The nameNigeria derives from theNiger River running through the country. This name was coined on 8 January 1897, by the British journalistFlora Shaw. The neighboringRepublic of Niger takes its name from the same river. The origin of the nameNiger, which originally applied to only the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of theTuareg nameegerewn-igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river aroundTimbuktu before 19th-centuryEuropean colonialism.[23][24] Before Flora Shaw suggested the nameNigeria, other proposed names includedRoyal Niger Company Territories,Central Sudan,Niger Empire,Niger Sudan, andHausa Territories.[25]
Kainji Dam excavations showed ironworking by the 2nd century BC. The transition fromNeolithic times to theIron Age was accomplished without intermediatebronze production. Some have suggested the technology moved west from theNile Valley. But theIron Age in theNiger River valley and the forest region appears to predate the introduction of metallurgy in the upper savanna by more than 800 years, as well as predating it in the Nile Valley. More recent research suggests that iron metallurgy was developed independently inAfrica.[26][27][28][29]
TheNok civilization thrived between 1,500 BC and AD 200. It produced life-sizedterracotta figures that are some of the earliest known sculptures in Africa[30][31][32][33][34] and smelted iron by about 550 BC and possibly a few centuries earlier.[26][27][28] Evidence of iron smelting has also been excavated at sites in theNsukka region of southeast Nigeria: dating to 2000 BC at the site of Lejja[35] and to 750 BC at the site ofOpi.
TheKano Chronicle highlights an ancient history dating to around 999 AD of theHausaSahelian city-state ofKano, with other major Hausa cities (orHausa Bakwai) ofDaura,Hadeija,Kano,Katsina,Zazzau,Rano, andGobir all having recorded histories dating back to the 10th century. With the spread of Islam from the 7th century AD, the area became known asSudan or asBilad Al Sudan (English: Land of the Blacks). Since the populations were partially affiliated with the Arab Muslim culture ofNorth Africa, they begantrans-Saharan trade and were referred to by the Arabic speakers asAl-Sudan (meaning "The Blacks") as they were considered an extended part of theMuslim world. There are early historical references by medieval Arab and Muslim historians and geographers which refer to theKanem–Bornu Empire as the region's major centre for Islamic civilization.[citation needed]
TheKingdom of Nri of the Igbo people consolidated in the 10th century and continued until it lost its sovereignty to the British in 1911.[36][37] Nri was ruled by theEze Nri, and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation ofIgbo culture. Nri andAguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figureEri.[38] In West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using thelost wax process were fromIgbo-Ukwu, a city under Nri influence.[36]
TheYoruba kingdoms ofIfe andOyo in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in the 12th[39][40] and 14th[41] centuries, respectively. The oldest signs ofhuman settlement at Ife's current site date back to the 9th century,[39] and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures.
In the 16th century,Portuguese explorers were the firstEuropeans to begin important, direct trade with the peoples of southern Nigeria, at the port they named Lagos (formerly Eko) and inCalabar along the regionSlave Coast. Europeans traded goods with peoples at the coast; coastal trade with Europeans also marked the beginnings of theAtlantic slave trade.[42] The port of Calabar on the historicalBight of Biafra (now commonly referred to as the Bight of Bonny) became one of the largest slave-trading posts in West Africa in this era. Other major slaving ports were located inBadagry, Lagos on theBight of Benin, andBonny Island on the Bight of Biafra.[42][43] The majority of those taken to these ports were captured in raids and wars.[44] Usually, the captives were taken back to the conquerors' territory asforced labour; they were sometimes gradually acculturated and absorbed into the conquerors' society. Slave routes were established throughout Nigeria linking the hinterland areas with the major coastal ports. Some of the more prolific slave-trading kingdoms who participated in the Atlantic slave trade were linked with the Edo'sBenin Empire in the south,Oyo Empire in the southwest, and theAro Confederacy in the southeast.[42][43] Benin's power lasted between the 15th and 19th centuries.[45] Oyo, at its territorial zenith in the late 17th to early 18th centuries, extended its influence from western Nigeria to modern-dayTogo.
In the north, the incessant fighting amongst the Hausa city-states and the decline of theBornu Empire allowed the Fulani people to gain headway into the region. Until this point, the Fulani, anomadic ethnic group, primarily traversed the semi-desertSahelian region north of Sudan with cattle and avoided trade and intermingling with the Sudanic peoples. At the beginning of the 19th century,Usman dan Fodio leda successful jihad against theHausa Kingdoms, founding the centralisedSokoto Caliphate. This empire, with Arabic as its official language, grew rapidly under his rule and that ofhis descendants, who sent outinvading armies in every direction. The vast landlocked empire connected the east with the western Sudan region and made inroads down south conquering parts of the Oyo Empire (modern-dayKwara), and advanced towards theYoruba heartland ofIbadan, to reach the Atlantic Ocean. The territory controlled by the empire included much of modern-day northern and central Nigeria. The sultan sent out emirs to establishsuzerainty over the conquered territories and promote Islamic civilization; the emirs in turn became increasingly rich and powerful through trade and slavery. By the 1890s, the largestslave population in the world, about two million, was concentrated in the territories of the SokotoCaliphate. The use of slave labour was extensive, especially in agriculture.[46] By the time of its break-up in 1903 into various European colonies, the Sokoto Caliphate was one of the largest pre-colonial African states.[47]
A changing legal imperative (the outlawing of theAtlantic slave trade in 1807) and economic imperative (a desire for political and social stability) led most European powers to support the widespread cultivation of agricultural products, such as the palm, for use in European industry. The slave trade continued after the ban, as illegal smugglers purchased slaves along the coast from native slavers. Britain'sWest Africa Squadron sought to intercept the smugglers at sea. Therescued slaves were taken toFreetown, a colony in West Africa originally established byLieutenant John Clarkson for the resettlement of slaves freed by Britain in North America after theAmerican Revolutionary War.
In 1885, British claims to a West Africansphere of influence received recognition from other European nations at theBerlin Conference. The following year, it chartered theRoyal Niger Company under the leadership of SirGeorge Taubman Goldie. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company had vastly succeeded in subjugating the independent southern kingdoms along theNiger River, the British conqueredBenin in 1897, and, in theAnglo-Aro War (1901–1902), defeated other opponents. The defeat of these states opened up the Niger area to British rule. In 1900, the company's territory came under the direct control of the British government and established theSouthern Nigeria Protectorate as a Britishprotectorate and part of theBritish Empire.
By 1902, the British had begun plans to move north into the Sokoto Caliphate. British General LordFrederick Lugard was tasked by theColonial Office to implement the agenda. Lugard used rivalries between many of the emirs in the southern reach of the caliphate and the central Sokoto administration to prevent any defence as he worked towards the capital. As the British approached the city ofSokoto, SultanMuhammadu Attahiru I organized a quick defence of the city and fought the advancing British-led forces. The British force quickly won, sending Attahiru I and thousands of followers on aMahdisthijra. In the northeast, the decline of theBornu Empire gave rise to the British-controlledBorno Emirate which establishedAbubakar Garbai of Borno as ruler.
