three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

Coat of Arms

• varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

• 10 00 N, 8 00 E

• total: 4,047 km
  border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

• Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

• natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

• total: 923,768 sq km
  land: 910,768 sq km
  water: 13,000 sq km
• (Compare to other countries)

• southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

• 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

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

National parks & reserves

• Cross River National Park (Okwango and Oban sections)
  Gashaka-Gumti National Park
  Kainji National Park (Borgu and Zugurma sections)
  Kamuku National Park
  Okumu National Park
  Old Oyo National Park
  Yankari National Park

The first known civilization in Nigeria was that of the Nok. The Nok were an iron age people existing from 500 bce until about 200 ce on the Jos plateau in north-eastern Nigeria.

The Kanem-Bornu Empire near Lake Chad dominated northern Nigeria for over 600 years, prospering as a terminal of north-south trade between North African Berbers and forest people. In the early 19th century, Usman dan Fodio brought most areas in the north under the loose control of an Islamic empire centered at Sokoto.

The kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in the southwest and Benin in the south developed elaborate systems of political organization in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Ife and Benin are noted for their prized artistic works in ivory, wood, bronze, and brass.

In the southeast, the populous village-networks of the Igbo and other acephalous groups like the Ibibio were governed by indigenous African notions of egalitarianism and democracy. Some of the oldest artwork found in West Africa was recovered in this region, with the Igbo-Ukwu bronze sculptures being among the most famous.

In the 17th through 19th centuries, European traders established coastal ports for the increasing traffic in slaves destined for the American continent. Commodity trade replaced slave trade in the 19th century.

The Royal Niger Company was chartered by the British government in 1886. Northern and Southern Nigeria became British protectorates in 1901 and were amalgamated into a single colony in 1914. In response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism following World War II, the British moved the colony towards self-government on a federal basis.

Nigeria won full independence in 1960, as a federation of three regions, each retaining a substantial measure of self-government. At the time of Nigeria's first elections in 1959, there were a number of prominent parties - Nnamdi Azikiwe's National Council of Nigerian and the Cameroons (NCNC) which had control of the Eastern Region, Ahmadu Bello's Northern People's Congress (NPC), which had control of the Northern Region and Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group (AG) which had control of the Western Region.

When no party won a majority during the 1959 elections, the NPC combined with the NCNC to form a government, and when independence arrived in 1960, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was made the Prime Minister, and Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the Governor General.

As with much of Nigerian history, severe conflicts developed within the ruling coalition. In 1962, part of the Action Group split off to form the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), led by S.I. Akintola. In 1963, the Mid-Western Region was formed from part of the Western Region. When Nigeria became a Republic in 1963, Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the President of the Federal Republic. However, in 1964, a great controversy broke out, over the 1963 population census, with the NCNC claiming that there was an overestimatation of the number of people in the Northern Region, thus giving the north a greater representation in the federal parliament.

In 1966, two successive coups by different groups of army officers brought the country under military rule. In January of that year, a number of junior army officers staged a coup d'etat to overthrow the government, in the process killing Balewa, Bello, Akintola and some senior officers. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who succesfully stopped the coup, was put in charge of the military government which was to be the first of many. Despite the fact that this coup was tremendously violent, the new government did promise a progressive agenda - a return to civilian rule determined by elections and vowed to stamp out corruption and stop violence, and this particularly appealed to the youth. Furthermore, Aguiyi-Ironsi tried to restore discipline within the army. He suspended the regional constitution with its different regions, dissolved all legislative bodies, banned political parties, imprisoned Awolowo, and formed a Federal Military Government with the aim of centralising governance. A decree was issued, that March, to abolish the federation, and unify the federal and regional civil servants. Many accused Aguiyi-Ironsi of favouring the Igbos over other ethnic groups and the fact that the military government did not prosecute the officers that killed the northern leaders stirred further rage. Though Aguiyi-Ironsi had some concessions like protecting the northerners from southern competition in the civil service, many northerners felt like the coup was a plot to make the Igbo's dominant in Nigeria. Fighting broke out for a while between the northerners and the Igbo, and in July of the same year, northern officers staged another coup, killing Aguiyi-Ironsi and many other Igbo officials. The Muslim officers chose Yakubu Gowon (who was a Christian) as the new ruler. Gowon had not actually been involved in the coup, but they felt he would be a compromising candidate to head the Federal Military Government. His first steps included restoring Federalism, and releasing Awolowo from prison.

