Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
federal republicIndependence 1 October 1960 (from UK)
Nigeria as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 130 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Despite some irregularities, the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history.
Geography
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
18 fieldsLand useshare of 923,768 sq km
Terrain
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land
Environment - current issues
- soil degradation;
- rapid deforestation;
- urban air and water pollution;
- desertification;
- oil pollution - water, air, and soil;
- has suffered serious damage from oil spills;
- loss of arable land;
- rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea
People
20 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.91 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne disease:
- malaria
- respiratory disease:
- meningococcal meningitis
- aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:
- one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever (2004)
Ethnic groups
- Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups;
- the following are the most populous and politically influential:
Government
Federal republic; President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 359 seats, elected 12 April 2003seats by party
Percent of vote
Capital
- Abuja;
- note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja;
- most federal government offices have now moved to Abuja
Administrative divisions
36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara
Legal system
based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Federal Executive Council
- elections:
- president is elected by popular vote for no more than two four-year terms; election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
- election results:
- Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6%
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats - 3 from each state plus one from Abuja, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (346 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%;
- seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6;
- House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%;
- seats by party - PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD 34, other 6;
- note - one seat is vacant
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President);
- Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee)
Political parties and leaders
- Alliance for Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR];
- All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET];
- All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Chekwas OKORIE];
- National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI];
- Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Dr. Ahmadu ALI];
- Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA];
- Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE];
- United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Saleh JAMBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force or NDPVF [Mujahid Dokubo ASARI]; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC [Adams OSHIOMOLE]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Professor George A. OBIOZOR
- chancery:
- 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 986-8400
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 775-1385
- consulate(s) general:
- Atlanta and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John CAMPBELL
- embassy:
- 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 554, Lagos
- telephone:
- [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205
- FAX:
- [234] (9) 523-0353
Economy
Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under the new civilian administration.
45 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under the new civilian administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues.
The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms.
Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry.
During 2003 the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. GDP rose strongly in 2004.
Agriculture - products
- cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber;
- cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
- timber;
- fish
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, small commercial ship construction and repair
Imports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
Exchange rates
nairas per US dollar - 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002), 111.23 (2001), 101.7 (2000)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- an inadequate system, further limited by poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been made
- domestic:
- intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable;
- mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available
- international:
- country code - 234;
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean);
- fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Television broadcast stations
3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002)
Transportation
10 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Highways
- total:
- 194,394 km
- paved:
- 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 134,326 km (1999 est.)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 46 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 327,808 GRT/608,076 DWT
- by type:
- cargo 5, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 1
- foreign-owned:
- 3 (Norway 2, Pakistan 1)
- registered in other countries:
- 25 (2005)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north;
- Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakassi Peninsula, then agreed, but has yet to withdraw its forces while much of the indigenous population opposes cession;
- in 2004, some 17,000 Nigerian refugees fleeing ethnic conflicts between pastoralists and farmers in 2002 still reside in Cameroon;
- the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, the unresolved Bakasi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation;
- a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Benin on the Okpara River;
- only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes Chad and Niger
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999) (2004)
Illicit drugs
- a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets;
- safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide;
- major money-laundering center;
- massive corruption and criminal activity;
- remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nigeria.” The World Factbook 2005. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nigeria/2005.