected in 1999 following the restoration of democracy after nearly two
   decades of outright military dictatorship.

   The two major parties in Nigerian politics are the People's Democratic
   Party of Nigeria and the All Nigeria People's Party.There are about
   twenty other minor opposition parties registered.

   See also:
     * Federal ministers of Nigeria
     * Federal Ministries of Nigeria
     * Political Parties in Nigeria
     * Government of Nigeria

Administrative divisions

   Map showing Nigerian states
   Enlarge
   Map showing Nigerian states

   Nigeria is divided into thirty-six states and one Federal Capital
   Territory, which are further sub-divided into 774 Local Government
   Areas (LGAs). The plethora of states, of which there were only three at
   independence, reflect the country's tumultuous history and the
   difficulties of managing such a heterogeneous national entity at all
   levels of government.

   The states include: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa,
   Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ẹdo, Ekiti, Enụgụ, Gombe,
   Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos,
   Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Ọsun, Ọyọ, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto,
   Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Law

   There are four distinct systems of law in Nigeria:
     * English Law which is derived from its colonial past with Britain;
     * common law, a development of its post colonial independence;
     * customary law which is derived from indigenous traditional norms
       and practices;
     * Sharia law, used only in the predominantly Hausa and Muslim north
       of the country.

   There is a Judicial branch with a Supreme Court which is regarded as
   the highest court of the land.

Foreign relations and military

   Nigerian troops
   Enlarge
   Nigerian troops

Foreign relations

   Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made the liberation and
   restoration of the dignity of Africa the centerpiece of its foreign
   policy. Barely months into its independence, Nigeria was called upon by
   the United Nations to contribute troops to quell the secession crisis
   of the Katanga province in Congo ( DRC). That UN mission was the first
   commanded by a Nigerian Major General JTU Aguiyi Ironsi. The African
   emancipation and abolition of apartheid key focus of Nigeria's foreign
   policy was tested in the 1970s after Nigeria emerged united from its
   own civil war. Nigeria quickly committed itself to the liberation
   struggles going on in the Southern Africa sub-region. Although far away
   in west Africa, Nigeria declared itself a front-line state in South
   Africa's struggle for liberation from white minority rule. Though
   Nigeria never sent an expeditionary force in that struggle, it offered
   more than rhetoric to the African National Congress(ANC) by taking a
   committed tough line with regard to the racist regime and their
   incursions in southern Africa. Nigeria vigorously campaigned and
   eventually succeeded in galvanizing a global economic isolation of the
   racist apartheid regime. Nigeria perceived the apartheid regime as the
   root cause of regional instability.

   Similarly, in 1975, war broke out in Angola after the country gained
   independence from Portugal, Nigeria, a member of the English
   Commonwealth of Nations, mobilized its diplomatic influence in Africa
   in support of the MPLA. That support tipped the balance in their
   favour, which led to OAU recognition of the MPLA.

   Nigeria extended diplomatic support to another Marxist cause, Sam
   Nujoma's SWAPO movement in Namibia, to stall the apartheid South
   African installed puppet government in Namibia. In 1977, the new
   General Olusegun Obasanjo's military regime made a donation of $20
   million dollars to the Zimbabwean liberation movement. Nigeria also
   sent military equipment to Mozambique to help the new independent
   country suppress the South African backed RENAMO guerrillas. Although
   officially denied by the Nigerian government, Nigeria is known to have
   also provided secret military training at the Kaduna first mechanized
   army division and provided other material support to Joshua Nkomo and
   Robert Mugabe's guerrilla forces during the Rhodesian Bush War(Renamed
   Zimbabwe in 1979) of independence against white minority rule of Prime
   Minister Ian Douglas Smith which was armed and financed by the regime
   in South Africa.

   Although her economy and technology could not have supported it,
   Nigeria announced to a bewildered international community that she was
   launching a nuclear program of "unlimited scope" of her own. To
   demonstrate her seriousness against multi-national companies in Nigeria
   that violated the economic/trade embargo on the racist South African
   regime, the local operations of Barclays bank was nationalized after
   that bank ignored the strong protests by Nigeria urging it not to buy
   the South African government bond.