Gowon vowed to start Nigeria along the road to civilian government. However, now the Igbos were becoming more and more afraid of their position in Nigeria. In 1967, when Gowon moved to split the 4 existing regions into 12 states, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the leader of the Eastern Region refused to accept this, and declared that the Eastern Region would become its own independent republic, named Biafra. This was not accepted, and in June 1967, a civil war broke out between Biafra and the remainder of Nigeria.

Following the creation of Biafra, war broke out between the Federal Government and the Igbo dominated eastern region. Under Brigadiers Adekunle, Obasanjo and Murtala Mohammed, a systematic battle plan that comprised saturated air bombings and starvation forced the Biafran rebels to capitulate. On 15th January 1970, left with the choice of surrender and the total destruction of the Biafran populace, Philip Effiong, Chief of Staff of the rebel army accepted the terms of surrender before Yakubu Gowon, Head of the Northern dominated federal government.

In 1974, Gowon broke his promise to return the nation to civilian rule, and in July of 1975, there was yet another military coup, the first of many bloodless coups. This brought the hugely popular Murtala Ramat Mohammed to power. As his predecessors had done, Murtala Mohammed promised to lead Nigeria back into civilian rule. In February of 1976, there was an attempted coup by Buka Dimka, and though it was unsuccessful, Muhammed was killed. So, Olusegun Obasanjo was chosen to take his place as the new ruler, and promised to continue what Muhammed had started. During his term, he raised University fees, and this led to student riots (which have also become quite common it seems). The government then banned student organizations, restricted public opposition to the regime, controlled union activity, nationalized land,controversy trailed his indigenization of foreign businesses percieved to be much to the advantage of his own Yoruba people who were the larger population in the then capital Lagos and the increased oil industry regulation. However, in 1978, Obasanjo did set up a new constitution, one that would return the country to the much awaited state of civilian rule. Elections were finally held in 1979, bringing Shehu Shagari into office as the new President of Nigeria.

While Shagari was able to serve his entire term and was, in fact the victor of the 1983 elections, many people believed the elections were rigged and the rightful leader was Obafemi Awolowo. This set the stage for yet another coup, this time on December 31, 1983. The new military government, under Muhammadu Buhari was welcomed at the time, because many felt that the nation had further deteriorated into more shameless corruption and economic mismanagement, under the supposedly democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari. Buhari set out to try to revive the economy, and this took priority over everything else, including returning the country to civilian rule. He also took security of the government as a high priority, restricted freedom of the press, suppressed criticism of the government, and outlawed many organizations. Moreover, he declared a "War Against Indiscipline" to deal with such aspects as public behavior, sanitation, public appearance, corruption, smuggling, and patriotism. He also took many other measures of austerity that made it difficult for some companies to run, and this eventually led to high inflation and thus a much higher cost of living.

Yet another bloodless coup took place on August 27, 1985. This time Ibrahim Babangida (Buhari's chief of army staff before the coup) was named the ruler. Babangida claimed that Buhari's regime was insensitive to the feelings of the Nigerian masses, especially with regards to the restrictions imposed on the press. He started his rule claiming to be a human rights activist, but this image faded with time. Though he released some of the politicians that Buhari incarcerated, he also hounded opposition interest groups, and detained many radical people for various offenses, and even had a decree to facilitate some oppressive acts. As concerns his economic policy, Babangida introduced market reforms, freeing exchange and interest rates, and this led to a sharp drop in the value of the Nigerian currency, while raising lending rates to more than 40 percent.

In April of 1986, there was another attempted coup by Mamman Vatsa, and him and his followers were executed. On April 22, 1990, there was yet another attempted coup by Gideon Orkar that failed, but almost killed Babangida, whose bedroom had been bombed. Unlike previous coups and attempted coups, this coup was believed to have been heavily funded by civilians, suggesting that they were willing to have another military ruler over Babangida.

As per a new constitution that was drafted in 1990, the country was to return to civilian rule in 1992. As the date approached, there were many suspicions that this promise was not going to be kept. Pressure started mounting on the military government, and finally, in 1992, an election took place. However, the Babangida government annulled the results of that election, claiming fraud, and postponed a re-run of the elections for a year. Another election was held in June of 1993, and on June 12 of 1993, the winner was declared to be Moshood Abiola. Babangida again claimed fraud, and annulled the results of this election, which was believed to be the first fair election held in the history of Nigeria. This led to great unrest, all over Nigeria. Hundreds of demonstrators were killed, human rights and pro-democracy activists were arrested, and opposition newspapers were shut down. The pressure mounted anyway, and finally on August 27, 1993, Babangida resigned, and appointed Ernest Shonekan, a civilian, in place as the head of an interim civilian government.

