View source for Nigeria

{{Short description|Country in West Africa}}
{{About|the country}}
{{redirect|Naijá|the language sometimes referred to by the same name|Nigerian Pidgin}}
{{distinguish|text=the neighbouring country [[Niger]]}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use Nigerian English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}<!--Do NOT add citations to the lead, except for material likely to be challenged, per [[MOS:LEADCITE]] ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section#Citations)]]. Move unneeded citations to the body.-->

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Federal Republic of Nigeria
| common_name            = Nigeria
| native_name            = {{collapsible list 
  |titlestyle = text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:86%;
  |title = Name in national languages
| {{Infobox
| subbox=yes
| bodystyle=font-size:77%;font-weight:normal;
| rowclass1 = mergedrow 
| label1 = [[Hausa language|Hausa]]:
| data1 = {{lang|ha|Jamhuriyar Tarayyar Najeriya}}
| rowclass2 = mergedrow
| label2 = [[Igbo language|Igbo]]:
| data2 = {{lang|ig|Ọ̀hàńjíkọ̀ Ọ̀hànézè Naìjíríyà}}
| rowclass3 = mergedrow
| label3 = [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]:
| data3 = {{lang|yo|Orílẹ̀-èdè Olómìniira Àpapọ̀ Nàìjíríà}}
}}
}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Nigeria.svg
| flag_size              = 130
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Nigeria.svg
| coa_size               = 90
| national_motto         = "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress"
| national_anthem        = "[[Nigeria, We Hail Thee]]" <div style="padding-top:0.5em;"class="centre">[[File:Nigeria, We Hail Thee - Banda do Batalhão da Guarda Presidencial, 2025.ogg]]</div>
| image_map              = {{switcher|[[File:Nigeria (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Nigeria AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}}
| map_caption            = 
| image_map2             = 
| capital                = [[Abuja]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|9|4|N|7|29|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = [[Lagos]]
| official_languages     = [[Nigerian English|English]]
| languages_type         = [[Languages of Nigeria|Recognised languages]]
| languages              = {{Collapsible list
| title = {{nobold|'''List'''<ref name="nigeria.languages">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/Languages|title=Languages of Nigeria|website=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref>{{efn|Nigeria recognises many indigenous languages, with Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo among the most widely spoken across different regions.}}}}
| [[Hausa language|Hausa]]
| [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]
| [[Igbo language|Igbo]]
}}
| languages2_type        = [[Regional languages]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=ng |title=Languages of Nigeria |publisher=[[Ethnologue]] |access-date=12 September 2010 |archive-date=15 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915183101/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NG |url-status=live }}</ref>
| languages2             = Over [[Languages of Nigeria|525 languages]]<ref>{{cite book|title=An Atlas Of Nigerian Languages|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation|year=2014|location=Oxford}}</ref>
| demonym                = [[Nigerians|Nigerian]]
| government_type        = Federal [[presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Nigeria|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Bola Tinubu]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of Nigeria|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Kashim Shettima]]
| leader_title3          = [[President of the Senate of Nigeria|Senate President]]
| leader_name3           = [[Godswill Akpabio]]
| leader_title4          = [[Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria|House Speaker]]
| leader_name4           = [[Tajudeen Abbas]]
| leader_title5          = [[Chief Justice of Nigeria|Chief Justice]]
| leader_name5           = [[Kudirat Kekere-Ekun]]
| legislature            = [[National Assembly (Nigeria)|National Assembly]]
| upper_house            = [[Senate of Nigeria|Senate]]
| lower_house            = [[House of Representatives (Nigeria)|House of Representatives]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of Nigeria|Independence]]
| sovereignty_note       = from the [[British Empire|United Kingdom]]
| established_event1     = [[Northern Nigeria Protectorate]]
| established_date1      = 1 January 1900
| established_event2     = [[Southern Nigeria Protectorate]]
| established_date2      = 1 January 1900
| established_event3     = [[Colonial Nigeria|Unification of Nigeria]]
| established_date3      = 1 January 1914
| established_event4     = [[Federation of Nigeria|Declared independent as a sovereign state]]
| established_date4      = 1 October 1960
| established_event5     = [[Nigerian First Republic|Became a republic]]
| established_date5      = 1 October 1963
| established_event6     = [[Constitution of Nigeria|Current constitution]]
| established_date6      = 29 May 1999
| area_km2               = 923,769
| area_rank              = 31st
| area_sq_mi             = 356,667 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]-->
| percent_water          = 1.4
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 236,747,130<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Nigeria|year=2025}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2024
| population_estimate_rank = 6th
| population_density_km2 = 249.8
| population_density_sq_mi = 647 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]-->
| population_density_rank = 57th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $2.254 trillion<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Nigeria) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |website=www.imf.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]].14 October 2025. |access-date=13 November 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2025
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 19th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $9,488<ref name="auto1"/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 135th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $285.003 billion<ref name="auto1"/>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2025
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 52nd
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $1,200<ref name="auto1"/>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 173rd
| Gini                   = 35.1 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2020
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web |title=Poverty and Inequality Index |url=https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/download/1092 |access-date=8 June 2020 |website=National Bureau of Statistics |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413210925/https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/download/1092 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.560 <!-- number only -->
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2023-24_HDR/HDR23-24_Statistical_Annex_HDI_Table.xlsx|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=13 March 2024|access-date=22 March 2023|archive-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319085123/https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2023-24_HDR/HDR23-24_Statistical_Annex_HDI_Table.xlsx|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 164th
| currency               = [[Nigerian naira|Naira]] (₦)
| currency_code          = NGN
| time_zone              = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy
| utc_offset             = +01:00
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| drives_on              = right<ref>{{cite web |author=Akinbode, Ayomide |title=Why Nigeria changed from Right-Hand Drive to Left-Hand Drive in 1972 |url=https://www.thehistoryville.com/nigeria-left-hand-drive-right-hand-drive/ |website=thehistoryville.com |quote=The terms 'right- and left-hand drive' refer to the position of the driver in the vehicle and are the reverse of the terms 'right- and left-hand traffic'. |date=2 April 2019 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709192243/https://www.thehistoryville.com/nigeria-left-hand-drive-right-hand-drive/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Nigeria|+234]]
| cctld                  = [[.ng]]
| today                  = 
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref name="Africa: Nigeria">{{cite web |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ |access-date=21 June 2020 |title=Africa: Nigeria |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2018
| ethnic_groups          = {{plainlist|
* 30% [[Hausa people|Hausa]]
* 15.5% [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]]
* 15.2% [[Igbo people|Igbo]]
* 6% [[Fula people|Fulani]]
* 2.4% [[Tiv people|Tiv]]
* 2.4% [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]]
* 1.8% [[Ibibio people|Ibibio]]
* 1.8% [[Ijaw people|Ijaw]]
* 24.7% [[List of ethnic groups in Nigeria|other]]
}}
| religion               = {{Tree list}}
* 53.50% [[Islam in Nigeria|Islam]]
* 45.90% [[Christianity in Nigeria|Christianity]]
** 35.30% [[Protestantism in Nigeria|Protestants]]
** 10.60% [[Catholic Church in Nigeria|Catholics]]
* 0.60% [[Religion in Nigeria|other]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| religion_year          = 2018
| religion_ref           = <ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Nigeria|section=People and Society}}</ref>
}}