   Nigeria also nationalized the British Petroleum (BP) for supplying oil
   to South Africa. In 1982,the Alhaji Shehu Shagari government urged the
   visiting Pontiff Pope John Paul II to grant audience to the leaders of
   Southern Africa guerrilla organisations Oliver Tambo of the ANC and Sam
   Nujoma of SWAPO. In December 1983, the new Major General Muhammadu
   Buhari regime announced that Nigeria could no longer afford an activist
   anti-colonial role in Africa. That policy statement did not deter
   Nigeria under Generals Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and Sani Abacha in
   1997 from sending ECOMOG peacekeeping forces under the auspices of
   ECOWAS into Liberia and later Sierra Leone when civil wars broke out in
   those countries. President Olusegun Obasanjo in August 2003 committed
   Nigerian troops once again into Liberia to avert a humanitarian
   disaster as the rebel forces surged into the capital Monrovia. Just the
   presence of the Nigerian troops ( ECOMIL) in Monrovia persuaded the
   rebels on the futility of further pressing their attack to forcefully
   take the capital city and thus bringing them into direct confrontation
   path with Africa's largest army. Charles Taylor was subsequently eased
   out of power and exiled to Nigeria.

   In October 2004, Nigerian troops again deployed into Darfur, Sudan to
   spearhead an AU force to stop the genocide in Darfur. Nigeria boasts to
   have contributed more than 20,000 troops/police to various UN missions
   since 1960. Nigerian Police and troops have served in places like
   UNIPOM (UN India-Pakistan Observer mission) 1965, UNFIL Lebanon 1978,UN
   observer Mission (Iran-Iraq ceasefire) 1988, former Yugoslavia1998,
   East-Timor 1998, and Democratic Republic of the Congo 2004. Nigeria's
   commitment towards African solidarity and peaceful coexistence amongst
   neighbouring states of Africa was demonstrated during the Bakassi
   peninsula dispute. In 2006, despite repeated acts of provocation with
   the serial killings of Nigerian soldiers and civilians, Nigeria
   completely relinquished the disputed oil rich Bakassi peninsula to her
   eastern neighbour Cameroon. This action followed the International
   Court of Justice verdict ICJ on a lawsuit instituted against Nigeria by
   Cameroon. Nigeria have called for a Permanent African seat on the UN
   security council.Nigeria have rendered technical assistance to several
   African and Caribbean nations using her own technical aid corps. Where
   the Federal Government of Nigeria pays for Nigerian Professionals
   especially Doctors, Judges, teachers and university professors etc who
   are sent into other recipient countries to help them develop their own
   human capacity.

   Nigeria has an increasingly developing diplomatic and economic
   cooperation agreement with China and is an advocate of a peaceful "one
   China" policy in reference to the Taiwan dispute. The nation is a
   member of the African Union and sits on that organization's Peace and
   Security Council. Since 1960, Nigeria has been a member of the United
   Nations and also joined the Commonwealth of Nations the same year,
   however they were suspended between 1995 and 1999. Nigeria currently
   holds the chair of the regional IGO, Economic Community of West African
   States or ECOWAS and ECOMOG, its military arm. Both are presently
   headquartered in the capital Abuja. Nigeria is a key member of the
   Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC which it joined
   in July, 1971. Its status as a major petroleum producer figures
   prominently in international relations, particularly with developed
   countries. Nigeria retains her membership of the " non-aligned"
   nations.

   Nigeria is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a
   Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the U.S.-military (as
   covered under Article 98).

   Research References:
     * Nigeria: a country study (P255- National security & African
       issues):- Louis R. Mortimer
     * Africa- Dispatches from a fragile continent by Blaine Harden
     * P271 Big Black Hope
     * Africa- The People and politics of an emerging continent by Sanford
       J Ungar (P121 Nigeria, Black Power)
     * The Africans, A triple Heritage- Ali A. Mazrui
     * Modern Nigeria- Guy Arnold
     * The Africans- David Lamb.
     * Africa-The struggle for Independence-Dennis Wepman
     * The new Africa (Dispatches from a changing continent) -Robert M
       Press
     * The fate of Africa- Martin Meredith
     * Ideology and Development in Africa- Crowford Young
     * How can Africa survive? - Jennifer Seymour Whitaker
     * Africa and the west- Michael A Samuels
     * Africa- Opposing view points- by David L Bender & Bruno Leone
     * Africa: By Phyllis M Martin & Patrick O'Meara
     * A continent for the taking-Howard W. French.

Military of Nigeria

   The military in Nigeria have 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
   rule ended in 1999 following the sudden death of dictator Sani Abacha
   in 1998.