Shonekan's rule was the shortest rule in Nigerian history, lasting less than 3 months. The Government was declared illegal and unconstitutional by a High Court, and General Sani Abacha took power on November 17, 1993. Abacha is believed to have been instrumental in both the 1983 and the 1985 coups, and was Babangida's defense minister. Abacha, the most infamous of the infamous Nigerian rulers brought much publicity to Nigeria from the international community. Initially, Abacha promised to return the government to civilian rule within two years. In the meantime, he dismantled all elected institutions, terminated all national and state assemblies, closed independent publications, banned all political activity, and suspended the constitution. On June 12, 1994, Abiola, backed by politicians, retired army brass, and pro-democracy activists, proclaimed himself as the president. He was imprisoned on charges of treason, and in 1996, he was placed in solitary confinement. Following Abiola's, his wife, Kudirat Abiola, launched a campaign for democracy and human rights. She held pro-democracy rallies, defied the military decree banning political associations, presented victims of military repression to international fact-finding missions, inspired many other people, especially women, and won the "Woman of the Year" awards in both 1994 and 1995. However, on June 4, 1996, she was assassinated, and quite naturally, the assassination was attributed to the military government of Sani Abacha.

On March 1, 1995 there was another attempted coup by Lawan Gwadabe. Also suspected as part of this coup were Olusegun Obasanjo (a previous president) and Shehu Musa Yar'Adua. They were sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for this. Yar'Adua died while in prison, and Obasanjo was there for the remainder of Abacha's life. Also arrested sometime during 1995 was Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, a human rights activist who had been repeatedly arrested and released, but this time was charged with treason, and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later reduced to 15 years, even against High Court rulings, and Amnesty International. He was also in jail for the remainder of Abacha's life.

Also in 1995, was the giant controversy that brought the Ogoni people into the spotlight. Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmentalist and playwright, had been critical of the Nigerian government for the environmental damages being inflicted on the land inhabited by the Ogoni people, due to the oil industry. Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders were arrested on charges of conspiring to slay political opponents. On October 31, 1995, all nine leaders were sentenced to death, by hanging. Opposition for this sentence and an appeal for mercy came from all over the world, including the Commonwealth, and Nelson Mandela. However, on November 10, they were hung anyway. This stunned the world, and led to the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth, and Nelson Mandela calling for international sanctions against Nigerian oil, which account for more than 90 percent of Nigeria's foreign currency earnings.

Doubtless, this hurt the already bleeding economy and Abacha tried to improve his image by portraying Nigeria as a regional peacemaker, and in 1996, even aided a peace agreement that ended Liberia's 7-year civil war and made way for elections in Liberia. Also, when a military coup took place in Sierra Leone, Abacha stepped in, and sent his army on a military assault to restore the democratically elected government. This did inspire some amount of confidence from the public who were becoming increasingly confident that he would return Nigeria to a democratic rule as he had promised. Nigerian self confidence also recieved a boost when the mens national soccer team became the first African team to win Olympic gold in the 1996 games in Atlanta where they defeated Argentina.

On December 21, 1997, there was allegedly another attempted coup on the Abacha government by Oladipo Diya, and he was imprisoned. Many believe that the incident was fabricated by the Abacha government to justify the subsequent persecution of Diya. In April of 1998, Diya, 4 other officers, and a civilian were sentenced to death, while many others were sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths.

Elections to return to civilian rule were set for August 1 of 1998, with a return date to civilian rule set for October 1, 1998. However, in April, Abacha became the only nominated candidate for the presidency. Opposition to his rule had been mounting more and more in recent months, because it was suspected that he did not intend to step down. Demonstrations and riots broke out, and many were killed.

Abacha's reign of terror came to an end when he died unexpectedly on June 8th 1998, of a heart attack. Abdulsalami Abubakar became leader of the Provisional Ruling Council. He lifted the suspension of the 1979 constitution, and was set to release Chief M.K.O. Abiola the winner of the 1993 Election before the latter died in July 1998 from what international medical experts initially described as natural causes; later this was changed to death from poisonous substance. Court cases since Abiola's death have brought to light that his tea was poisoned.