'''Nigeria''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Nigeria.ogg|attribution=no|n|aɪ|ˈ|dʒ|ɪər|i|ə}} {{respell|ny|JEER|ee|ə}}; {{langx|ha|Najeriya}} {{IPA|ha|nàː.(d)ʒéː.rí.jàː}} {{audio|Ha-Najeriya.ogg|listen}}, {{langx|ig|Naìjíríyà}}, {{langx|yo|Nàìjíríà}}, {{langx|pcm|Naijá}} {{IPA|pcm|ˈnaɪ.dʒə|}}, {{langx|ff|Naajeeriya}}, {{langx|kcg|Naijeriya}}}} officially the '''Federal Republic of Nigeria''', is a country in [[West Africa]] between the [[Sahel]] to the north and the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the south. It covers an area of {{Convert|923769|km2|mi2}}. With [[Demographics of Nigeria|a population]] of more than 236 million, it is the [[List of African countries by population|most populous country]] in [[Africa]], and the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|world's sixth-most populous country]]. Nigeria borders [[Niger]] in [[Niger–Nigeria border|the north]], [[Chad]] in [[Chad–Nigeria border|the northeast]], [[Cameroon]] in [[Cameroon–Nigeria border|the east]], and [[Benin]] in [[Benin–Nigeria border|the west]]. Nigeria is a [[Federation|federal republic]] comprising 36 [[States of Nigeria|states]] and the [[Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria|Federal Capital Territory]], where its capital, [[Abuja]], is located. The [[List of Nigerian cities by population|largest city in Nigeria]] by population is [[Lagos]], one of the largest [[List of largest cities|metropolitan areas]] in the world and the [[List of cities in Africa by population|largest in Africa]].

Nigeria has been home to several indigenous material cultures, [[Nigerian traditional rulers|pre-colonial states]] and [[Sahelian kingdoms|kingdoms]] since the second [[millennium]] BC. The [[Nok culture]], {{circa|1500 BC}}, marks one of the earliest known civilisations in the region. The [[Hausa Kingdoms]] inhabited the north, with the [[Edo people|Edo]] [[Kingdom of Benin]] in the south, [[Igbo people|Igbo]] [[Kingdom of Nri]] in the southeast and in the southwest, the [[Oyo Empire]]. The present day territory of Nigeria was home to a vast array of [[city-state]]s. In the early 19th century the [[Fula jihads]] culminated in the [[Sokoto Caliphate]]. The modern state originated with [[Colonial Nigeria|British colonialization]] in the 19th century, taking its present territorial shape with the merging of the [[Southern Nigeria Protectorate]] and the [[Northern Nigeria Protectorate]] in 1914. The [[British Empire|British]] set up administrative and legal structures and [[Nigerian Chieftaincy|incorporated traditional monarchs]] as a form of [[indirect rule]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Achebe|first=Nwando|title=The female king of colonial Nigeria : Ahebi Ugbabe|isbn=978-0-253-00507-6|location=Bloomington|oclc=707092916}}</ref> Nigeria became a formally [[Federation of Nigeria|independent federation]] on 1 October 1960. It experienced a [[Nigerian Civil War|civil war]] from 1967 to 1970, followed by a succession of [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99|military dictatorships]] and democratically elected civilian governments until achieving a stable government in the [[1999 Nigerian presidential election]].