In 1903, the British victory in theBattle of Kano gave them a logistical edge inpacifying the heartland of the Sokoto Caliphate and parts of the former Bornu Empire. On 13 March 1903, at the grand market square of Sokoto, the lastvizier of the caliphate officially conceded to British rule. The British appointedMuhammadu Attahiru II as the new caliph. Lugard abolished the caliphate but retained the titlesultan as a symbolic position in the newly organizedNorthern Nigeria Protectorate. This remnant became known as "Sokoto Sultanate Council". In June 1903, the British defeated the remaining northern forces of Attahiru. By 1906, all resistance to British rule had ended.
On 1 January 1914, the British formally united theSouthern Nigeria Protectorate and theNorthern Nigeria Protectorate into theColony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the Northern and Southern Protectorates andLagos Colony. Inhabitants of the southern region sustained more interaction, economic and cultural, with the British and other Europeans owing to the coastal economy.[49] Christian missions established Western educational institutions in the protectorates. Under Britain's policy of indirect rule and validation of Islamic legitimist tradition, the Crown did not encourage the operation of Christian missions in the northern, Islamic part of the country.[50]
By the mid-20th century followingWorld War II, awave for independence was sweeping across Africa, in response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism and demands for independence, successive constitutions legislated by the British government moved Nigeria toward self-government on a representative and increasingly federal basis. By the eve of independence in 1960, regional differences in modern educational access were marked. The legacy, though less pronounced, continues to the present day. The balance between north and south was also expressed in Nigeria's political life. For instance, northern Nigeria did not outlaw slavery until 1936 whilst in other parts of Nigeria, slavery was abolished soon after colonialism.[51][43]
1953 postage stamp with portrait of QueenElizabeth IINnamdi Azikiwe, first President of Nigeria (1963–1966)
TheRepublic of Biafra in June 1967, when it declared its independence from the rest of Nigeria
In May 1967, Governor of theEastern Region Lt. ColonelEmeka Ojukwu declared the region independent from the federation as a state called theRepublic of Biafra, as a result of the continuous and systematically planned attacks against Igbos and those ofEastern extraction popularly known as 1966pogroms.[56][57] This declaration precipitated theNigerian Civil War, which began as the official Nigerian government side attacked Biafra on 6 July 1967, at Garkem. The 30-month war, with a longblockade of Biafra and its isolation from trade and international relief, ended in January 1970.[58] Estimates of thenumber of dead in the former Eastern Region during the 30-month civil war range from one to three million.[59] Britain and the Soviet Union were the main military backers of the Nigerian government, with Nigeria utilizing air support from Egyptian pilots provided byGamal Abdel Nasser,[60][61] while France and Israel aided the Biafrans. TheCongolese government, under PresidentJoseph-Désiré Mobutu, took an early stand on the Biafran secession, voicing strong support for the Nigerian federal government[62] and deploying thousands of troops to fight against thesecessionists.[63][64]
Following the war, Nigeria enjoyed anoil boom in the 1970s, during which the country joinedOPEC and received huge oil revenues. Despite these revenues, the military government did little to improve thestandard of living, 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.[65]Thecoup in July 1975, led by GeneralsShehu Musa Yar'Adua andJoseph Garba, ousted Gowon,[66] who fled to Britain.[67] The coup plotters wanted to replace Gowon's autocratic rule with a triumvirate of three brigadier generals whose decisions could be vetoed by aSupreme Military Council. For this triumvirate, they convinced GeneralMurtala Muhammed to become military head of state, with GeneralOlusegun Obasanjo as his second-in-command, and GeneralTheophilus Danjuma as the third.[68] 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.[69]
ColonelBuka Suka Dimka launched aFebruary 1976 coup attempt,[70] during which General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated. Dimka lacked widespread support among the military, and his coup failed, forcing him to flee.[71] After the coup attempt, General Olusegun Obasanjo was appointed military head of state.[72] Obasanjo vowed to continue Murtala's policies.[73] Aware of the danger of alienating northern Nigerians, Obasanjo brought General Shehu Yar'Adua as his replacement and second-in-command asChief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters completing the military triumvirate, with Obasanjo as head of state and General Theophilus Danjuma asChief of Army Staff, the three went on to re-establish control over themilitary regime and organized the military's transfer of power programme:states creation andnational delimitation,local government reforms and theconstitutional drafting committee for a new republic.[74]
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 AlhajiShehu Shagari of theNational Party of Nigeria (NPN) was elected president. All five parties won representation in the National Assembly. On 1 October 1979, Shehu Shagari was sworn in as the firstPresident 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 began to notice "the slow poisoning of the waters of this country".[75] 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.
The1983 military coup d'état was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military and led to the overthrow of the government and the installation of Major GeneralMuhammadu 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.[76] In 1985,Ibrahim Babangida overthrew Buhari in a coup d'état. In 1986, Babangida established theNigerian Political Bureau 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 the1990 Nigerian coup d'état attempt, then postponed a promised return to democracy to 1992.[77]
Babangida legalized the formation of political parties and formed the two-party system with theSocial Democratic Party andNational Republican Convention ahead of the1992 general elections. He urged all Nigerians to join either of the parties, which ChiefBola Ige referred to as "two leper hands". The1993 presidential election held on 12 June was the first since the military coup of 1983. The results, though not officially declared by the National Electoral Commission, showed the duo ofMoshood Abiola andBaba Gana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party defeatedBashir Tofa andSylvester Ugoh of the National Republican Convention 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 appointingErnest Shonekan head of aninterim national government.[78] Babangida's regime has been considered the most corrupt and responsible for creating a culture of corruption in Nigeria.[79]
Abdulsalami Abubakar, military ruler in 1998 saw the return to democracy in 1999
Shonekan's interim government, the shortest in the political history of the country, was overthrown in acoup d'état of 1993 led by GeneralSani 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 fourOgoni elders, which caused Nigerian'ssuspension from the Commonwealth. Lawsuits under the AmericanAlien Tort Statute againstRoyal Dutch Shell and Brian Anderson, the head of Shell's Nigerian operation, settled out of court with Shell continuing to deny liability.[80] Several hundred million dollars in accounts traced to Abacha were discovered in 1999.[81] 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, GeneralAbdulsalami Abubakar, adopted a new constitution on 5 May 1999, which provided for multiparty elections.