In 1999, Nigeria elected Olusegun Obasanjo as President in its first elections in 16 years. Obasanjo and his party also won the turbulent elections of 2003. Although having won the election, Obasanjo has had a love-hate relationship with the Nigerian people. With the killing of Justice Bola Ige, an advocate for peace, justice and openness, many doubt the success of Nigeria's democratic dream; particularly, with the ever daunting 2007 election around the corner.

With the majority of Nigerians believing that the Obasanjo regime is one of the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria, many educated Nigerians are leaving the country, causing a massive "brain drain" on the economy. The corruption of the Nigerian political class is exemplified by the arrest and trial of the Inspector General of Police and the recent arrest of a governor of one of the southern states in the United Kingdom on charges of money laundering. From Wikipedia.

In the southwest, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded in the 1400s.

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.

Oyo at its peak during this time, attained a high level of political organization and extended as far as modern Togo.

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.

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.

On January 15, 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. In fact, 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.

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, Gen. Murtala Muhammed and a group of fellow officers staged a bloodless coup, accusing the military government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon 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, 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.

In August, 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.

On December 31, the military overthrew the Second Republic. Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the leader of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the country's new ruling body. He charged the civilian government with economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, election fraud, and a general lack of concern for the problems of Nigerians. He also pledged to restore prosperity to Nigeria and to return the government to civilian rule.

The Buhari government was peacefully overthrown by the SMC's third-ranking member, Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, in August. Babangida proved he was unable to deal with Nigeria's severe economic problems.

Babangida cited the misuse of power, violations of human rights by key officers of the SMC, and the government's failure to deal with the country's deepening economic crisis as justifications for the takeover. During his first few days in office, President Babangida moved to restore freedom of the press and to release political detainees being held without charge. As part of a 15-month economic emergency, he announced stringent pay cuts for the military, police, and civil servants and proceeded to enact similar cuts for the private sector. Imports of rice, maize, and later wheat were banned. President Babangida demonstrated his intent to encourage public participation in government decisionmaking by opening a national debate on proposed economic reform and recovery measures. The public response convinced Babangida of intense opposition to an economic recovery package dependent on an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.

Early in the year, a constituent assembly completed work on a constitution for the Third Republic. In the spring, political activity was again permitted.

In October the government established two "grassroots" parties: the National Republican Convention (NRC), which was to be "a little to the right," and the Social Democratic (SDP), "a little to the left." Other parties were not allowed to register by the Babangida government.

President Babangida promised to return the country to civilian rule by 1990; this date was later extended until January 1993.

In April, mid-level officers attempted to overthrow the Babangida government. The coup failed, and 69 accused coup plotters were later executed after secret trials before military tribunals. The transition resumed after the failed coup.

In December, the first stage of partisan elections was held at the local government level. While turnout was low, there was no violence, and both parties demonstrated strength in all regions of the country, with the SDP winning control of a majority of local government councils.

The presidential election was finally held on June 12, with the inauguration of the new president scheduled to take place August 27, the eighth anniversary of President Babangida's coming to power.

In the historic June 12 presidential elections, which most observers deemed to be Nigeria's fairest, early returns indicated that wealthy Yoruba businessman M.K.O. Abiola had won a decisive victory. However, on June 23, Babangida, using several pending lawsuits as a pretense, annulled the election, throwing Nigeria into turmoil. More than 100 persons were killed in riots before Babangida agreed to hand power to an "interim government" on August 27.

Following the annulment of the June 12 election, the United States and other nations imposed various sanctions on Nigeria, including restrictions on travel by government officials and their families and suspension of arms sales and military assistance. Additional sanctions were imposed as a result of Nigeria's failure to gain full certification for its counter-narcotics efforts.

Babangida then attempted to renege on his decision. Without popular and military support, he was forced to hand over to Ernest Shonekan, a prominent nonpartisan businessman. Shonekan was to rule until new elections, scheduled for February 1994. Although he had led Babangida's Transitional Council since early 1993, Shonekan was unable to reverse Nigeria's ever-growing economic problems or to defuse lingering political tension.

With the country sliding into chaos, Defense Minister Sani Abacha quickly assumed power and forced Shonekan's "resignation" on November 17. Abacha dissolved all democratic political institutions and replaced elected governors with military officers. Abacha promised to return the government to civilian rule but refused to announce a timetable until his October 1, 1995 Independence Day address.