Nigeria is a [[multinational state]] inhabited by more than [[Demographics of Nigeria|250 ethnic groups]] speaking [[Languages of Nigeria|500 distinct languages]], all identifying with a wide variety of cultures.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ethnicity in Nigeria|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/africa-jan-june07-ethnic_04-05|date=5 April 2007|publisher=PBS|access-date=9 May 2015|archive-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006235712/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/africa-jan-june07-ethnic_04-05/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nigeria|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NG|website=Ethnologue|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227084603/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NG|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Linguistic diversity in Africa and Europe – Languages Of The World|url=http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|date=16 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515155945/http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|archive-date=15 May 2012|access-date=4 July 2019|last=Pereltsvaig|first=Asya}}</ref> The three largest ethnic groups are the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] in [[Northern Region, Nigeria|the north]], [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] in [[Yorubaland|the west]], and [[Igbo people|Igbo]] in [[Igboland|the east]], together constituting over 60% of the total population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/NI-summary.pdf|title=Nigeria – CIA World Factbook 2019|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=23 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923163518/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/NI-summary.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[official language]] is [[Nigerian English|English]], chosen to facilitate linguistic unity at the national level.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mann|first=Charles C.|date=1990|title=Choosing an Indigenous Official Language for Nigeria|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED397681.pdf|access-date=10 July 2020|archive-date=2 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202033702/https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED397681.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Constitution of Nigeria|Nigeria's constitution]] ensures ''[[de jure]]'' [[freedom of religion]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigerian Constitution|url=http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm#Powers_of_Federal_Republic_of_Nigeria|work=Nigeria Law|access-date=17 July 2015|archive-date=25 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525192058/http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm#Powers_of_Federal_Republic_of_Nigeria|url-status=live}}</ref> and it is home to some of the world's largest Muslim and Christian populations.<ref>{{cite web|title=The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/|website=Pew Research Center|date=April 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118120245/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/|url-status=live}}</ref> Nigeria is divided roughly in half between [[Muslims]], who live mostly in the north part of the country, and [[Christians]], who live mostly in the south; [[Traditional African religions|indigenous religions]], such as those native to the [[Odinani|Igbo]] and [[Yoruba religion|Yoruba]] ethnicities, are in the minority.<ref name="USEN">{{cite web|title=Nigeria Fact Sheet|url=https://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/Nigeria%20overview%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf|publisher=United States Embassy in Nigeria|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=18 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018101915/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/Nigeria%20overview%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nigeria is a [[regional power]] in Africa and a [[middle power]] in international affairs. [[Economy of Nigeria|Nigeria's economy]] is the [[List of African countries by GDP (nominal)|fourth-largest in Africa]], the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|52nd-largest in the world]] by nominal [[Gross domestic product|GDP]], and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|19th-largest]] by [[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa by its citizens due to its large population and [[economy]],<ref>{{cite journal|year=1959|title=Nigeria: The African giant|journal=[[The Round Table (journal)|The Round Table]]|volume=50|issue=197|pages=55–63 |doi=10.1080/00358535908452221 }}</ref> and is considered to be an [[emerging market]] by the [[World Bank]]. Nigeria is a founding member of the [[African Union]] and a member of many international organisations, including the [[United Nations]], the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/non-aligned-movement-nam |title=Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) – The Nuclear Threat Initiative |access-date=19 October 2021 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019023811/https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/non-aligned-movement-nam/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Economic Community of West African States]], [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] and [[OPEC]]. It is one of the [[Next Eleven]] economies, and also a member, along with [[Mexico]], [[Indonesia]], and [[Turkey]], of the MINT group.

== Etymology ==

The name ''[[Wikt:Nigeria|Nigeria]]'' derives from the [[Niger River]] running through the country. This name was coined on 8 January 1897, by the British journalist [[Flora Shaw, Lady Lugard|Flora Shaw]]. The neighbouring [[Republic of Niger]] takes its name from the same river. The origin of the name ''Niger'', which originally applied to only the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] name ''egerew <u>n-iger</u>ewen'' ("river of rivers") used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around [[Timbuktu]] before 19th-century [[scramble for Africa|European colonialism]].<ref>The Arabic name ''nahr al-anhur'' is a direct translation of the Tuareg.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Niger |title=''Online Etymological Dictionary'' |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702152902/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Niger |url-status=live }}</ref> Before Flora Shaw suggested the name ''Nigeria'', other proposed names included ''Royal Niger Company Territories'', ''Central Sudan'', ''Niger Empire'', ''Niger Sudan'', and ''Hausa Territories''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kperogi |first1=Farooq A. |title=Natasha H. Akpoti's Wildly Inaccurate History of Nigeria |url=https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2019/04/natasha-h-akpotis-wildly-inaccurate.html?m=1 |website=Notes From Atlanta |access-date=11 August 2023 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811040153/https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2019/04/natasha-h-akpotis-wildly-inaccurate.html?m=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Nigeria|Timeline of Nigerian history}}

=== Prehistory ===
{{Main|Prehistory of Nigeria}}

[[File:Nok sculpture Louvre 70-1998-11-1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Nok]] sculpture, [[terracotta]]]]
[[Kainji Dam]] excavations showed ironworking by the 2nd century BC. The transition from [[Neolithic]] times to the [[Iron Age]] was accomplished without intermediate [[Bronze Age|bronze]] production. Some have suggested the technology moved west from the [[Nile Valley]]. But the [[Iron metallurgy in Africa|Iron Age]] in the [[Niger River]] valley and the forest region appears to predate the introduction of metallurgy in the upper savanna by more than 800 years, as well as predating it in the Nile Valley. More recent research suggests that iron metallurgy was developed independently in [[Africa]].<ref name="Tylecote 1975 see below">Tylecote 1975 (see below)</ref><ref name="Eggert 2014 51–59">{{cite book|title=Nok: African Sculpture in Archaeological Context|last=Eggert|first=Manfred|publisher=Africa Magna Verlag Press|year=2014|editor-last=Breunig|editor-first=P|location=Frankfurt, Germany|pages=51–59|chapter=Early iron in West and Central Africa}}</ref><ref name="Eggert 2014 53–54">{{cite book|title=Nok: African Sculpture in Archaeological Context|last=Eggert|first=Manfred|publisher=Africa Magna Verlag Press|year=2014|isbn=9783937248462|editor-last=Breunig|editor-first=P|location=Frankfurt, Germany|pages=53–54|chapter=Early iron in West and Central Africa|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBn1BQAAQBAJ&q=Nok+Breunig&pg=PA38}}</ref><ref name="Holl-2020#2">{{cite book |last1=Holl |first1=Augustin F. C. |title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology |chapter=The Origins of African Metallurgies |date=2020 |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.013.63 |isbn=978-0-19-085458-4 }}</ref>