   Taking advantage of its role of sub-saharan Africa's most populated
   country, Nigeria has repositioned its military as an African
   peacekeeping force. Since 1995, the Nigerian military through ECOMOG
   mandates have been deployed as peacekeepers in Liberia (1997), Ivory
   Coast (1997-1999), Sierra Leone 1997-1999, and presently in Sudan's
   Darfur region under an African Union mandate.

   Active duty personnel in the three Nigerian armed services total
   approximately 115,000. The Nigerian Army, the largest of the services,
   has about 99,000 personnel deployed in two mechanized infantry
   divisions, one composite division (airborne and amphibious), the Lagos
   Garrison Command (a division size unit), and the Abuja-based Brigade of
   Guards. It has demonstrated its capability to mobilize, deploy, and
   sustain battalions in support of peacekeeping operations in Liberia,
   former Yugoslavia, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sierra Leone. The
   Nigerian Navy (7,000 members) is equipped with frigates, fast attack
   craft, corvettes, and coastal patrol boats. The Nigerian Air Force
   (9,000 members) flies transport, trainer, helicopter, and fighter
   aircraft, a lot are currently not operational, but there is an ongoing
   policy of reorganization, and the provision of a very professional
   armed forces with high capability. Nigeria also has pursued a policy of
   developing domestic training and military production capabilities.

   Nigeria has continued a strict policy of diversification in her
   military procurement from various countries. After the imposition of
   sanctions by many Western nations, Nigeria turned to the People's
   Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, and India for the purchase of
   military equipment and training.

Cities

   Nigeria has dozens of major cities, which play an important role in
   Nigeria's culture, heritage, and economy:
     * Lagos - (Lagos State): The former capital, and Nigeria's most
       populous city and commercial centre. Based on its estimated
       population, it is also the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa
       and one of the most populous cities in the world. Satellite Map
     * Abuja - (Federal Capital Territory FCT): Nigeria's current capital
       and newest city. Satellite Map

Geography and climate

   Satellite image of Nigeria, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Nigeria, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Map of vegetation in Nigeria
   Enlarge
   Map of vegetation in Nigeria

   Nigeria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria has
   a total area of 356,669 mi² (923,768 km² ); of that around 5,000 square
   miles (13,100 km²) is water. Its size makes it the world's 32nd-largest
   country (after Tanzania). It is comparable in size to Venezuela, and is
   about twice the size of the U.S. state of California. It shares a
   2,515- mile (4,047-km) border with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

   The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 7,936  feet (2,419 m).

   Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast
   through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and
   savanna in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel and
   the encroaching Sahara in the extreme north.

   Nigeria's main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and
   empty into the Niger Delta, one of the world's largest river deltas.

   Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely
   believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain
   the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only
   found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon.

Economy

   Years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement have hobbled
   economic activity and output in Nigeria and continue to do so, despite
   the restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reform. According
   to the Economist Intelligence Unit and the World Bank, Nigerian GDP at
   purchasing power parity was only at $170.7 billion as of FY 2005. The
   GDP per head is at $692.

   Nigeria is a leading petroleum producer and exporter. It is the 12th
   largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest
   exporter. Nigeria also has one of the world's largest proven natural
   gas and petroleum reserves and is a founding member of OPEC. However,
   due to crumbling infrastructure, ongoing civil strife in the Niger
   Delta- its main oil producing region- and corruption, oil production
   and export is not at 100% capacity.

   Mineral resources that are present in Nigeria but not yet fully
   exploited are coal and tin. Other natural resources in the country
   include iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, and arable land.
   Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry
   in Nigeria is almost non-existent. About 60% of Nigerians are employed
   in the agricultural sector. Agriculture used to be the principal
   foreign exchange earner of Nigeria. Perhaps, one of the worst
   undesirable effects of the discovery of oil was the decline of
   agricultural sector. So tragic was this neglect that Nigeria, which in
   the 1960s grew 98% of his own food and was a net food exporter, now
   must import much of the same cash crops it was formerly famous for as
   the biggest exporter. Agricultural products include groundnuts, palm
   oil, cocoa, coconut, citrus fruits, maize, millet, cassava, yams and
   sugar cane. It also has a booming leather and textile industry, with
   industries located in Kano, Abeokuta, Onitsha, and Lagos.