On 29 May 1999, Abubakar handed over power to the winner of the 1999 presidential election, former military ruler GeneralOlusegun Obasanjo, as President of Nigeria. Obasanjo had been in prison under the dictatorship of Abacha. Obasanjo's inauguration heralded the beginning of the Fourth Nigerian Republic,[82] ending a 39-year period of short-lived democracies, civil war and military dictatorship. Although the elections that brought Obasanjo to power and allowed him to run for a second term in the 2003 presidential elections were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria made significant progress in democratization under Obasanjo.[83]
In the 2007 general elections,Umaru Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party came to power. The international community, which had observed the Nigerian elections to promote a free and fair process, condemned these elections as seriously flawed.[84] Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010, and Vice PresidentGoodluck Jonathan had been sworn in by the Senate three months earlier as acting president to succeed Yar'Adua.[85][86] Jonathan won the 2011 presidential election; the polls went smoothly and with relatively little violence or electoral fraud.[87] Jonathan's tenure saw an economic recovery that made Nigeria the leading economic power in Africa.[88][89] The Jonathan administration also saw an increase in unparalleled corruption, with as many as 20 billion US dollars said to have been lost to the Nigerian state through the national oil company. Above all, however, Jonathan's tenure saw the emergence of a wave of terror by theBoko Haram insurgency, such as theGwoza massacre andChibok schoolgirls kidnapping in 2014.[90]
Ahead of thegeneral election of 2015, a merger of the biggest opposition parties in Nigeria – theAction Congress of Nigeria, theCongress for Progressive Change, theAll Nigeria Peoples Party, a faction of theAll Progressives Grand Alliance and the new PDP (a faction of serving governors of the ruling People's Democratic Party) – formed theAll Progressives Congress led by current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. At the time, it was the most expensive election ever to be held on the African continent (being surpassed only by the elections of2019 and2023). The new mega-opposition party chose as their candidate for the election former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari's campaign in 2015 was popular and built around his image as a staunch anti-corruption fighter—he won the election by over two million votes. Observers generally praised the election as being fair.[91][92][93][94] The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria. In the2019 presidential election, Buhari was re-elected.[95]
Four major candidates, amongst other less popular candidates, vied for the presidency in the2023 presidential election. For the first time since the return of democracy, no former military ruler ran for president, marking a strengthening of democracy and faith in themultiparty constitution. The election also saw the rise of metonymic supporters of the new candidates, theObidient movement ofPeter Obi, previously governor of Anambra State, widely appealed to young, urban voters and has his core base in the Southeast;[96] and the Kwankwassiya ofRabiu Kwankwaso, former governor ofKano State in the Northwest.[97]
ChiefBola Tinubu is currently serving as President of Nigeria since 29 May 2023.
Bola Tinubu, of the ruling party, won the disputed election with 36.61% of the vote,[98] but both runners-up claimed victory and litigation is ongoing in an election tribunal.[99] Bola Tinubu'sinauguration was held on 29 May 2023.[100] Problems with widespreadkidnapping in Nigeria continued.[101] On 29 May 2024, Tinubu signed into law an act readoptingNigeria, We Hail Thee, which was the country'snational anthem from 1960 to 1978, as its national anthem, replacingArise, O Compatriots.
Nigeria is located in western Africa on theGulf of Guinea and has a total area of 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi),[102] making it the world's32nd-largest country. 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 separatistAmbazonia) 1,690 km or 1,050 mi. Itscoastline is at least 853 km (530 mi).[103] Nigeria lies between latitudes4° and14°N, and longitudes2° and15°E. The highest point in Nigeria isChappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 ft). The main rivers are theNiger and theBenue, which converge and empty into theNiger Delta. This is one of the world's largest river deltas and the location of a large area of Central Africanmangroves.
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).[104] To the southwest of the Niger is a "rugged"highland. To the southeast of the Benue are hills and mountains, which form theMambilla Plateau, the highest plateau in Nigeria. This plateau extends through the border withCameroon, where themontane land is part of theBamenda Highlands of Cameroon.
The area near the border with Cameroon close to the coast is rich rainforest and part of theCross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forestsecoregion, an important centre forbiodiversity. It is a habitat for thedrill primate, which is found in the wild only in this area and across the border in Cameroon. The areas surroundingCalabar, 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 theCross Rivers has lost most of its forest because of development and harvesting by increased population and has beenreplaced by grassland.
Everything in between the far south and the far north issavannah (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.[105] The savannah zone's three categories areGuinean 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.[106]
Shrinking ofLake Chad in north-eastern Nigeria, with the outline of theBritish Isles for size comparison
Hydrology
Nigeria is divided into two main catchment areas – that of Lake Chad and that of the Niger. The Niger catchment area covers about 63% of the country. The main tributary of the Niger is the Benue, whose tributaries extend beyond Cameroon into Cameroon into Chad and the Sharie catchment area. In the Sahel region, rain is less than 500 millimetres (20 in) per year, and theSahara Desert is encroaching.[105] In the dry northeast corner of the country liesLake Chad, on ashared water boundarydelimitation with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The Chad Basin is fed from the north-eastern quarter of Nigeria. The Bauchi Plateau forms the watershed between the Niger/Benue and Komadugu Yobe river systems. The flat plains of north-eastern Nigeria are geographically part of the Chad Basin, where the course of the El Beid River forms the border with Cameroon, from the Mandara Mountains to Lake Chad. The Komadugu Yobe river system gives rise to the internationally important Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and Ox-bow lakes around Lake Nguru in the rainy season.[107][108] Other rivers of the northeast include the Ngadda and the Yedseram, both of which flow through the Sambisa swamps, thus forming a river system. The river system of the northeast is also a major river system.[109] In addition, Nigeria has numerous coastal rivers.
Over the last million years,Lake Chad in the far north-east of Nigeria has dried up several times for a few thousand years and just as often growing to many times its current size. In recent decades its surface area has been reduced considerably, which may also be due to humans taking water from the inlets to irrigate agricultural land.