Although Abacha's takeover was initially welcomed by many Nigerians, disenchantment grew rapidly. A number of opposition figures united to form a new organization, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which campaigned for an immediate return to civilian rule. The government arrested NADECO members who attempted to reconvene the Senate and other disbanded democratic institutions.

Most Nigerians boycotted the elections held from May 23-28, for delegates to the government-sponsored Constitutional Conference.

On June 11, using the groundwork laid by NADECO, Abiola declared himself president and went into hiding. He reemerged and was promptly arrested on June 23. With Abiola in prison and tempers rising, Abacha convened the Constitutional Conference June 27, but it almost immediately went into recess and did not reconvene until July 11.

On July 4, a petroleum workers union called a strike demanding that Abacha release Abiola and hand over power to him. Other unions then joined the strike, which brought economic life in around Lagos area and in much of the southwest to a standstill. After calling off a threatened general strike in July, the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) reconsidered a general strike in August, after the government imposed "conditions" on Abiola's release.

On August 17, the government dismissed the leadership of the NLC and the petroleum unions, placed the unions under appointed administrators, and arrested Frank Kokori and other labor leaders. Although striking unions returned to work, the government arrested opponents, closed media houses, and moved strongly to curb dissent.

In late 1994 the government set up the Ogoni Civil Disturbances Special Tribunal to try prominent author and Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others for their alleged roles in the killings of four prominent Ogoni politicians in May. Saro-Wiwa and 14 others pleaded not guilty to charges that they procured and counseled others to murder the politicians.

The government alleged in early 1995 that some 40 military officers and civilians were engaged in a coup plot. Security officers quickly rounded up the accused, including former Head of State Obasanjo and his erstwhile deputy, retired Gen. Shehu Musa Yar'Adua.

After a secret tribunal, most of the accused were convicted, and several death sentences were handed down. The tribunal also charged, convicted, and sentenced prominent human rights activists, journalists, and others--including relatives of the coup suspects--for their alleged "anti-regime" activities. In October, the government announced that the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC--see below: Abubakar's Transition to Civilian Rule) and Abacha had approved final sentences for those convicted of participation in the coup plot.

On October 31, the tribunal sentenced Saro-Wiwa and eight others to death by hanging. In early November Abacha and the PRC confirmed the death sentence. Saro-Wiwa and his eight co-defendants were executed on November 10.

In an October 1, address to the nation, Gen. Sani Abacha announced the timetable for a 3-year transition to civilian rule. Only five of the political parties which applied for registration were approved by the regime.

In local elections held in December 1997, turnout was under 10%.

On December 21, the government announced the arrest of the country's second highest-ranking military officer, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya, 10 other officers, and eight civilians on charges of coup plotting. Subsequently, the government arrested a number of additional persons for roles in the purported coup plot and tried the accused before a closed-door military tribunal in April in which Diya and eight others were sentenced to death.

By the April state assembly and gubernatorial elections, all five of the approved parties had nominated Abacha as their presidential candidate in controversial party conventions. Public reaction to this development in the transition program was apathy and a near-complete boycott of the elections.

Abacha, widely expected to succeed himself as a civilian president on October 1, remained head of state until his death on June 8. He was replaced by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who had been third in command until the arrest of Diya. The PRC, under new head of state Abubakar, commuted the sentences of those accused in the alleged 1997 coup in July 1998.

During the Abacha regime, the government continued to enforce its arbitrary authority through the federal security system--the military, the state security service, and the courts. Under Abacha, all branches of the security forces committed serious human rights abuses. After Abubakar's assumption of power and consolidation of support within the PRC, human rights abuses decreased. Other human rights problems included infringements on freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and travel; violence and discrimination against women; and female genital mutilation.

Worker rights suffered as the government continued to interfere with organized labor by restricting the fundamental rights of association and the independence of the labor movement. After it came to power in June 1998, the Abubakar government took several important steps toward restoring worker rights and freedom of association for trade unions, which had deteriorated seriously between 1993 and June 1998 under the Abacha regime. The Abubakar government released two imprisoned leaders of the petroleum sector unions, Frank Kokori and Milton Dabibi; abolished two decrees that had removed elected leadership from the Nigeria Labour Congress and the oil workers unions; and allowed leadership elections in these bodies.

In August, the Abubakar government appointed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for local government councils, state legislatures and governors, the national assembly, and president. NEC successfully held these elections on December 5.