The [[Nok culture|Nok civilisation]] thrived between 1500&nbsp;BC and 200&nbsp;AD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigeria – Colonialism, Independence, Civil War |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/History |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002112646/https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/History |archive-date=2 October 2023 |access-date=8 September 2023 |website=Britannica |language=en}}</ref> It produced life-sized [[terracotta]] figures that are some of the earliest known sculptures in Africa<ref name="PB 2014">Breunig, Peter. 2014. Nok: African Sculpture in Archaeological Context: p. 21.</ref><ref>Nicole Rupp, Peter Breunig & Stefanie Kahlheber, "[http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/kahlheber/ Exploring the Nok Enigma] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112232/http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/kahlheber/ |date=4 March 2016}}", ''Antiquity'' 82.316, June 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fagg |first1=B. E. B. |title=The Nok Culture in Prehistory |journal=Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria |date=1959 |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=288–293 |jstor=41970639 }}</ref><ref name="archaeology">{{cite book|last1=Kleiner|first1=Fred S. |first2=Christin J. |last2=Mamiya |title=Gardner's Art Through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|edition=13, revised|year=2009|page=194|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TlVeuxIgjwQC&q=Nok+terracotta+earliest|isbn=978-0-495-57367-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nok/hd_nok.htm |title=Nok Terracottas (500 B.C.–200 A.D.) &#124; Thematic Essay &#124; Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History &#124; The Metropolitan Museum of Art |publisher=Metmuseum.org |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=16 July 2014 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024215836/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nok/hd_nok.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and smelted iron by about 550&nbsp;BC and possibly a few centuries earlier.<ref name="Tylecote 1975 see below"/><ref name="Eggert 2014 51–59"/><ref name="Eggert 2014 53–54"/> Evidence of iron smelting has also been excavated at sites in the [[Nsukka]] region of southeast Nigeria: dating to 2000&nbsp;BC at the site of Lejja<ref name="Eze-Uzomaka">{{cite journal|title=Iron and its influence on the prehistoric site of Lejja|url=https://www.academia.edu/4103707|last1=Eze–Uzomaka|first1=Pamela|website=Academia.edu|publisher=University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria|access-date=12 December 2014|archive-date=6 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206183226/https://www.academia.edu/4103707/Iron_and_its_influence_on_the_prehistoric_site_of_Lejja|url-status=live}}</ref> and to 750&nbsp;BC at the site of [[Opi (archaeological site)|Opi]].

===Early history ===
{{Main|History of Nigeria before 1500}}

The ''[[Kano Chronicle]]'' highlights an ancient history dating to around 999&nbsp;AD of the [[Hausa Kingdoms|Hausa]] [[Sahelian kingdoms|Sahelian city-state]] of [[Kingdom of Kano|Kano]], with other major Hausa cities (or [[Hausa Bakwai]]) of [[Daura]], [[Hadejia|Biram]], [[Kingdom of Katsina|Katsina]], [[Kingdom of Zazzau]], [[Rano]], and [[Gobir]] all having recorded histories dating back to the 10th century. With the spread of Islam from the 7th century AD, the area became known as ''[[Sudan (region)|Sudan]]'' or as ''Bilad Al Sudan'' (English: Land of the Blacks). Since the populations were partially affiliated with the Arab Muslim culture of [[North Africa]], they began [[trans-Saharan trade]] and were referred to by the Arabic speakers as ''Al-Sudan'' (meaning "The Blacks") as they were considered an extended part of the [[Muslim world]]. There are early historical references by medieval Arab and Muslim historians and geographers which refer to the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire]] as the region's major centre for Islamic civilisation.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The [[Kingdom of Nri]] of the Igbo people consolidated in the 10th century and continued until it lost its sovereignty to the British in 1911.<ref name="Juang3">{{cite book|last=Juang|first=Richard M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFrAOqfhuGYC&pg=PA597|title=Africa and the Americas: culture, politics, and history: a multidisciplinary encyclopedia, Volume 2|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2008|isbn=978-1-85109-441-7|page=597}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hrbek|first=Ivan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDFcD0BuekQC&pg=PA254|title=Africa from the seventh to the eleventh Century|publisher=James Currey Publishers|year=1992|isbn=978-0-85255-093-9|page=254}}</ref> Nri was ruled by the [[List of rulers of Nri|Eze Nri]], and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation of [[Igbo culture]]. Nri and [[Aguleri]], where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure [[Eri (king)|Eri]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Uzukwu|first=E. Elochukwu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hhmzVrYPHAC|title=Worship as Body Language|publisher=Liturgical Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-8146-6151-2|page=93|access-date=27 June 2024|archive-date=27 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040705/https://books.google.com/books?id=9hhmzVrYPHAC|url-status=live}}</ref> In West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using the [[lost wax process]] were from [[Igbo-Ukwu]], a city under Nri influence.<ref name="Juang3" />