Vegetation
Nigeria is covered by three types of vegetation: forests (where there is significant tree cover),savannahs (insignificant tree cover, with grasses and flowers located between trees), andmontane land (least common and mainly found in the mountains near the Cameroon border). Both the forest zone and the savannah zone are divided into three parts.[110]
Some of the forest zone's most southerly portion, especially around the Niger River andCross River deltas, ismangrove swamp. North of this is a freshwater swamp, containing different vegetation from the saltwater mangrove swamps, and north of that is a rainforest.[110]
The savannah zone's three categories are divided intoGuinean forest-savanna mosaic, made up of plains of tall grass which are interrupted by trees, the most common across the country; Sudan savannah, with short grasses and short trees; andSahel savannah patches of grass and sand, found in the northeast.[110]
Satellite image ofLake Chad, showing it shrinking between 1984 and 2018.Climate Change in Nigeria has caused increasing temperatures andrainfall variability (increasing in coastal areas and declining in continental areas) resulting indrought,desertification, rising sea levels, erosion, floods,thunderstorms,bush fires,landslides,land degradation and more frequent, extreme weather conditions.[112]Climate change is leading tobiodiversity loss, reduced food and water security, increasing poverty, conflict,displacement, economic instability and negative health outcomes in Nigeria.[113] Nigeria is highly vulnerable to and not well prepared to deal with the effects of climate change.[114] The agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable.[115]Climate and weather in NigeriaNigeria is in the top 25 highestgreenhouse gas emitters, contributing 0.8% of the global total emissions.[116] Nigeria has committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% on its own, and by 47% if it receives international support, by 2030. The country has also committed tonet zero by 2060.[117][118] Nigeria's climate changemitigation andadaptation plans focus on agriculture and food security (through e.g.:climate-smart agriculture), forests and biodiversity, water resources, energy and infrastructure (e.g.: transitioning torenewable energies likesolar), health, human settlement, industry and commerce, transportation and communication.[119][120] While there is some discussion about necessary capacity building at the individual, group and community level to engage in climate change responses, there is less attention given to higher levels of capacity building at the state and national level.[121]
Deforestation
In 2005, Nigeria had the highest rate ofdeforestation in the world, according to theFood and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations.[122] 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 itsforest cover or around 6,145,000 hectares.[123] Nigeria had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.2/10, ranking it 82nd globally out of 172 countries.[124]
Pollution
Waste management presents problems in amegacity 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 waste management problem is also attributable to unsustainable environmental management lifestyles ofKubwa 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 andgroundwater.[125]
Illegal oil refineries, in which local operators convert stolen crude oil into petrol and diesel, are considered particularly "dirty, dangerous and lucrative".[133] Safety and environmental aspects are usually ignored. Refining petroleum also inevitably produces heavy oil, which is "cracked" into lighter fuel components in regular plants at great technical expense. Illegal refineries do not have these technical possibilities and "dispose" of the heavy oil where it accumulates. The lighter components of crude oil (methane tobutane,isobutane) create a certain risk of explosion, which often leads to disasters at illegal plants.[134] In 2022, Nigeria suffered 125 deaths from explosions at local, illegal refineries.[135]
In 2010, thousands of people were inadvertentlyexposed to lead-containing soil from informalgold mining within the northern state of Zamfara. While estimates vary, it is thought that upwards of 400 children died of acutelead poisoning, making this perhaps the largest lead poisoning fatality outbreak ever encountered.[136]
Nigeria is afederal republic modelled after theUnited States,[137] with 36 states and capital Abuja as an independent unit. The executive power is exercised by thePresident. The president is bothhead of state andhead of the federal government; the president iselected by popular vote to a maximum of two four-year terms.[138]State governors, like the president, are elected for four years and may serve a maximum of two terms. The president's power is checked by aSenate and aHouse of Representatives, which are combined in abicameral body called theNational 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.[138]
The Nigerian president is elected in a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a relative majority of the votes and more than 25% of the votes in at least 24 of the 36 states.[139] If no candidate reaches this hurdle, a second round of voting takes place between the leading candidate and the next candidate who received the majority of votes in the highest number of states. By convention, presidential candidates take a running mate (candidate for the vice presidency) who is both ethnically and religiously the opposite of themselves. There is no law prescribing this, yet all presidential candidates since the existence of the Fourth Republic until 2023 adhered to this rule.
However, this principle of religious and ethnic diversity in leadership was ignored in the 2023 General Elections, where the candidate for theAll Progressives Congress,Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Muslim, selected another Muslim,Senator Kashim Shettima, as running mate.
The south of the country in particular is characterised by very strong urbanisation and a relatively large number of cities. According to an estimate from 2015,[143] there are 20 cities in Nigeria with more than 500,000 inhabitants, including ten cities with a population of one million.
English law in Nigeria consists of the collection of British laws from colonial times.
Common law is the collection of authoritative judicial decisions in the field of civil law (so-called precedents) that have been handed down in the country concerned – in this case Nigeria. (This system is mainly found in Anglo-Saxon countries; in continental Europe, on the other hand, codified and, as far as possible, abstracted civil law predominates, as in theNapoleonic Code in France).[144]
Customary law is derived from indigenous traditional norms and practices, including the dispute resolution meetings of pre-colonial Yoruba land secret societies and theÈkpè and Okónkò ofIgboland andIbibioland.[145]
Sharia law(also known as Islamic Law) used to be used only inNorthern Nigeria, whereIslam is the predominantreligion. It is also being used inLagos State, Oyo State, Kwara State, Ogun State, and Osun State by Muslims. Muslim penal codes are not the same in every state and they differentiate in punishment and offences according to religious affiliation (for example, alcohol consumption and distribution).
Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made African unity the centrepiece of its foreign policy.[147] One exception to the African focus was Nigeria's close relationship with Israel throughout the 1960s. Israel sponsored and oversaw the construction of Nigeria's parliament buildings.[148]
Nigeria's foreign policy was put to the test in the 1970s after the country emerged united from its civil war. It supported movements against white minority governments inSouthern Africa. Nigeria backed theAfrican National Congress by taking a committed tough line about the South African government. Nigeria was a founding member of theOrganisation for African Unity (now theAfrican Union) and had tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole. Nigeria founded regional cooperative efforts in West Africa, functioning as the standard-bearer for theEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) andECOMOG (especially during the Liberia and Sierra Leone civil wars).
With this Africa-centred stance, Nigeria readilysent 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 forAngola'sMPLA,SWAPO in Namibia, and aiding opposition to the minority governments ofPortuguese Mozambique, andRhodesia. Nigeria retains membership in theNon-Aligned Movement. In late November 2006, it organized an Africa-South America Summit inAbuja to promote what some attendees termed "South-South" linkages on a variety of fronts.[149] Nigeria is also a member of theInternational Criminal Court and theCommonwealth of Nations. It was temporarily expelled from the latter in 1995 when ruled by theAbacha regime.
Since 2000,Chinese–Nigerian trade relations have risen exponentially. There has been an increase in total trade of over 10.3 billion dollars between the two nations from 2000 to 2016.[151] However, the structure of the Chinese–Nigerian trade relationship has become a major political issue for the Nigerian state. Chinese exports account for around 80 per cent of total bilateral trade volumes.[152] This has resulted in a serioustrade imbalance, with Nigeria importing ten times more than it exports to China.[153] Subsequently, Nigeria's economy is becoming over-reliant on cheap imports to sustain itself, resulting in a clear decline in Nigerian industry under such arrangements.[154]
Continuing its Africa-centred foreign policy, Nigeria introduced the idea of asingle currency for West Africa known as theEco under the presumption that it would be led by thenaira. But on 21 December 2019,Ivorian PresidentAlassane Ouattara,Emmanuel Macron, and multiple otherUEMOA states announced that they would merely rename theCFA franc instead of replacing the currency as originally intended.[155] As of 2021, the Eco currency has been delayed to 2027.[156]
Nigeria has 143,000 troops in the armed forces (army 100,000, navy 25,000, air force 18,000) and another 80,000 personnel for "gendarmerie & paramilitary" in 2020, according to theInternational Institute for Strategic Studies.[158] Nigeria spent just under 0.4 per cent of its economic output, or US$1.6 billion, on its armed forces in 2017.[159][160] For 2022, US$2.26 billion has been budgeted for the Nigerian armed forces, which is just over a third ofBelgium'sdefence budget (US$5.99 billion).[158]
Attacks by Boko Haram, 2011 to October 2022. Each figure represents 1,000 deaths.[161]
Boko Haram and thebandit conflict have been responsible for numerous serious attacks with thousands of casualties since mid-2010. Since then, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker, over 41,600 lives have been lost to this conflict (as of October 2022).[161] The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR counts about 1.8 million internally displaced persons and about 200,000 Nigerian refugees in neighbouring countries.