   Like many Third World nations, Nigeria has accumulated a significant
   foreign debt. However many of the projects financed by these debts were
   inefficient, bedevilled by corruption or failed to live up to
   expectations. Nigeria defaulted on its debt as arrears and penalty
   interest accumulated and increased the size of the debt. However, after
   a long campaign by the Nigeria authorities, in October 2005 Nigeria and
   its Paris Club creditors reached an agreement that will see Nigeria's
   debt reduced by approximately 60%. Nigeria will use part of its oil
   windfall to pay the residual 40%. This deal will free up at least $1.15
   billion annually for poverty reduction programmes. As of April 2006,
   Nigeria became the first African Country to fully pay off her debt
   (estimated $30billion) owed to the Paris Club.

   The currency unit of Nigeria is the Nigerian Naira.

   Nigeria also has significant production and manufacturing facilities
   such as factories for Peugeot the French car marker, Bedford the
   English truck manufacturer, now a subsidiary of General Motors, and
   also manufactures t-shirts and processed food.

Demographics

   Population density in Nigeria.
   Enlarge
   Population density in Nigeria.

   Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa but exactly how populous
   is the subject of speculation. The United Nations estimates that the
   population in 2004 was at 131,530,000 , with the population distributed
   as 48.3% Urban and 51.7% rural and population density at 139 people per
   square km. National census results in the past few decades have been
   disputed.

   According to the United Nations, Nigeria has been undergoing explosive
   population growth and one of the highest growth and fertility rates in
   the world. By their projections, Nigeria will be one of the countries
   in the world that will account for most of the world's total population
   increase by 2050. . According to current data, one out of every four
   Africans are Nigerian. Presently, Nigeria is the ninth most populous
   country in the world, and even conservative estimates conclude that
   more than 20% of the world's black population lives in Nigeria.

Ethnic groups

   Ethno-linguistic map of Nigeria.
   Enlarge
   Ethno-linguistic map of Nigeria.

   Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and
   customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The largest
   ethnic groups are the Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Ijaw, Kanuri,
   Ibibio, and Tiv.

   There are small minorities of English, Americans, East Indians,
   Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese and refugees and immigrants from other West
   African or East African nations. These minorities mostly reside in
   major cities such as Lagos and Abuja, or in the Niger Delta as
   employees for the major oil companies. A number of Cubans settled
   Nigeria as political refugees following the Cuban Revolution. A number
   of them include Afro-Cubans and mixed-raced Cubans.

Language

   There are a total of 250 languages spoken in Nigeria which correspond
   with the estimated number of ethnic groups in Nigeria. To facilitate
   cultural and linguistic unity, English was chosen as the official
   language. The major languages spoken in Nigeria are Hausa, Yoruba, and
   Igbo.

Religion

   Nigeria has a variety of religions which tend to vary regionally, this
   situation accentuates regional and ethnic distinctions but has often
   been seen as a major source of sectarian conflict amongst the
   population. All religions represented in Nigeria were practiced in
   every major city in the 1990s. Islam dominates in the north with some
   northern states having incorporated Shari'a law amidst controversy.

   Muslims make up 50% of the population, Christians make up 45%, and
   indigenous beliefs/other religious minorities(such as Jews) make up the
   rest of the nation.

   Protestantism and local syncretic Christianity predominate in Yoruba
   areas, while Catholicism has a strong historical presence amongst the
   Igbo and closely-related ethnic groups. Indigenous beliefs such as
   Orisha and Voodoo are still widely held amongst the Yoruba and other
   ethnic groups in the southwest of the country. Recently however, such
   worship has undergone significant decline, as many adherents are
   converting to Islam and Christianity.

Sport

   Like many nations football is Nigeria's national sport. There is also a
   local Premier League of football. Nigeria's national football team,
   known as the Super Eagles, has made the World Cup on three occasions (
   1994, 1998, and 2002), won the African Cup of Nations in 1980 and 1994,
   and also hosted the Junior World Cup. They won the gold medal for
   football in the 1996 Summer Olympics and various other junior
   international competitions. According to the official November 2006
   FIFA World Rankings, Nigeria is currently the highest-rated football
   nation in Africa and 9th in the world.

World Cup history

   Nigeria has played in three consecutive World Cups.

USA 94

   Nigeria's first World Cup appearance was in the 1994 USA World Cup.
   Nigeria qualified by leading the group stages with 6 points. Nigeria
   defeated Bulgaria 3 - 0, lost to Argentina 2 - 1, and defeated Greece 2
   - 0. But Nigeria's race was cut short in the Round of 16, suffering a 2
   - 1 defeat by Italy.