[[File:Queen Mother Pendant Mask- Iyoba MET DP231460.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|Royal [[Benin ivory mask]], one of Nigeria's most recognised artifacts. [[Benin Empire]], 16th century.]]
The [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] kingdoms of [[Ife]] and [[Oyo Empire|Oyo]] in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in the 12th<ref name="Falola Heaton Early states and societies">{{cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |chapter=Early states and societies, 9000 BCE – 1500 CE |pages=16–38 |title=A History of Nigeria |date=2008 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511819711 |isbn=978-0-521-86294-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Laitin|first=David D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHbrDvGQEbUC&pg=PA111|title=Hegemony and culture: politics and religious change among the Yoruba|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|year=1986|isbn=978-0-226-46790-0|page=111}}</ref> and 14th<ref>{{cite book|last1=MacDonald|first1=Fiona|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=joh5yHfcF-8C&pg=PA385|title=Peoples of Africa, Volume 1|last2=Paren|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Shillington|first3=Kevin|author3-link=Kevin Shillington|last4=Stacey|first4=Gillian|last5=Steele|first5=Philip|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7614-7158-5|page=385}}</ref> centuries, respectively. The oldest signs of [[human]] settlement at Ife's current site date back to the 9th century,<ref name="Falola Heaton Early states and societies"/> and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures.

=== Pre-colonial era ===
{{Further|History of Nigeria (1500–1800)}}
In the 16th century, [[Portuguese discoveries|Portuguese explorers]] were the first [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europeans]] to begin important, direct trade with the peoples of southern Nigeria, at the port they named Lagos (formerly Eko) and in [[Calabar]] along the region [[Slave Coast of West Africa|Slave Coast]]. Europeans traded goods with peoples at the coast; coastal trade with Europeans also marked the beginnings of the [[Atlantic slave trade]].<ref name="diverse-slavery">{{cite book|last=Gordon|first=April A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H26pO3vwmHoC&pg=PA54|title=Nigeria's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2003|isbn=978-1-57607-682-8|pages=44–54|access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> The port of Calabar on the historical [[Bight of Biafra]] (now commonly referred to as the Bight of Bonny) became one of the largest slave-trading posts in West Africa in this era. Other major slaving ports were located in [[Badagry]], Lagos on the [[Bight of Benin]], and [[Bonny Island]] on the Bight of Biafra.<ref name="diverse-slavery" /><ref name="slave-trade">{{cite book|last1=Falola|first1=Toyin|url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000falo|title=Historical Dictionary of Nigeria|last2=Genova|first2=Ann|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-8108-6316-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000falo/page/n373 328]|access-date=29 March 2015|url-access=registration}}</ref> The majority of those taken to these ports were captured in raids and wars.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Falola|first1=Toyin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ANzFx1O95eAC&pg=PA78|title=Environment and Economics in Nigeria|last2=Paddock|first2=Adam|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-1-136-66247-8|page=78|access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> Usually, the captives were taken back to the conquerors' territory as [[forced labour]]; they were sometimes gradually acculturated and absorbed into the conquerors' society. Slave routes were established throughout Nigeria linking the hinterland areas with the major coastal ports. Some of the more prolific slave-trading kingdoms who participated in the Atlantic slave trade were linked with the Edo's [[Kingdom of Benin|Benin Empire]] in the south, [[Oyo Empire]] in the southwest, and the [[Aro Confederacy]] in the southeast.<ref name="diverse-slavery" /><ref name="slave-trade" /> Benin's power lasted between the 15th and 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigeria: A Country Study – The Slave Trade|url=http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm|last=Metz|first=Helen Chapin|author-link=Helen Chapin Metz|year=1991|publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]|access-date=28 May 2011|archive-date=23 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623172414/http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Oyo, at its territorial zenith in the late 17th to early 18th centuries, extended its influence from western Nigeria to modern-day [[Togo]].

[[File:Ancient_Benin_city.JPG|thumb|Depiction of [[Benin City]] by a Dutch illustrator in 1668. The wall-like structure in the centre probably represents the [[walls of Benin]], housing the [[Benin bronze]] decorated historic [[Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin|Benin City Palace]].]]
In the north, the incessant fighting amongst the Hausa city-states and the decline of the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire|Bornu Empire]] allowed the Fulani people to gain headway into the region. Until this point, the Fulani, a [[nomad]]ic ethnic group, primarily traversed the semi-desert [[Sahel]]ian region north of Sudan with cattle and avoided trade and intermingling with the Sudanic peoples. At the beginning of the 19th century, [[Usman dan Fodio]] led [[Fulani War|a successful jihad]] against the [[Hausa Kingdoms]], founding the centralised [[Sokoto Caliphate]]. This empire, with Arabic as its official language, grew rapidly under his rule and that of [[List of Sultans of Sokoto|his descendants]], who sent out [[Fula jihads|invading armies]] in every direction. The vast landlocked empire connected the east with the western Sudan region, made inroads southwards conquering parts of the Oyo Empire (modern-day [[Kwara State|Kwara]]), and attempted advancing further south towards the interior of the [[Yorubaland|Yoruba country]], but were [[Battle of Òsogbo|checkmated]] by the forces of [[Ibadan]] at Osogbo. The territory controlled by the empire included much of modern-day northern and central Nigeria. The sultan sent out emirs to establish [[suzerainty]] over the conquered territories and promote Islamic civilisation; the emirs in turn became increasingly rich and powerful through trade and slavery. By the 1890s, the largest [[Slavery in Africa|slave population]] in the world, about two million, was concentrated in the territories of the Sokoto [[Caliphate]]. The use of slave labour was extensive, especially in agriculture.<ref>Shillington, Kevin, ''[[Encyclopedia of African History]]''. (U of Michigan Press, 2005) p. 1401.</ref> By the time of its break-up in 1903 into various European colonies, the Sokoto Caliphate was one of the largest pre-colonial African states.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Adam |first1=Abba Idris |title=Re-inventing Islamic Civilization in the Sudanic Belt: The Role of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio |journal=Journal of Modern Education Review |date=20 June 2014 |volume=4 |issue=6 |pages=457–465 |doi=10.15341/jmer(2155-7993)/06.04.2014/007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQ5YEAAAQBAJ&dq=info:QQoBnb_okD4J:scholar.google.com/&pg=PA136 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Nigerian History |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-005009-2 |language=en}}</ref>{{RP|page=136}} 