The Boko Haram-affected states agreed in February 2015 to establish an 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force to jointly fight Boko Haram. By October 2015, Boko Haram had been driven out of all the cities it controlled and almost all the counties in northeastern Nigeria. In 2016, Boko Haram split and in 2022, 40,000 fighters surrendered.[162] The splinter groupISWAP (Islamic State in West Africa) remains active.
The fight against Boko Haram, other sectarians and criminals has been accompanied by increasing police attacks. TheCouncil on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker counted 1,086 deaths from Boko Haram attacks and 290 deaths from police violence in the first 12 months of its establishment in May 2011. In the 12 months after October 2021, 2,193 people died from police violence and 498 from Boko Haram and ISWAP,[161] according to the NST. The Nigerian police are notorious forvigilante justice.[161]
The Niger Delta saw intenseattacks on oil infrastructure in 2016 by militant groups such as theMovement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), theNiger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), theIjaw National Congress (INC) and thePan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF). In response, the new Buhari government pursued a dual strategy of repression and negotiation.
In late 2016, the Nigerian federal government resorted to the gambit of offering the militant groups a 4.5 billion naira (US$144 million) contract toguard oil infrastructure. Most accepted. The contract wasrenewed in August 2022, but led to fierce disputes among the above-mentioned groups over the distribution of the funds. Representatives speak of "war"[163] – against each other. The high propensity for violence and the pettiness of the leaders, as well as the complete absence of social and environmental arguments in this dispute[163] give rise to fears that the militant groups, despite their lofty names, have discarded responsibility for their region and ethnic groups and have moved into the realm of protection rackets and self-enrichment. In any case, the pipelines in the Niger Delta are not very effectively "guarded" – the pollution of the Niger Delta with stolen crude oil andillegally produced heavy fuel oil continued unhindered after 2016.[164]
In central Nigeria,conflicts between Muslim Hausa-Fulani herders and indigenous Christian farmers flared up again, especially in Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba and Benue states. In individual cases, these clashes have claimed several hundred lives. Conflict over land and resources is increasing due to the ongoing desertification in northern Nigeria, population growth and the generally tense economic situation.
In June 2022, a massacre took place in the St. Francis Xavier Church, in Owo. The Government blamed ISWAP for the murder of over 50 parishioners, but locals suspect Fulani herdsmen's involvement.[165]
Nigeria's economy is thefourth largest in Africa, the31st-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and30th-largest byPPP. In 2022, itsGDP (PPP) per capita was US$9,148,[166] which is less than South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, but slightly higher than Ghana and Ivory Coast. As of 2023, Nigeria's economy is classified as lower-middle-income.[167]
Before 1999, economic development was hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement. In the decades thereafter, the restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reforms led to rapid growth. In 2011,Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.[168]
Nigeria is an economic leader in Africa in several industries, including energy,financial markets,pharmaceuticals, andentertainment. Itsfinancial services sector is well-developed, with a mix of local and international banks, asset management companies, brokerage houses, insurance companies and brokers, private equity funds, and investment banks.[169] After petroleum, the largest source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria areremittances sent home by Nigerians living abroad.[170]
Nigeria also has an abundant supply of under-exploited natural resources, including coal,bauxite,tantalite, gold,tin, iron ore,limestone,niobium, lead andzinc.[171] The country's gold production in 2015 was 8 metric tons.[172] Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry in Nigeria is still in its infancy.
In 2021, about 23.4% of Nigeria's GDP is contributed by agriculture, forestry and fishing combined.[173] Nigeria is the world's largest producer ofcassava.[174] Further major crops includemaize,rice,millet,yam beans, andguinea corn (sorghum).[175]Cocoa is the principal agricultural export, and one of the country's most significant non-petroleum products.[176][177] Nigeria is also one of the world's top twenty exporters ofnatural rubber, generating $20.9 million in 2019.[178]
Before theNigerian Civil War and theoil boom, Nigeria was self-sufficient in food.[179][180][181] Agriculture used to be the principal foreign exchange earner of Nigeria.[182] Agriculture has failed to keep pace with Nigeria's rapid population growth, and Nigeria now relies upon food imports to sustain itself.[180][183] It spends US$6.7 billion yearly for food imports, four times more than revenues from food export.[174] The Nigerian government promoted the use of inorganic fertilizers in the 1970s.[184]
Nigeria's rice production increased by 10% from 2017/18 to 2021/22 to 5 million tonnes a year,[185] but could hardly keep up with the increased demand. Rice imports therefore remained constant at 2 million tonnes per year. In August 2019, Nigeria closed its border with Benin and other neighbouring countries to stop rice smuggling into the country as part of efforts to boost local production.[186]
Until now, Nigeria exported unhusked rice but had to import husked rice, the country's staple food. – Therice mill in Imota, near Lagos, is intended to handle the corresponding processing at home, improve the balance of trade and the labour market, and save unnecessary costs for transport and middlemen. When fully operational at the end of 2022, the plant, the largest south of the Sahara, is expected to employ 250,000 people and produce 2.5 million 50-kg bags of rice annually.[187]
Nigeria has a total of 159oil fields and 1,481wells in operation according to theDepartment of Petroleum Resources.[194] The most productive region of the nation is the coastalNiger 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.[195] Petrol was Nigeria's main import commodity until 2021, accounting for 24% of import volume.[196]
The Niger Delta Nembe Creek oil field was discovered in 1973 and produces from the middleMiocenedeltaicsandstone-shale in ananticlinestructural trap at a depth of 2 to 4 kilometres (7,000 to 13,000 feet).[197] 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 said it was finalising its interests in four Nigerian oil fields.[198]
The supply of natural gas to Europe, threatened by theRussian invasion of Ukraine, is pushing projects to transport Nigerian natural gas via pipelines to Morocco or Algeria.[199][200][201] As of May 2022, however, there are no results on this yet.