France 98

   This was Nigeria's second World Cup outing. They started out strong in
   the group stages by defeating Spain (3 - 2) and the Bulgarians (1 - 0).
   A loss to Paraguay (3 - 1) did not keep them from topping Group 16.
   This winning streak was short lived however, as a defeat at the hands
   of Denmark (4 - 1) prevented them from moving into the quarter finals.

Korea/Japan 2002

   This was Nigeria's poorest World Cup outing; they were defeated in
   their first game against Argentina 0 - 1, then against Sweden 1 - 2,
   but managed to get 1 point through a 0 - 0 draw with England.

Best international outings

   One of Nigeria's best outings was in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics
   defeating Brazil 4 - 3 in the semi-finals and finishing with a 3 - 2
   win over Argentina in the gold medal game. Long before then, they had
   won the maiden edition of FIFA under 17 tournament (hosted by China) in
   1985, defeating the Fed. Rep. of Germany 2-0 and repeated the same feat
   in Japan 1993 in a 2-1 win over Ghana. They are still recognized today
   as one of the leading nations in football and home of some of the
   game's best known players such as: Jay Jay Okocha, Aiyegbeni Yakubu,
   Rashidi Yekini, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, and Obafemi Martins.

Societal issues

   Despite its vast government revenue from the mining of petroleum,
   Nigeria is beset by a number of societal problems due primarily to a
   history of inept governance. Some of these problems are listed below.

Public health

   The HIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria is much lower compared to the other
   African nations such as Kenya or South Africa whose prevalence
   (percentage) rates are in the double digits. Nigeria, like many
   developing countries, also suffers from a polio crisis as well as
   periodic outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and sleeping sickness. As of
   2004, there has been a vaccination drive, spearheaded by the W.H.O., to
   combat polio and malaria that has been met with controversy in some
   regions .

Environmental degradation

   Nigeria has one of the developing world's worst environmental records.
   Oil spills in dense areas are not uncommon, and raw sewage is a
   frequent problem in all major cities.

Strife and sectarian violence

   Due to its multitude of diverse, sometimes competing ethno-linguistic
   groups, Nigeria has been beset since prior to independence with
   sectarian tensions and violence. This is particularly true in the
   oil-producing Niger Delta region, where both state and civilian forces
   employ varying methods of coercion in attempts gain control over
   regional petroleum resources. The civilian population, and especially
   certain ethnic groups like the Ogoni, has experienced severe
   environmental degradation due to petroleum extraction. However, when
   these groups have attempted to protest these injustices, they have been
   met with repressive measures by Nigerian government and military
   forces. As a result, strife and deterioration in this region continues
   as of 2006.

   There are also significant tensions on a national scale, especially
   between the primarily Islamic, highly conservative northern population
   and the more liberal Christianized and indigenous groups who reside in
   the south.

   Since the ending of the civil war in 1970, ethnic and religious
   violence has continued. Violence between Christians and Muslims
   (usually Igbo Christians and Hausa or Fulani Muslims)occurred until
   early 2004. There has subsequently been a period of relative harmony
   since the Federal Government introduced tough new measures against
   religious violence in all affected parts of the country.

   In 2002, organizers of the Miss World Pageant announced that they would
   move the pageant from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to London in the
   wake of violent protests in the Northern part of the country that left
   more than 100 people dead and over 500 injured. The rioting erupted
   after a newspaper suggested the Prophet Muhammed would have approved of
   the Miss World beauty contest because the women is not an object. The
   death toll in the town of Kaduna was an estimated 105 with a further
   521 injured taken to hospital. Angry mobs in the mainly Muslim city 600
   kilometres (375 miles) northwest of Lagos burnt churches and rampaged
   through the streets stabbing, bludgeoning and burning bystanders to
   death. There were also retaliatory attacks which left many innocent and
   apolitical Muslims dead.

Education

   Courtesy of the oil boom years of the 1970s, tertiary education was
   expanded to reach every subregion of Nigeria. The Federal Government
   and the State Governments were previously the only bodies licensed to
   operate universities in Nigeria. Recently, licenses have also been
   granted to individuals, corporate bodies and religious bodies to
   establish private universities in Nigeria. The National Universities
   Commission ( NUC) is the major accreditation body that enforces uniform
   standard and sets admissions capacity of every university in Nigeria.

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