A changing legal imperative (the outlawing of the [[Atlantic slave trade]] in 1807) and economic imperative (a desire for political and social stability) led most European powers to support the widespread cultivation of agricultural products, such as the palm, for use in European industry. The slave trade continued after the ban, as illegal smugglers purchased slaves along the coast from native slavers. Britain's [[West Africa Squadron]] sought to intercept the smugglers at sea. The [[Saro people|rescued slaves]] were taken to [[Freetown]], a colony in West Africa originally established by [[John Clarkson (abolitionist)|Lieutenant John Clarkson]] for the resettlement of slaves freed by Britain in North America after the [[American Revolutionary War]].{{fact|date=January 2026}}

=== British colonisation and independence ===
{{Main|Colonial Nigeria|3 = Federation of Nigeria}}

[[File:Flag of Lagos Colony (1888–1906).svg|thumb|Flag of the [[Lagos Colony]]]]
Britain intervened in the Lagos kingship power struggle by bombarding Lagos in 1851, deposing the slave-trade-friendly [[Kosoko|Oba Kosoko]], helping to install the amenable Oba [[Akitoye]] and signing the [[Treaty Between Great Britain and Lagos, 1 January 1852|Treaty between Great Britain and Lagos]] on 1{{nbsp}}January 1852. [[United Kingdom|Britain]] annexed Lagos as a [[crown colony]] in August 1861 with the [[Lagos Treaty of Cession]]. British missionaries expanded their operations and travelled further inland. In 1864, [[Samuel Ajayi Crowther]] became the first African [[Church of Nigeria|bishop of the Anglican Church]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Peterson |first1=Derek R. |title=Abolitionism and Imperialism in Britain, Africa, and the Atlantic |date=2010 |publisher=Ohio University Press |id={{Project MUSE|597}} |isbn=978-0-8214-4305-7 |oclc=1048753101 }}{{pn|date=January 2026}}</ref> In 1885, British claims to a West African [[sphere of influence]] received recognition from other European nations at the [[Berlin Conference]]. The following year, it chartered the [[Royal Niger Company]] under the leadership of Sir [[George Taubman Goldie]]. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company had vastly succeeded in subjugating the independent southern kingdoms along the [[Niger River]], the British conquered [[Benin Empire|Benin]] in 1897, and, in the [[Anglo-Aro War]] (1901–1902), defeated other opponents. The defeat of these states opened up the Niger area to British rule. In 1900, the company's territory came under the direct control of the British government and established the [[Southern Nigeria Protectorate]] as a British [[protectorate]] and part of the [[British Empire]].

[[File:Tcitp d012 frederick john dealtry lugard and wife.jpg|thumb|[[Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard|The Lord]] and [[Flora Shaw, Lady Lugard|Lady Lugard]], 1908|upright|left]]
By 1902, the British had begun plans to move north into the Sokoto Caliphate. British General Lord [[Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard|Frederick Lugard]] was tasked by the [[Colonial Office]] to implement the agenda. Lugard used rivalries between many of the emirs in the southern reach of the caliphate and the central Sokoto administration to prevent any defence as he worked towards the capital. As the British approached the city of [[Sokoto (city)|Sokoto]], Sultan [[Muhammadu Attahiru I]] organised a quick defence of the city and fought the advancing British-led forces. The British force quickly won, sending Attahiru I and thousands of followers on a [[Mahdi]]st ''[[Hegira|hijra]]''. In the northeast, the decline of the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire|Bornu Empire]] gave rise to the British-controlled [[Borno Emirate]] which established [[Abubakar Garbai of Borno]] as ruler.{{fact|date=January 2026}}

[[File:Emir of Kano-1911.jpg|thumb|[[Muhammad Abbas (Emir of Kano)|Emir of Kano]] with cavalry, 1911]]
In 1903, the British victory in the [[Battle of Kano (1903)|Battle of Kano]] gave them a logistical edge in [[Battle of Kwatarkwashi|pacifying the heartland of the Sokoto Caliphate]] and parts of the former Bornu Empire. On 13 March 1903, at the grand market square of Sokoto, the last [[Sokoto Grand Vizier|vizier of the caliphate]] officially conceded to British rule.  The British appointed [[Muhammadu Attahiru II]] as the new caliph. Lugard abolished the caliphate but retained the title ''sultan'' as a symbolic position in the newly organised [[Northern Nigeria Protectorate]]. This remnant became known as "[[Sokoto Sultanate Council]]". In June 1903, the British defeated the remaining northern forces of Attahiru. The caliphate forces in the south continued to resist the British and Germans in the [[Adamawa Wars]]. By 1906, resistance to British rule in the area had been quelled.{{fact|date=January 2026}}

