THE REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
FLAG :
Green colour stands for Agriculture and white for peace and unity
36 states
Capital
cities:
-Abuja
-Lagos
Geography
Area: 923.8 thousand sq. km. (356,700 sq. mi.) about the size of California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Cities: Capital--Abuja (pop. est. 452,000). Other cities--Kano (9.3 million), Lagos (9.01 million), Ibadan (5 million), Enugu
(500,000). Terrain: Ranges from southern coastal swamps to tropical forests, open woodlands, grasslands, and semi-desert in
the far north. The highest regions are the Jos Plateau 1,200-2,400 meters above sea level and the mountains along the border
with Cameroon. Climate: Annual rainfall ranges from 381 cm. along the coast to 64 cm. or less in the far north.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Nigerian(s).
Population (2006 est.): 140 million. Total fertility rate (avg. number of children per woman): 5.7. Ethnic groups
(250): Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, and Kanuri are the largest.
Religions: Muslim, Christian, indigenous African. Languages: English (official), Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulani,
Kanuri, others. Education: Attendance (secondary)--male 32%, female 27%. Literacy--39%-51%. Health: Life
expectancy (2004 est.)--43.7 years.
Government
Type: Federal republic.
Independence: October 1, 1960.
Constitution: The 1999 constitution (based largely on the 1979 constitution) was promulgated by decree on May
5, 1999 and came into force on May 29, 1999.
Subdivisions: 36 states plus Federal Capital Territory (Abuja); states divided into a total of 774 local government
areas. Total government expenditure (2006 budget): $14 billion.
Defense: 4.5% of 2006 budget.
Economy
Nominal GDP (2007 est.): $175 billion (2006 data: agriculture 26.8%; industry 48.8%; services 24.4%).
Real GDP growth rate (2007 est.): 6.3%. Oil growth: -5.6%. Non-oil growth: 9.6%.
Per capita GDP (2007 est.): $1,158.
Inflation (2007): 5.4%.
Natural resources: Oil and natural gas (37% of 2006 GDP), tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc.
Agriculture: Products--cocoa, palm oil, yams, cassava, sorghum, millet, corn, rice, livestock, groundnuts, cotton.
Industry: Types--textiles, cement, food products, footwear, metal products, lumber, beer, detergents, car
assembly.
Trade (2005): Exports--$59 billion: petroleum (95%); cocoa; rubber. Partners--United States (52.5%); Spain
(8.2%); Brazil (6.1%). Imports--$25 billion: machinery; chemicals; transport equipment; manufactured goods;
food; live animals. Partners-- China 10.4%; U.S. 7.3%; U.K. 6.7%; Netherlands 6.2%.
History
In the northern cities of Kano and Katsina, recorded history dates back to about 1000 AD. In the centuries that
followed, these Hausa kingdoms and the Bornu empire near Lake Chad prospered as important terminals of
north-south trade between North African Berbers and forest people who exchanged slaves, ivory, and kola nuts
for salt, glass beads, coral, cloth, weapons, brass rods, and cowrie shells used as currency.
In the southwest, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded about 1400, and at its height from the 17th to 19th
centuries attained a high level of political organization and extended as far as modern Togo. In the south central
part of present-day Nigeria, as early as the 15th and 16th centuries, the kingdom of Benin had developed an
efficient army; an elaborate ceremonial court; and artisans whose works in ivory, wood, bronze, and brass are
prized throughout the world today. In the 17th through 19th centuries, European traders established coastal ports
for the increasing traffic in slaves destined for the Americas. Commodity trade, especially in palm oil and timber,
replaced slave trade in the 19th century, particularly under anti-slavery actions by the British Navy. In the early
19th century the Fulani leader, Usman dan Fodio, promulgated Islam and that brought most areas in the north
under the loose control of an empire centered in Sokoto.
Virtually all the native races of Africa are represented in Nigeria, hence the great diversity of her people and
culture. It was in Nigeria that the Bantu and SemiBantu, migrating from southern and central Africa, intermingled
with the Sudanese. Later, other groups such as Shuwa-Arabs, the Tuaregs, and the Fulanis, who are
concentrated in the far north, entered northern Nigeria in migratory waves across the Sahara Desert. The earliest
occupants of Nigeria settled in the forest belt and in the Niger Delta region.Today there are estimated to be more
than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. While no single group enjoys an absolute numeric majority, four major groups
constitute 60% of the population: Hausa-Fulani in the north, Yoruba in the west, and Igbo in the east. Other
groups include: Kanuri, Binis, Ibibio, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Efik, Nupe, Tiv, and Jukun.
Empires
Kanem-Borno: While there is no direct evidence to link the people of the Jos Plateau with the Nok
culture, or the Eze Nri of today with Igbo Ukwu, the history of Borno dates back to the 9th Century
when Arabic writers in north Africa first noted the kingdom of Kanem east of Lake Chad. Bolstered by
trade with the Nile region and Trans-Saharan routes, the empire prospered. In the next centuries,
complex political and social systems were developed, particularly after the Bulala invasion in the 14th
Century. The empire moved from Kanem to Borno, hence the name. The empire lasted for 1,000
years (until the 19th Century) despite challenges from the HausaFulani in the west and Jukun from
the south.
