Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
military governmentIndependence 1 October 1960 (from UK)
Nigeria as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 98 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin | and Cameroon
17 fieldsLand useshare of 923,770 sq km
Terrain
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
Environment-current issues
- soil degradation;
- rapid deforestation;
- desertification;
- recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 45% (male 24,871,855; female 24,661,134)
- 15-64 years:
- 52% (male 29,420,428; female 28,343,567)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 1,627,452; female 1,607,806) (July 1998 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.01 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Government
Military government; Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR (since 9 June 1998); Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR (since 9 June 1998)
19 fieldsGovernment type
- military government;
- Nigeria has been ruled by one military regime after another since 31 December 1983;
- on 1 October 1995, the present military government announced it will turn power over to democratically elected civilian authorities on 1 October 1998
National capital
Abuja note: on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of facilities in Abuja
Administrative divisions
30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Federal Capital Territory*, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe; note: the government has announced the creation of six additional states named Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nassarawa, and Zamfara as part of the process of transition to a civilian government
Constitution
- 1979 constitution still partially in force;
- plan for 1989 constitution to take effect in 1993 was not implemented;
- draft 1995 constitution has not been published;
- the military government rules by decree
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR (since 9 June 1998); note-the chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces Gen. Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR (since 9 June 1998); note-the chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Federal Executive Council (chaired by the Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council)
- elections:
- none; on 9 June 1998, the Provisional Ruling Council appointed Gen. Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR as their new Chairman to replace Gen. Sani ABACHA who died in office; Gen. ABUBAKAR immediately pledged a program to return the government to civilian rule as promised by Gen. ABACHA
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly, comprising a 109-member Senate and a 360-member House of Representatives
note: the National Assembly was suspended after the military takeover of 17 November 1993; in October 1995, the government announced a three-year program for transition to civilian rule;
elections to the National Assembly took place 25 April 1998 for a term starting 1 October 1998; the election was substantially boycotted by the opposition and the legislature is unlikely to be representative of the electorate
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court, judges appointed by the Provisional Ruling Council;
- Federal Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee
Political parties and leaders
- political party system, which was suspended after the military takeover of 17 November 1993, was reestablished by the Provisional Ruling Council on 30 September 1996 with the registration of five of 15 competing political parties;
- these were the United Nigeria Congress Party or UNCP [Isa MOHAMMED, chairman];
- National Center Party of Nigeria or NCPN [Magaji ABDULLAHI, chairman];
- Grassroots Democratic Movement or GDM [Alhaji Gambo LAWAN, chairman];
- Committee for National Consensus or CNC [Barnabas GEMADE, chairman];
- Democratic Party of Nigeria or DPN [Saleh HASSAN, chairman]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, C (suspended), CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Wakili Hassan ADAMU
- chancery:
- 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 986-8400
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador William TWADDELL
- embassy:
- 2 Louis Farrakhan Crescent, Lagos
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 554, Lagos
- telephone:
- [234] (1) 261-0097
Economy
The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be | hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic | management.
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1996 est.)
Budget(1998 est.)
Economy-overview
The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management. Nigeria's unpopular military rulers have failed to make significant progress in diversifying the economy away from overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector which provides 30% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 80% of budgetary revenues.
The government's resistance to initiating greater transparency and accountability in managing the country's multibillion dollar oil earnings continues to limit economic growth and prevent an agreement with the IMF and bilateral creditors on debt relief. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Agricultural production in 1996 suffered from severe shortages of fertilizer, and production of fertilizer fell even further in 1997.
Labor force
- total:
- 42.844 million
- by occupation:
- agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 15%
Industries
crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel
Agriculture-products
- cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber;
- cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
- fishing and forest resources extensively exploited
Exports
- total value:
- $15 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
- partners:
- US 40%, EU 21% (1995)
Imports
- total value:
- $8 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
- commodities:
- machinery, chemicals, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food and animals
- partners:
- EU 50%, US 12%, Japan 7%
Exchange rates
naira (N) per US$1-21.886 (December 1997), 21.886 (1997), 21.895 (1995), 21.996 (1994), 22.065 (1993)
Telephone system
average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and 20 domestic satellite earth stations carry intercity traffic
- international:
- satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 1 coaxial submarine cable
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 39 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Highways
- total:
- 32,105 km
- paved:
- 26,005 km (including 2,044 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 6,100 km (1994 est.)
note: many of the roads reported as paved may be graveled; because of poor maintenance, much of the road system is barely useable
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes-international
- demarcation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria;
- dispute with Cameroon over land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the ICJ with a ruling expected in 1998;
- maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed jurisdiction over oil-rich areas in the Gulf of Guinea
Illicit drugs
- facilitates movement of heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and North America;
- increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South America intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets NIUE (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nigeria.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nigeria/1998.