Nigeria's energy consumption is much more than its generation capacity. Most of the energy comes from traditional fossil fuels, which account for 73% of total primary production. The rest is from hydropower (27%). Since independence, Nigeria has tried to develop a domestic nuclear industry for energy. Nigeria opened 2004 a Chinese-origin research reactor atAhmadu Bello University and has sought the support of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency to develop plans for up to 4,000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2027 according to the National Program for the Deployment of Nuclear Power for Generation of Electricity. In 2007, PresidentUmaru Yar'Adua urged the country to embrace nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs. In 2017, Nigeria signed the UNTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.[202] In April 2015, Nigeria began talks with Russia's state-ownedRosatom to collaborate on the design, construction and operation of four nuclear power plants by 2035, the first of which will be in operation by 2025. In June 2015, Nigeria selected two sites for the planned construction of the nuclear plants. Neither the Nigerian government nor Rosatom would disclose the specific locations of the sites, but it is believed that the nuclear plants will be sited inAkwa Ibom State andKogi State. The sites are planned to house two plants each. In 2017 agreements were signed for the construction of theItu nuclear power plant.
Electricity
According to the survey, 94% of Nigerians are connected to the national grid, but only 57% have their electricity consumption recorded by an electricity meter.[203] Only 1% of Nigerians surveyed reported having electricity 24 hours a day. 68% have electricity 1 to 9 hours a day, according to the NIO. Two-thirds of Nigerians, or 66%, pay up to 10,000 Naira (US$13) a month for electricity, which is almost 3% of the average income in Nigeria.[203] Over two-thirds of respondents, or 67%, were willing to pay more for uninterrupted electricity supply. Power generators are owned by 21% of Nigerians, while 14% use solar energy.[203]
Nigeria has a manufacturing industry that includes leather and textiles (centred inKano,Abeokuta,Onitsha, and Lagos), plastics and processed food.Ogun is considered to be Nigeria's current industrial hub, as most factories are located in Ogun and more companies are moving there, followed by Lagos.[204][205][206] The city ofAba in the south-eastern part of the country is well known for handicrafts and shoes, known as "Aba made".[207] Nigeria has a market of 720,000 cars per year, but less than 20% of these are produced domestically.[208]
In June 2019,Nigeria EduSat-1 was deployed from theInternational Space Station. It is the first satellite that was built in Nigeria, which followedmany other Nigerian satellites that were built by other countries.[b][213] In 2021, Nigeria hosts about 60 percent of the pharmaceutical production capacity in Africa,[214] the larger pharmaceutical companies are located inLagos.[215] The pharmaceutical producer with the most employees in Nigeria isEmzor Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.[216] Nigeria has a few electronic manufacturers likeZinox, the first branded Nigerian computer, and manufacturers of electronic gadgets such as tablet PCs.[217] As of January 2022, Nigeria is the host to 5 out of the 7unicorn companies in Africa.[218]
The Nigerian telecommunications market is one of the fastest-growing in the world, with major emerging market operators (likeMTN,9mobile,Airtel andGlobacom) basing their largest and most profitable centres in the country.[219] Nigeria's ICT sector has experienced much growth, representing 10% of the nation's GDP in 2018 as compared to just 1% in 2001.[220] Lagos is regarded as one of the largest technology hubs in Africa with its thriving tech ecosystem.[221] According to a survey by theGSM Association, 92% of adult Nigerian men and 88% of women owned a mobile phone.[222] Using various measures including but not limited to illegal arrest, taking down of websites, passport seizures, and restricted access to bank accounts, theNigerian government is punishing citizens for expressing themselves on the internet and working to stifle internet freedom.[223]
Tourism in Nigeria centres largely on events, because of the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannahs, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.[224]Abuja is home to several parks and green areas. The largest,Millennium Park, was designed by architectManfredi Nicoletti and officially opened in December 2003. After the re-modernization project achieved by the administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola, Lagos is gradually becoming a major tourist destination. Lagos is currently taking steps to become aglobal city. The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originating fromIperu Remo, Ogun State) was a step toward world city status. Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a business-oriented and fast-paced community.[225] Lagos has become an important location for African and black cultural identity.[226]
Due to Nigeria's location in the center of West Africa,transport plays a major role in the national service sector. Government investments have seen an increase in extensive road repairs and new construction has been carried out gradually as states in particular spend their share of increased government allocations. Representative of these improvements is theSecond Niger Bridge near Onitsha, which was largely completed in 2022.[227] A 2017 World Bank report on logistics hubs in Africa placed the country in fourth place, behind Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sao Tome,[228] but in 2021, Nigeria joined the World Logistics Passport, a private sector group working to increase the effiency of global trade.[229]
Nigeria has the largest road network inWest Africa. It covers about 200,000 km, of which 60,000 km are asphalted. Nigeria's roads and highways handle 90% of all passenger and freight traffic. It contributes N2.4trn ($6.4bn) to GDP in 2020. The federal government is responsible for 35,000 km of the road network. The motorway links of important economic centers such asLagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Badagry andEnugu-Onitsha have been renovated.[230]
The rest of the road network is a state matter and therefore in very different shape, depending on which state you are in. Economically strong states such as Lagos,Anambra andRivers receive particularly poor evaluations.[231] Most roads were built in the 1980s and early 1990s. Poor maintenance and inferior materials have worsened the condition of the roads. Travelling is very difficult. Especially during the rainy season, the use of secondary roads is sometimes almost impossible due to potholes.[232] Road bandits often take advantage of this situation for their criminal purposes.[233][234]
The Nigerian aviation industry generated 198.62 billion naira (€400 million) in 2019, representing a contribution of 0.14% to GDP. It was the fastest-growing sector of the Nigerian economy in 2019. Passenger traffic increased from 9,358,166 in 2020 to 15,886,955 in 2021, a significant increase of over 69%. Aircraft movements increased by more than 46% from 2020 to 2021. Total freight volumes were 191 tonnes in 2020 but increased to 391 tonnes in 2021.[235] In December 2021, theAnambra International Cargo Airport started its operation.[236] In April 2022, the second terminal of theMurtala Muhammed International Airport has been inaugurated. It will increase the capacity of the airport to 14 million passengers per year.[237]
Nigeria had in the past operated a state-owned airlineNigeria Airways which was over-indebted in 2003 and was bought by the BritishVirgin Group; since 28 June 2005, it has flown under the nameVirgin Nigeria Airways. At the end of 2008, the Virgin Group announced its withdrawal from the airline; since September 2009 the airline has been operating as Nigerian Eagle Airlines. The largest airline in Nigeria is privately ownedAir Peace, founded in 2012.