Hausa-Fulani: To the west of Borno around 1,000 A.D., the Hausa were building similar states
around Kano, Zaria, Daura, Katsina, and Gobir. However, unlike the Kanuri, no ruler among these
states ever became powerful enough to impose his will over the others. Although the Hausa had
common languages, culture, and Islamic religion, they had no common king. Kano, the most powerful
of these states, controlled much of the Hausa land in the 16th and 17th Centuries, but conflicts with
the surrounding states ended this dominance. Because of these conflicts, the Fulanis, led by Usman
Dan Fodio in 1804, successfully challenged the Hausa States and set up the Hausa-Fulani Caliphate
with headquarters in Sokoto, commanding a broad area from Katsina in the far north to Ilorin, across
the River Niger.
Yoruba: In the west, the Yoruba developed complex, powerful city-states. The first of these important
states was Ile-Ife, which according to Yoruba mythology was the center of the universe. Ife is the site
of a unique art form first uncovered in thel93Os. Naturalistic terracotta, bronze heads and other
artifacts dating as far back as the 10th Century show just how early the Yoruba developed an
advanced civilization. Later, other Yoruba cities challenged Ife for supremacy, and Oyo became the
most powerful West African kingdom in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The armies of the Oyo king
(Alafin) dominated other Yoruba cities and even forced tribute from the ruler of Dahomey. Internal
power struggles and the Fulani expansion to the south caused the collapse of Oyo in the early 19th
Century.
Benin: Benin developed into a major kingdom during the same period that Oyo was becoming
dominant to the west. Although the people of Benin are primarily Edo, not Yoruba, they share with Ife
and Oyo many of the same origins, and there is much evidence of cultural and artistic interchange
between the kingdoms. The King (Oba) oE Benin was considered semi-divine and controlled a
complex bureaucracy, a large army, and a diversified economy. Benin's power reached its apex in the
16th Century.
A British Sphere of Influence
Following the Napoleonic wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. In 1885, British claims to a
sphere of influence in that area received international recognition and, in the following year, the Royal Niger
Company was chartered. In 1900, the company's territory came under the control of the British Government,
which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria. In 1914, the area was formally united as the
"Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria."
Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos colony. Western
education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with
consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. Following World War II, 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, increasingly federal, basis.
Independence
Nigeria was granted full independence in October 1960, as a federation of three regions (northern, western, and
eastern) under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary form of government. Under the constitution, each
of the three regions retained a substantial measure of self-government. The federal government was given
exclusive powers in defense and security, foreign relations, and commercial and fiscal policies. In October 1963,
Nigeria altered its relationship with the United Kingdom by proclaiming itself a federal republic and promulgating a
new constitution. A fourth region (the midwest) was established that year. From the outset, Nigeria's ethnic,
regional, and religious tensions were magnified by the significant disparities in economic and educational
development between the south and the north.
On January 15, 1966, a small group of army officers, mostly southeastern Igbos, overthrew the government and
assassinated the federal prime minister and the premiers of the northern and western regions. The federal
military government that assumed power was unable to quiet ethnic tensions or produce a constitution
acceptable to all sections of the country. Its efforts to abolish the federal structure greatly raised tensions and led
to another coup in July. The coup-related massacre of thousands of Igbo in the north prompted hundreds of
thousands of them to return to the southeast, where increasingly strong Igbo secessionist sentiment emerged.
In a move that gave greater autonomy to minority ethnic groups, the military divided the four regions into 12
states. The Igbo rejected attempts at constitutional revisions and insisted on full autonomy for the east. Finally, in
May 1967, Lt. Col. Emeka Ojukwu, the military governor of the eastern region, who emerged as the leader of
increasing Igbo secessionist sentiment, declared the independence of the eastern region as the "Republic of
Biafra." The ensuing civil war was bitter and bloody, ending in the defeat of Biafra in 1970.
Following the civil war, reconciliation was rapid and effective, and the country turned to the task of economic
development. Foreign exchange earnings and government revenues increased spectacularly with the oil price
rises of 1973-74. On July 29, 1975, Gen. Murtala Muhammed and a group of fellow officers staged a bloodless
coup, accusing Gen. Yakubu Gowon's military government of delaying the promised return to civilian rule and
becoming corrupt and ineffective. General Muhammed replaced thousands of civil servants and announced a
timetable for the resumption of civilian rule by October 1, 1979. Muhammed also announced the government's
intention to create new states and to construct a new federal capital in the center of the country.
General Muhammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976, in an abortive coup. His chief of staff, Lt. Gen.
Olusegun Obasanjo, became head of state. Obasanjo adhered meticulously to the schedule for return to civilian
rule, moving to modernize and streamline the armed forces and seeking to use oil revenues to diversify and
develop the country's economy. Seven new states were created in 1976, bringing the total to 19. The process of
creating additional states continued until, in 1996, there were 36.
The Obasanjo (former president)
The emergence of a democratic Nigeria in May 1999 ended 16 years of consecutive military rule. Olusegun
Obasanjo became the steward of a country suffering economic stagnation and the deterioration of most of its
democratic institutions. Obasanjo, a former general, was admired for his stand against the Abacha dictatorship,
his record of returning the federal government to civilian rule in 1979, and his claim to represent all Nigerians
regardless of religion.
The new President took over a country that faced many problems, including a dysfunctional bureaucracy,
collapsed infrastructure, and a military that wanted a reward for returning quietly to the barracks. The President
moved quickly and retired hundreds of military officers who held political positions, established a blue-ribbon
panel to investigate human rights violations, ordered the release of scores of persons held without charge, and
rescinded a number of questionable licenses and contracts let by the previous military regimes. The government
also moved to recover millions of dollars in funds secreted in overseas accounts.
Current president:
- Umaru Yara`’ adua