Nigeria

agricultural land:

78%;

• arable land 37.3%;
• permanent crops 7.4%;
• permanent pasture 33.3%

forest:

9.5%

other:

12.5% (2011 est.)

• largest population of any African nation;
• significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest

• 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

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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Nigerian(s)

adjective:

Nigerian

• Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups;
• the most populous and politically influential are:
  • Hausa and the Fulani 29%,
  • Yoruba 21%,
  • Igbo (Ibo) 18%,
  • Ijaw 10%,
  • Kanuri 4%,
  • Ibibio 3.5%,
  • Tiv 2.5%

• largest population of any African nation;
• significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.91 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

water contact diseases:

leptospirosis and schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:

Lassa fever

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

total:

7.7%

male:

NA

female:

NA (2015 est.)

conventional long form:

Federal Republic of Nigeria

conventional short form:

Nigeria

etymology:

named for the Niger River that flows through the west of the country to the Atlantic Ocean; from a native term "Ni Gir" meaning "River Gir"

name:

Abuja

geographic coordinates:

9 05 N, 7 32 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

several previous; latest adopted 5 May 1999, effective 29 May 1999

amendments:

• proposed by the National Assembly;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses and approval by the Houses of Assembly of at least two-thirds of the states;
• amendments to constitutional articles on the creation of a new state, fundamental constitutional rights, or constitution-amending procedures requires at least four-fifths majority vote by both houses of the National Assembly and approval by the Houses of Assembly in at least two-thirds of the states;
• passage of amendments limited to the creation of a new state require at least two-thirds majority by the proposing National Assembly house and approval by the Houses of Assembly in two-thirds of the states;
• amended several times, last in 2012 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Nigeria

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

15 years

chief of state:

President Maj. Gen. (ret.) Muhammadu BUHARI (since 29 May 2015); Vice President Oluyemi "Yemi" OSINBAJO (since 29 May 2015); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Maj.Gen. (ret.) Muhammadu BUHARI (since 29 May 2015); Vice President Oluyemi "Yemi" OSINBAJO (since 29 May 2015)

cabinet:

Federal Executive Council appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by 'qualified' majority popular vote and at least 25% of the votes cast in 24 of Nigeria's 36 states;
• president elected for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 28-29 March 2015 (next to be held on 19 February 2019)

election results:

Muhammadu BUHARI elected president; percent of vote - Muhammadu BUHARI (APC) 54%, Goodluck JONATHAN (PDP) 45%, other 1%

description:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats - 3 each for the 36 states and 1 for Abuja; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) and the House of Representatives (360 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

Senate - last held on 28-29 March 2015 (next to be held in February 2019); House of Representatives - last held on 28-29 March 2015 (next to be held in 2019)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - APC 60, PDP 49;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - APC 225, PDP 125, other 10

note: Senate - seats by party as of April 2017 - APC 66, PDP 43 (with continuing defections to the APC)

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 15 justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a 23-member independent body of federal and state judicial officials;
• judge appointments confirmed by the Senate;
• judges serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• Federal High Court;
• High Court of the Federal Capital Territory;
• Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory;
• Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory;
• state court system similar in structure to federal system

• Accord Party or ACC [Mohammad Lawal MALADO]
• All Progressives Congress or APC [John Odigie OYEGUN]
• All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]
• Democratic Peoples Party or DPP [Biodun OGUNBIYI]
• Labor Party or LP [Alhai Abdulkadir ABDULSALAM]
• Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Ali Modu SHERIFF]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Hakeem Toyin BALOGUN (since 27 August 2015)

chancery:

3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 986-8400

FAX:

[1] (202) 362-6541

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON (since 1 December 2016)

embassy:

Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja

mailing address:

P. O. Box 5760, Garki, Abuja

telephone:

[234] (9) 461-4000

FAX:

[234] (9) 461-4036

consulate(s):

Lagos

• three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green;
• the color green represents the forests and abundant natural wealth of the country, white stands for peace and unity

name:

"Arise Oh Compatriots, Nigeria's Call Obey"

lyrics/music:

John A. ILECHUKWU, Eme Etim AKPAN, B. A. OGUNNAIKE, Sotu OMOIGUI and P. O. ADERIBIGBE/Benedict Elide ODIASE

note: adopted 1978; lyrics are a mixture of the five top entries in a national contest

• cocoa, peanuts, cotton, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (manioc, tapioca), yams, rubber;
• cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
• timber;
• fish

• crude oil, coal, tin, columbite;
• rubber products, wood;
• hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel

agriculture:

70%

industry:

10%

services:

20% (1999 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.8%

highest 10%:

38.2% (2010 est.)

general assessment:

further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed; network quality remains a problem

domestic:

• fixed-line subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular services growing rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network;
• multiple cellular providers operate nationally with subscribership base over 80 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 234;
• landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia;
• satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2016)

• nearly 70 federal government-controlled national and regional TV stations;
• all 36 states operate TV stations;
• several private TV stations operational;
• cable and satellite TV subscription services are available;
• network of federal government-controlled national, regional, and state radio stations;
• roughly 40 state government-owned radio stations typically carry their own programs except for news broadcasts;
• about 20 private radio stations;
• transmissions of international broadcasters are available (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

16; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 73

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

3,223,459

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

22,400,657 mt-km (2015)

• condensate 124 km;
• gas 4,045 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 164 km;
• oil 4,441 km;
• refined products 3,940 km (2013)

total:

3,798 km

standard gauge:

293 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 47

total:

193,200 km

paved:

28,980 km

unpaved:

164,220 km (2004)

country comparison to the world: 29

total:

89

by type:

cargo 2, chemical tanker 28, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 56, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned:

3 (India 1, UK 2)

registered in other countries:

33 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Comoros 1, Italy 1, Liberia 4, North Korea 1, Panama 6, Seychelles 1, unknown 6) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 55

major seaport(s):

Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Bonny Island

• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships;
• in 2016, 36 commercial vessels were boarded or attacked compared with 14 attacks in 2015;
• in the first half of 2017, 31 crew members were abducted in five reported incidents;
• half of all reports of vessels being fired upon occur in Nigerian waters;
• Nigerian pirates have extended the range of their attacks to as far away as Cote d'Ivoire and as far as 100 nm offshore

• Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phaseout of Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues;
• 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 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;
• only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries;
• location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved

• a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets;
• consumer of amphetamines;
• safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide;
• major money-laundering center;
• massive corruption and criminal activity;
• Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006;
• Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF