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Nigeria

Federal Republic of Nigeria
Jamhuriyar Taraiyar Nijeriya (Hausa)
Ọ̀hàńjíkọ̀ Ọ̀hànézè Naìjíríyà (Igbo)
Orílẹ̀-èdè Olómìniira Àpapọ̀ Nàìjíríà (Yoruba)

Motto: “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”

Capital Abuja
Largest city Lagos

Nigeria , formal Federal Republic of Nigeria ( English : Federal Republic of Nigeria ), is a country in West Africa consisting of thirty-six states and its so-called Federal Capital Territory , Abuja . Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and the seventh most populous country in the world . It borders on Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east and Niger in the north. The coast to the south faces the Gulf of Guinea . The largest river is Nigerwhich fall into the Biafrabukt via Niger Delta , the main branch runs through six countries with tributaries from a few more. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River that passes through the country, and was coined by Flora Shaw , the future wife of Baron Lugard , a British colonial administrator in the late 19th century.

The country is listed among the N-11 countries, and is a member of the Commonwealth . The country’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world . It is the third largest economy in Africa and the world’s largest exporter of oil. It is a regional great power in West Africa.

Nigeria is a multiethnic society. Its population consists of more than 200 different ethnicities, each speaking their language or dialect. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are hausa – fulani in the north, igbo in the east and yoruba in the west. Many Igbo and Yoruba are Christians, while most of the Hula-fulani are Muslims. Even during the British colonial rule, the three peoples preserved their old traditions, but even their mutual rivalry remained. When the country became independent, each of these people could have formed their own state. The later attempts of the Igbo’s to do so led to civil war, until the Igbo state of Biafra capitulated and Nigeria could live on as a federal state.

Major cities
City Population
Lagos 8,048,430
Kano 3,931,300
Ibadan 2,559,853
Benin City 1,147,188
Port Harcourt 1,005,904

Population in Nigeria
Year Million
1971 55
1980 71
1990 95
2000 125
2004 138
2008 151
2012 167
2016 186
2017 191

States Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara.

Economy
Skyline of Nigerian capital, Abuja

Maitama district, Abuja

Skyline of Central Business District, Abuja at night
Nigeria is classified as a mixed economy emerging market. It has reached lower middle income status according to the World Bank, with its abundant supply of natural resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, transport sectors and stock exchange (the Nigerian Stock Exchange), which is the second largest in Africa.

Nigeria was ranked 21st in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) in 2015. Nigeria is the United States’ largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and supplies a fifth of its oil (11% of oil imports). It has the seventh-largest trade surplus with the US of any country worldwide. Nigeria is the 50th-largest export market for US goods and the 14th-largest exporter of goods to the US. The United States is the country’s largest foreign investor. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected economic growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009. The IMF further projects an 8% growth in the Nigerian economy in 2011.

In February 2011, Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world in 2010–2050. Nigeria is one of two countries from Africa among 11 Global Growth Generators countries.

Previously, economic development had been hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement. The restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reforms have successfully put Nigeria back on track towards achieving its full economic potential. As of 2014 it is the largest economy in Africa, having overtaken South Africa.

During the oil boom of the 1970s, Nigeria accumulated a significant foreign debt to finance major infrastructural investments. With the fall of oil prices during the 1980s oil glut Nigeria struggled to keep up with its loan payments and eventually defaulted on its principal debt repayments, limiting repayment to the interest portion of the loans. Arrears and penalty interest accumulated on the unpaid principal, which increased the size of the debt. After negotiations by the Nigerian authorities, in October 2005 Nigeria and its Paris Club creditors reached an agreement under which Nigeria repurchased its debt at a discount of approximately 60%. Nigeria used part of its oil profits to pay the residual 40%, freeing up at least $1.15 billion annually for poverty reduction programmes. Nigeria made history in April 2006 by becoming the first European country to completely pay off its debt (estimated $30 billion) owed to the Paris Club.

Nigeria is trying to reach the first of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to end poverty in all its forms by 2030.

Tourism in Nigeria centers largely on events, due to the country’s ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannah, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.