Population density (persons per square kilometre) in Nigeria
TheUnited Nations estimates that the population of Nigeria in 2021 was at 213,401,323[238][239], distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre. 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% were aged 55–64, and 3.1% were aged 65 years or older. The median age in 2017 was 18.4 years.[240] Nigeria is theworld's sixth-most populous country. 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.[240] Nigeria's population increased by 57 million from 1990 to 2008, a 60% growth rate in less than two decades.[241] Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa[242] and accounts for about 17% of the continent's total population as of 2017; however, exactly how populous is a subject of speculation.[243]
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 theNigerian American populace. Individuals in many such Diasporic communities have joined the "Egbe Omo Yoruba" society, a national association of Yoruba descendants in North America.[244][245] Nigeria's largest city isLagos. Lagos has grown from about 300,000 in 1950[246] to an estimated 13.4 million in 2017.[247]
Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The three largest ethnic groups are theHausa,Yoruba andIgbo, together accounting for more than 60% of the population, while theEdo,Ijaw,Fulɓe,Kanuri,Urhobo-Isoko,Ibibio,Ebira,Nupe,Gbagyi,Jukun,Igala,Idoma,Ogoni andTiv account for between 35 and 40%; other minorities make up the remaining 5%.[248] TheMiddle Belt of Nigeria is known for its diversity of ethnic groups, including theAtyap,Berom, Goemai, Igala,Kofyar, Pyem, andTiv.[142][249][250] There are small minorities of British, American,Indian,Chinese (est. 50,000),[251]white Zimbabwean,[252] Japanese, Greek, Syrian and Lebanese immigrants. Immigrants also include those from other West African or East African nations.
Five hundred and twenty-five languages have been spoken in Nigeria; out of these 525 languages, eight are now extinct.[253] 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.Nigerian Pidgin English, first used by British andAfrican slavers to facilitate theAtlantic slave trade in the late 17th century,[254] has replaced the native language for many Nigerians. 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 and English.[citation needed]
The major languages spoken in Nigeria represent three major families oflanguages of Africa: the majority areNiger-Congo languages, such asIgbo,Yoruba,Ibibio,Ijaw,Fulfulde,Ogoni, andEdo.Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily inBorno andYobe State, is part of theNilo-Saharan family, andHausa is anAfroasiatic language. Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their languages, English as the official language is widely used for education, business transactions and 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.
With the majority of Nigeria's populace in 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 several 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 popularlingua franca, though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang. The pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the Niger Delta Region.[255]
Nigeria is a religiously diverse society, with Nigerians nearly equally divided into Muslims and Christians, with a tiny minority of adherents oftraditional African religions and other religions.[257] The Christian share of Nigeria's population is in decline because of the lowerfertility rate compared to Muslims in the country.[258] As in other parts of Africa where Islam and Christianity are dominant, religioussyncretism with the traditional African religions is common.[259]
A 2012 report on religion and public life by thePew Research Center stated that in 2010, 49.3% of Nigeria's population was Christian, 48.8% was Muslim, and 1.9% were followers of indigenous and other religions (such as theBori in the North) or unaffiliated.[260] 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.[261] The 2010 census ofAssociation 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.[262] 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.[263][264][265] According to a 2018 estimate in TheWorld Factbook by theCIA, the population is estimated to be 53.5% Muslim, 45.9% Christian (10.6% Roman Catholic and 35.3% Protestant and other Christian), and 0.6% as other.[266]
Islam dominates northwestern Nigeria and northeastern Nigeria (Kanuri, Fulani and other groups). In the west, theYoruba people are predominantly Christian with a significant Muslim minority in addition to a few adherents of traditional religions.[267]Protestant and locally cultivated Christianity are widely practised in Western areas, whileRoman Catholicism is a more prominent Christian feature of southeastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in the Ibibio,Efik,Ijo andOgoni lands of the south. TheIgbos (predominant in the east) and theIbibio (south) are 98% Christian, with 2% practising traditional religions.[268] Themiddle belt of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who were found to be majority Christians and members of traditional religions, with a significant Muslim minority.[269]
Health care delivery in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country, and the private sector.[270] Nigeria has been reorganising its health system since theBamako 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.[271] 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.[272]
Almost half of Nigerians, or 48%, report that they or a household member has fallen ill in the last three months.Malaria had been diagnosed in 88% of the cases andtyphoid fever in 32%.[273] High blood pressure was in third place with 8%. For symptoms of malaria, 41% of Nigerians turn to ahospital, 22% to a chemist's shop, 21% to a pharmacy and 11% seek cure through herbs.[273]
TheHIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria is much lower than in other African nations such as Botswana or South Africa whose prevalence (percentage) rates are in the double digits. As of 2019[update], theHIV prevalence rate among adults of ages 15–49 was 1.5 per cent.[274]Life expectancy in Nigeria is 54.7 years on average,[274] and 71% and 39% of the population have access to improved water sources and improvedsanitation, respectively.[275] As of 2019[update], the infant mortality is 74.2 deaths per 1,000live births.[276]
In 2012, a new bone marrow donor program was launched by theUniversity of Nigeria to help people withleukaemia,lymphoma, orsickle cell disease to find a compatible donor for a life-savingbone marrow transplant, which cures them of their conditions. Nigeria became the second African country to have successfully carried out this surgery.[277] In the2014 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 ofcontact tracing employed by Nigeria became an effective method later used by countries such as the United States when Ebola threats were discovered.[278][279][280]
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.[281]
Education in Nigeria is overseen by theMinistry 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 intokindergarten,primary education,secondary education andtertiary 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%).[282]
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. Nearly 10.5 million Nigerian children aged 5–14 years are not in school. Only 61% of 6–11 year-olds regularly attend primary school.[283] 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.[282] 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 138 universities, with 40 federally owned, 39 state-owned, and 59 privately owned. Nigeria was ranked 113th in theGlobal Innovation Index in 2024.[284]
The security situation in Nigeria is considered inadequate despite political stability. 68% of Nigerians feel "not safe" in their country. 77% do not know of an alarm number ("helpline") for emergencies.[285]Nigerians, according to the above survey, fear being robbed (24%) or kidnapped (also 24%), being victims of armed bandits or of petty theft (both 8%), or being harmed in the herdsmen-farmers conflict (also 8%).[285] This is followed by "ritual killings" (4%) and "Boko Haram" (3.5%). Respondents see "more security personnel and better training" (37%), "reduction of unemployment" (13%) and "prayers / divine intervention" (8%) as promising countermeasures.[285]
Homicides by Nigerian state per year and per 1 million inhabitants, comparing the UK and Turkey (Source: Nigeria Security Tracker 1/2020-6/2023)
The number of homicides in Nigeria varies greatly depending on the state. Metropoles such asLagos,Kano andIbadan seem much safer than rural areas. Kano has better statistics than theUK, with one and one-half homicides per year and one million inhabitants – which can be explained by the fact that the region's religious and morality police not only monitor the morality of the inhabitants and crack down on drug users, but also have a curbing effect on murder and manslaughter.[286] This contrasts with other cities that are also Islamic, such asMaiduguri andKaduna, which have worrying statistics on homicides.
There is somepiracy in the Gulf of Guinea, with attacks directed at all types of vessels. However, security measures on board of mentioned vessels have recently meant that pirates are now more likely to attack fishing villages.[287]
Internationally, Nigeria is infamous for a type ofadvance-fee scam along with a form ofconfidence trick. The victim is talked into sending money or bank account information to the scammer on the premise that a larger amount of money will be transferred to them. In reality, the scammer collects money from the victim with no payout occurring.[288] In 2003, the NigerianEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission was created to combat this and other forms of organised financial crime.[289] The EFCC is quite active.[290][291][292]
The total expenditure of food and non-food produce a poverty incidence of 60.2 percent or 89,096,000 Nigerians living inpoverty. This measure is used for poverty headcount comparison across countries. Poverty Line is N54,401.16.
