NIGERIA (Pronounced as /naɪˈdʒɪəriə/), officially
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic in West
Africa, bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger
in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic
Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital,
Abuja is located. Politically, Nigeria is divided into six (6) geopolitical
zone – North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West, and South
South.
Modern-day
Nigeria has been the site of numerous kingdoms and tribal states for millennia.
The modern state originated from British colonial rule beginning in the 19th
century, and the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern
Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal
structures whilst practicing indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms.
Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1960, and plunged into a
civil war from 1967–1970. It has since alternated between
democratically-elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, with
its 2011 presidential elections being viewed as the first to be conducted
reasonably freely and fairly.
Nigeria is often
referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population
and economy. With approximately 174 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most
populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world.
Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world. The country
is viewed as a multinational state, as it is inhabited by over 500 ethnic
groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; these ethnic
groups speak over 500 different languages, and are identified with wide variety
of cultures. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live
mostly in the southern and central parts of the country, and Muslims in the
northern and southwestern regions. A minority of the population practise religions
indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to Igbo and Yoruba peoples.
As of 2015,
Nigeria is the world's 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and
$1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively.
It overtook South Africa to become Africa's largest economy in 2014. Also, the
debt-to-GDP ratio is only 11 percent, which is 8 percent below the 2012 ratio.
Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank and has been
identified as a regional power on the African continent. Nigeria is considered
to be a middle power in the world, and has also been identified as an emerging
power; it is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as
the globe's next "BRIC-like" economies. It is also listed among the
"Next Eleven" economies set to become among the biggest in the world.
Nigeria is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, OPEC,
and the United Nations among other international organizations.
Nigeria is
naturally endowed apart from her natural resources, with young man and woman of
great talents and enviable creativities. But also faced with numerous
challenges such as unemployment, poor literacy growth, corruption public office
holders, and insurgency attacks by Boko Haram among others.
Since 2002, the
North East of the country has seen sectarian violence by Boko Haram, an
Islamist movement that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and
establish Sharia law. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in May 2014 claimed
that Boko Haram attacks have left at least 12,000 people dead and 8,000 people
crippled. At the same time, neighboring countries, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and
Niger joined Nigeria in a united effort to combat Boko Haram in the aftermath
of a world media highlighted kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls and the spread of
Boko Haram attacks to these countries.