In March, Diya and 54 others accused or convicted of participation in coups in 1990, 1995, and 1997 were released. Following the death of former head of state Abacha in June, Nigeria released almost all known civilian political detainees, including the Ogoni 19.

The emergence of a democratic Nigeria in May 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.

Most civil society leaders and most Nigerians see a marked improvement in human rights and democratic practice under Obasanjo. The press enjoys greater freedom than under previous governments. As Nigeria works out representational democracy, there have been conflicts between the Executive and Legislative branches over major appropriations and other proposed legislation. A sign of federalism has been the growing visibility of state governors and the inherent friction between Abuja and the various state capitols over resource allocation.

Problems of communal violence have confronted the Obasanjo government since its inception. In May, violence erupted in Kaduna State over the succession of an Emir resulting in more than 100 deaths. In November, the army destroyed the town of Odi, Bayelsa State and killed scores of civilians in retaliation for the murder of 12 policemen by a local gang.

In September, over 2,000 people were killed in inter-religious rioting in Jos.

In October, hundreds were killed and thousands displaced in communal violence that spread across the Middle-Belt states of Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa. On October 1, President Obasanjo announced the formation of a National Security Commission to address the issue of communal violence.

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

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

• adult prevalence rate: 5.4% (2003 est.) (Compare to other countries)
• people living with HIV/AIDS: 3.6 million (2003 est.) (Compare to other countries)

• total: 98.8 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 105.69 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 91.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

• total population: 46.74 years
  male: 46.21 years
  female: 47.29 years (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• total population: 68%
  male: 75.7%
  female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

• Coming from the road!

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• noun: Nigerian(s)
  adjective: Nigerian

• 128,771,988
  note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 2.37% (2005 est.)

• Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

School enrollment
(% relevant age group) From UNESCO.

• Net primary enrollment: NA
• Net secondary enrollment: NA

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• .53 children born/woman (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

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• 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

• Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now moved to Abuja

• 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)

• federal republic

• Jan 1 New Year’s Day
• Eid al-Kabir (Feast of the Sacrifice) (changes)
• Easter (changes)
• Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) (changes)
• May 1 Workers’ Day
• Oct 1 National Day
• Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) (changes)
• Dec 25-26 Christmas

• 1 October 1960 (from UK)

• 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)

• Lagos; Kano; Ibadan; Kaduna; Benin City

• Arise O Compatriots, Nigeria's Call Obey (Click here for full anthem)

• 70 (2004 est.) (Compare to other countries)

• total: 194,394 km
  paved: 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 134,326 km (1999 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri

Fixed lines
& mobile telephones
(per 1,000 people)
(From ITU)

• 4.6 m (2000)
• 32.5 m (2003)

• 234

• .ng

• 750,000 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

Press

• The Champion
• The Comet
• The Daily Sun
• Daily Times
• Daily Trust
• The Guardian
• Newswatch
• New Nigerian
• The Punch
• Tell
• This Day
• Vanguard

TV

• AIT
• Channels TV
• Degue Broadcasting Network (DBN)
• Galaxy TV
• Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
• Minaj TV

Radio

• Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)
• Ray Power
• Voice of Nigeria

• 6.6 (2000)
• NA (2003)

• NA (2000)
• .10 (2003)

• 853,100 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 3,149,500 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

• UTC/GMT +1 hour
• Find the local time: Time and Date

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

• naira (NGN)
• Currency converter

• nairas per US dollar - 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002), 111.23 (2001), 101.7 (2000)

• petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber

• US 48.2%, India 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, Brazil 5.5%, Japan 4.1% (2004)

• calendar year

• purchasing power parity - $125.7 billion (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 6.2% (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals

• US 9.1%, China 8.8%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 6.3%, France 6.1%, Germany 5.7%, Italy 4.7% (2004)

• 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

• 16.5% (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 60% (2000 est.)

• NA
• (Compare to other countries)

• Abuja
• Kano - mud-walled Muslim city
• Sacred Forest (rainforest)
• Sungbo's Eredo - Africa's largest construction
• Yankari Game Reserve (national park)

• 887,000 (2002)

• All travelers require a visa except those from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

• Sukur Cultural Landscape (1999)
• Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove (2005)

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

• The Champion
• The Comet
• The Daily Sun
• Daily Times
• Daily Trust
• The Guardian
• Newswatch
• New Nigerian
• The Punch
• Tell
• This Day
• Vanguard