On 1 January 1914, the British formally united the [[Southern Nigeria Protectorate]] and the [[Northern Nigeria Protectorate]] into the [[Colonial Nigeria|Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria]]. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the Northern and Southern Protectorates and [[Lagos Colony]]. Inhabitants of the southern region sustained more interaction, economic and cultural, with the British and other Europeans owing to the coastal economy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |chapter=Transition to British Colonial Rule, 1850 – 1903 |pages=85–109 |title=A History of Nigeria |date=2008 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511819711 |isbn=978-0-521-86294-3 }}</ref> Christian missions established Western educational institutions in the protectorates. Under Britain's policy of indirect rule and validation of Islamic legitimist tradition, the Crown did not encourage the operation of Christian missions in the northern, Islamic part of the country.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lovejoy |first1=Paul E. |last2=Hogendorn |first2=Jan S. |title=Slow Death for Slavery |date=1993 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511563065 |isbn=978-0-521-37469-9 }}{{pn|date=January 2026}}</ref>

By the mid-20th century following [[World War II]], a [[Decolonisation of Africa|wave for independence]] was sweeping across Africa, 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 and increasingly federal basis. By the eve of independence in 1960, regional differences in modern educational access were marked. The legacy, though less pronounced, continues to the present day. The balance between north and south was also expressed in Nigeria's political life. For instance, northern Nigeria did not outlaw slavery until 1936 whilst in other parts of Nigeria, slavery was abolished soon after colonialism.<ref>{{cite web |title=The end of slavery |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1624_story_of_africa/page56.shtml |access-date=28 May 2011 |work=The Story of Africa |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723083115/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1624_story_of_africa/page56.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="slave-trade" />[[File:Stamp Cameroons 2d-600px.jpg|thumb|1953 postage stamp with portrait of Queen [[Elizabeth II]]]][[File:Nnamdi Azikiwe PC (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Nnamdi Azikiwe]], first President of Nigeria (1963–1966)|upright]]
Nigeria gained a degree of self-rule in 1954, and full independence from the United Kingdom on [[Independence Day (Nigeria)|1 October 1960]], as the [[Federation of Nigeria]] with [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]] as its [[Prime Minister of Nigeria|Prime Minister]], while retaining the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]], [[Elizabeth II]], as nominal head of state and [[Queen of Nigeria]]. [[Nnamdi Azikiwe]] replaced the colonial [[governor-general]] in November 1960. At independence, the cultural and political differences were sharp among Nigeria's dominant ethnic groups: the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] in the north, Igbo in the east, and Yoruba in the west.<ref name="JBS2">{{cite journal |author=Udofia, O.E. |year=1981 |title=Nigerian Political Parties: Their Role in Modernizing the Political System, 1920–1966 |journal=Journal of Black Studies |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=435–447 |doi=10.1177/002193478101100404 |jstor=2784073 }}</ref> The [[Westminster system]] of government was retained, and thus the [[President of Nigeria|President]]'s powers were generally ceremonial.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawodu.com/const63.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818121408/https://www.dawodu.com/const63.pdf |archive-date=18 August 2021 |title=The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria |date=1963}}</ref> The parliamentary system of government had [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]] as Prime Minister and Nnamdi Azikiwe as the ceremonial president. The founding government was a coalition of conservative parties: the [[Northern People's Congress]] led by Sir [[Ahmadu Bello]], a party dominated by Muslim northerners, and the Igbo and Christian-dominated [[National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons]] led by Nnamdi Azikiwe. The opposition consisted of the comparatively liberal [[Action Group (Nigeria)|Action Group]], which was largely dominated by the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] and led by [[Obafemi Awolowo]]. An imbalance was created in the polity as a result of the [[1961 British Cameroons referendum|1961 plebiscite]]. [[Southern Cameroons]] opted to join the [[Cameroon|Republic of Cameroon]] while [[British Cameroon|Northern Cameroons]] chose to join Nigeria. The northern part of the country became larger than the southern part.
[[File:Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1962).jpg|alt=Abubakar Tafawa Balewa|thumb|221x221px|[[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]], Nigeria's first Prime Minister during the 1st Republic |left]]

=== Early republic and civil war ===
{{Main|First Nigerian Republic|Nigerian Civil War|}}

At Nigeria's independence, the [[Northern Region, Nigeria|Northern Region]] gained more seats in parliament than the southerner [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern]] and [[Western Region of Nigeria|Western]] regions combined—this would cement Northern dominance in Nigerian politics for years to come. Resentment among southern politicians precipitated into political chaos in the country. [[Obafemi Awolowo]], Premier of Western Region, was accused of attempting to overthrow the government. This followed a period of conflict between the AG regional government and the central government. In spite of the flimsiness of the evidence presented by the government's prosecutors, he was convicted. With incarceration of Awolowo, [[Samuel Akintola]] took over as the premier of Western Region. Because Akintola was an ally of Ahmadu Bello, the undisputed strong man of Nigeria, Akintola was criticised as being a tool of the North.<ref name="Jorre, p. 30"/> As premier of the West, Akintola presided over the most chaotic era in Western Region—one which earned it the nickname "[[Wild West|the Wild-Wild West]]". However, as late as Thursday, 13 January 1966, Balewa had announced that the federal government was not going to intervene in the West.<ref name="Jorre, p. 30"/> However, the very next day, Akintola, premier of the West met with his ally Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, premier of the North and party boss of NPC party to which Balewa belonged.<ref name="Jorre, p. 30">{{cite book |last1=de St Jorre |first1=John |title=The Nigerian Civil War |date=1972 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |isbn=978-0-340-12640-0 |page=30 }}</ref> At the same time a top-level security conference in Lagos was taking place which was attended by most of the country's senior army officiers. All of this activity created rumours that the Balewa government would be forced to crack down on lawlessness in the West using military might.<ref name="Jorre, p. 30" />