According to theInternational Monetary Fund, 32% of Nigeria's population lives in extreme poverty (as of 2017), living on less than US$2.15 a day.[293] TheWorld Bank stated in March 2022 that the number of poor Nigerians had increased by 5 million to 95.1 million during the Covid period.[294] Accordingly, 40% of Nigerians live below the poverty line of US$1.90 as handled by the World Bank.[295]
The threshold amounts used internationally by the IMF and the World Bank do not take into account the local purchasing power of a US dollar.[citation needed] The methodology is therefore not without controversy.[296][297] Despite the undoubted existence of slums in Nigeria, for example, the fact that 92% of men and 88% of women in Nigeria own a mobile phone[298] is difficult to reconcile with the poverty percentages published by the IMF and the World Bank.
End SARS is a decentralised social movement and series of mass protests againstpolice brutality in Nigeria.
Nigeria's human rights record remains poor.[299] According to the U.S. Department of State,[299] the most significant human rights problems are the 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 prostitution and forced labour, societal violence and vigilante killings,child labour, child abuse andchild sexual exploitation,domestic violence, discrimination based on ethnicity, region and religion.
Women face a large amount of inequality Politically in Nigeria, being subjugated to a bias that issexist and reinforced by socio-cultural, economic and oppressive ways.[311] Women throughout the country were only politicallyemancipated in 1979.[312] Yet husbands continue to dictate the votes for many women, which upholds the patriarchal system.[313] Most workers in theinformal sector are women.[314] Women's representation in government since independence from Britain is very poor. Women have been reduced to sideline roles in appointive posts throughout all levels of government and still make up a tiny minority of elected officials.[313] But nowadays with more education available to the public, Nigerian women are taking steps to have more active roles in the public, and with the help of different initiatives, more businesses are being started by women.
Under theShari'a penal code that applies to Muslims in twelve northern states, offences such as alcohol consumption,homosexuality,[315] infidelity and theft carry harsh sentences, including amputation, lashing, stoning and long prison terms.[316] Nigeria is considered to be one of the mosthomophobic countries in the world.[317][318][319] In the 23 years up to September 2022, university workers in Nigeria went on strike 17 times, for a total of 57 months.[320] As a result, the 2022 summer semester was cancelled nationwide.[321]
The earliest known form of popular music in Nigeria was thepalm-wine music which dominated the music landscape in the 1920s.Tunde King was a prominent name in the genre.[322][323]
The 1930s saw the emergence of Onitsha Native Orchestra. They explored various social themes and trends in their native singing style.[322][323]
The 1970s was the era ofFela Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat genre – fused fromHighlife,Jazz andYoruba Music. Fela later evolved into social activism and black consciousness.[322][323]
By the 1990s, reggae music transitioned into the music scene. Prominent reggae artiste of the era wasMajek Fashek. By the mid-1990s,Hip hop Music began to gain popularity, led by acts such asRemedies, Trybes Men, JJC, etc. Throughout the years,highlife music retained its popularity in the country.
At the turn of the century, famous 2000s acts likeP-Square,2face, andDbanj were credited to have made tremendous impact in the evolution ofAfrobeats and its popularization on the international stage.[325][326][327]
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.[328] Over a decade later, the Afrobeat genre has widely taken over, with artist likeDavido,Wizkid andBurna Boy.
The Nigerian film industry is known asNollywood (ablend of "Nigeria" and "Hollywood")[330] and is now the second-largest producer of movies in the world, having surpassed Hollywood. Only India'sBollywood is larger. Nigerianfilm studios are based inLagos,Kano, andEnugu, and form a major portion of the local economy of these cities. Nigerian cinema isAfrica'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 affordabledigital filming and editing technologies.The 2009 thriller filmThe Figurine heightened the media attention towards theNew Nigerian Cinema revolution. The film was a critical and commercial success in Nigeria, and it was also screened in international film festivals.[331] The 2010 filmIjé by Chineze Anyaene, overtookThe Figurine to become thehighest-grossing Nigerian film; a record it held for four years until it was overtaken in 2014 byHalf of a Yellow Sun (2013).[332][333] By 2016, this record was held byThe Wedding Party byKemi Adetiba.
By the end of 2013, the film industry reportedly hit a record-breaking revenue of ₦1.72 trillion (US$4.1 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 theUnited States andIndia. 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.[334][335]
T.B. Joshua'sEmmanuel TV, originating from Nigeria, is one of the most viewed television stations across Africa.[336]
Ofala Festival of Onitsha PeopleAnnual Sallah Durbar procession in Bauchi
There are manyfestivals 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.[337] The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has been working with the states to upgrade the traditional festivals, which may become important sources of tourism revenue.[338]
Masa Suya With Pepper Sauce Akara NkwobiJollof rice with fried fish and plantain, garnished with cucumber and tomatoesPuff-puffPounded yamGarri
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 withpalm oil orgroundnut oil to create deeply flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot withchilli peppers. Nigerian feasts are colourful and lavish, while aromatic market and roadside snacks cooked on barbecues or fried in oil are plentiful and varied.Suya is usually sold in urban areas especially during night-time.[339]
The fashion industry in Nigeria contributes significantly to the country's economics. Casual attire is commonly worn but formal and traditional styles are also worn depending on the occasion. Nigeria is known not only for its fashionable textiles and garments, but also for its fashion designers who have increasingly gained international recognition.Euromonitor estimates theSub-Saharan fashionmarket to be worth $31 billion, with Nigeria accounting for 15% of these $31 billion.[340] Nigeria is not only known for their many fashion textiles and garment pieces that are secret to their culture. They also outputted many fashion designers who have developed many techniques and businesses along the way.
Nigeria is also involved in other sports such as basketball, cricket and track and field.[341]Nigeria's national basketball team made the headlines internationally when it became the first African team to beat theUnited States men's national team.[342] In earlier years, Nigeria qualified for the2012 Summer Olympics as it beat heavily favoured world elite teams such asGreece andLithuania.[343] Nigeria has been home to numerous internationally recognised basketball players in the world's top leagues in America, Europe and Asia. These players includeBasketball Hall of FamerHakeem Olajuwon, and later players in theNBA. TheNigerian Premier League has become one of the biggest and most-watched basketball competitions in Africa. The games have aired onKwese TV and have averaged a viewership of over a million people.[344]
Nigeria made history by qualifying the firstbobsled team for theWinter Olympics from Africa when their women's two-person team qualified forthe bobsled competition at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.[345] 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.[346] In 2018, the Nigerian Curling Federation was established to introduce a new sport to the country in order to make the game part of the curriculum at the elementary, high school, and university levels. At the2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Norway, Nigeria won their first international match beating France 8–5.[347]
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