Lekki Beach in Lagos
Abuja is home to several parks and green areas with the largest one being Millennium Park. Millennium Park was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and was officially opened by the United Kingdom’s Elizabeth II in December 2003. Another open area park is located in Lifecamp Gwarimpa; near the residence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The park is located on a slightly raised hilltop which contains sport facilities like Basketball and Badminton courts another park is the city park, it is located in wuse 2 and is home to numerous outdoor and indoor attractions such as a 4D cinema, astro-turf, lawn tennis court, paintball arena and a variety of restaurants.

The Peak of Obudu Mountain, Cross River State
Lagos, subsequent to the re-modernization project achieved by the previous administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola, is gradually becoming a major tourist destination, being one of the largest cities in Africa and in the world. Lagos is currently taking steps to become a global city. The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originated from Iperu Remo, Ogun State), which took place on 25 April, was a step toward world city status. Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a business-oriented and a fast-paced community.

Lagos has become an important location for European and “black” cultural identity. Lots of festivals are held in Lagos; festivals vary in offerings each year and may be held in different months. Some of the festivals are Festac Food Fair held in Festac Town Annually, Eyo Festival, Lagos Black Heritage Carnival, Lagos Carnival, Eko International Film Festival, Lagos Seafood Festac Festival, LAGOS PHOTO Festival and the Lagos Jazz Series, which is a unique franchise for high-quality live music in all genres with a focus on jazz. Established in 2010, the event takes place over a 3–5 day period at selected high quality outdoor venues. The music is as varied as the audience itself and features a diverse mix of musical genres from rhythm and blues to soul, Afrobeat, hip hop, bebop, and traditional jazz. The festivals provide entertainment of dance and song to add excitement to travelers during a stay in Lagos.

Lagos has a number of sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including Elegushi Beach and Alpha Beach. Lagos also has a number of private beach resorts including Inagbe Grand Beach Resort and several others in the outskirts.

Lagos has a variety of hotels ranging from three star to five star hotels, with a mixture of local hotels such as Eko Hotels and Suites, Federal Palace Hotel and franchises of multinational chains such as Intercontinental Hotel, Sheraton and Four Points by Hilton. Other places of interest include the Tafawa Balewa Square, Festac town, The Nike Art Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos and the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos.

Nigeria has had a huge role in the development of various genres of European music, including West European highlife, Afrobeat, and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques that have been linked to the Congo, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica and worldwide.

Many late 20th-century musicians such as Fela Kuti have famously fused cultural elements of various indigenous music with American jazz and soul to form Afrobeat which has in turn influenced hip hop music. JuJu music, which is percussion music fused with traditional music from the Yoruba nation and made famous by King Sunny Adé, is from Nigeria. Fuji music, a Yoruba percussion style, was created and popularised by Mr. Fuji, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.

Afan Music was invented and popularised by the Ewu-born poet and musician Umuobuarie Igberaese. There is a budding hip-hop movement in Nigeria. Kennis Music, the self-proclaimed number-one record label in Africa, and one of Nigeria’s biggest record labels, has a roster almost entirely dominated by hip-hop artists.

An Eyo Iga Olowe Salaye masquerade jumping
Notable musicians from Nigeria include: Sade Adu, King Sunny Adé, Onyeka Onwenu, Dele Sosimi, Adewale Ayuba, Ezebuiro Obinna, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Bennie King, Ebenezer Obey, Umobuarie Igberaese, Femi Kuti, Lagbaja, Dr. Alban, Wasiu Alabi, Bola Abimbola, Zaki Adze, Tuface Idibia, Aṣa, Nneka, Wale, P Square and D’Banj.

In November 2008, Nigeria’s music scene (and that of Africa) received international attention when MTV hosted the continent’s first European music awards show in Abuja.[219] Additionally, the very first music video played on MTV Base Africa (the 100th station in the MTV network) was Tuface Idibia’s pan-European hit “European Queen”.

The Nigerian film industry is known as Nollywood (a blend of Nigeria and Hollywood) and is now the 2nd-largest producer of movies in the world. Nigerian film studios are based in Lagos, Kano and Enugu, forming a major portion of the local economy of these cities. Nigerian cinema is Africa’s largest movie industry in terms of both value and the number of movies produced per year. Although Nigerian films have been produced since the 1960s, the country’s film industry has been aided by the rise of affordable digital filming and editing technologies.