The disequilibrium and perceived corruption of the electoral and political process led to two [[Coup d'état|military coups]] in 1966. The [[1966 Nigerian coup d'état|first coup was in January 1966]] and was led mostly by soldiers under Majors [[Emmanuel Ifeajuna]] (of the [[Igbo people|Igbo]] tribe), [[Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu]] ([[Northern Region, Nigeria|Northerner]] of [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern]] extraction) and [[Adewale Ademoyega]] (a Yoruba from the West). The coup plotters succeeded in assassinating Sir [[Ahmadu Bello]] and Sir [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]] alongside prominent leaders of the Northern Region and Premier [[Ladoke Akintola|Samuel Akintola]] of the [[Western State (Nigeria)|Western Region]], but the plotters struggled to form a central government. Senate President [[Nwafor Orizu]] handed over government control to the [[Nigerian Army|Army]], under the command of another Igbo officer, Major General<ref>{{Cite news|last=Irede|first=Akin|title=Aguiyi-Ironsi: The murder that birthed Nigeria's northern hegemony|work=The Africa Report|date=17 March 2022|url=https://www.theafricareport.com/182958/aguiyi-ironsi-the-murder-that-birthed-nigerias-northern-hegemony/amp/|access-date=23 February 2023|archive-date=23 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223001544/https://www.theafricareport.com/182958/aguiyi-ironsi-the-murder-that-birthed-nigerias-northern-hegemony/amp/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi]]. Later, the [[1966 Nigerian counter-coup|counter-coup of 1966]], supported primarily by Northern military officers, facilitated the rise of [[Yakubu Gowon]] as military head of state. Tension rose between north and south; [[1966 anti-Igbo pogrom|Igbos in northern cities suffered persecution]] and many fled to the [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern Region]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |chapter=Instability and civil war, 1960 – 1970 |pages=158–180 |title=A History of Nigeria |date=2008 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511819711 |isbn=978-0-521-86294-3 }}</ref>[[File:Biafra independent state map-en.svg|thumb|The [[Biafra|Republic of Biafra]] in June 1967, when it declared its independence from the rest of Nigeria]]

In May 1967, Governor of the [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern Region]] Lt. Colonel [[C. Odumegwu Ojukwu|Emeka Ojukwu]] declared the region independent from the federation as a state called the [[Biafra|Republic of Biafra]], as a result of the continuous and systematically planned attacks against Igbos and those of [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern]] extraction popularly known as 1966 [[1966 anti-Igbo pogrom|pogroms]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Senan|title=Reopening Nigeria's civil war wounds|work=BBC News|date=30 May 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6657259.stm|access-date=28 May 2011|archive-date=5 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305112039/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6657259.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Daly |first1=Samuel Fury Childs |title=A History of the Republic of Biafra |date=2020 |doi=10.1017/9781108887748 |isbn=978-1-108-88774-8 }}</ref> This declaration precipitated the [[Nigerian Civil War]], which began as the official Nigerian government side attacked Biafra on 6 July 1967, at Garkem. The 30-month war, with a long [[blockade of Biafra]] and its isolation from trade and international relief, ended in January 1970.<ref name="DDRS">''"Background Paper on Nigeria and Biafra, Declassified Documents Reference System''.</ref> Estimates of the [[List of wars by death toll|number of dead]] in the former Eastern Region during the 30-month civil war range from one to three million.<ref>{{cite web|last=Metz|first=Helen Chapin|title=Nigeria: A Country Study – Civil War|publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]|year=1991|url=http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/23.htm|access-date=28 May 2011|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605003652/http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/23.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Britain and the Soviet Union were the main military backers of the Nigerian government, with Nigeria utilising air support from Egyptian pilots provided by [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]],<ref>{{cite web|title=''The Biafra War and the Age of Pestilence''|url=http://www.litencyc.com/theliterarymagazine/biafra.php|access-date=28 July 2014|publisher=Litencyc.com|archive-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820081648/https://www.litencyc.com/theliterarymagazine/biafra.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Michael I. Draper, ''Shadows: Airlift and Airwar in Biafra and Nigeria 1967–1970''.</ref> while France and Israel aided the Biafrans. The [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] government, under President [[Mobutu Sese Seko|Joseph-Désiré Mobutu]], took an early stand on the Biafran secession, voicing strong support for the Nigerian federal government<ref>McDonald, Gordon C., ''Area Handbook for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Kinshasa)'' (1971), p. 263</ref> and deploying thousands of troops to fight against the [[Separatist movements of Nigeria|secessionists]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stearns |first1=Jason K. |title=Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa |title-link=Dancing in the Glory of Monsters |date=2012 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1-61039-159-7 |oclc=1329373863 |page=115 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wrong |first1=Michela |title=In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in the Congo |date=2000 |publisher=Fourth Estate |isbn=978-1-84115-421-3 |page=266 }}</ref>
[[File:Ondervoede kinderen, Bestanddeelnr 921-5788 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[blockade of Biafra]] during the [[Nigerian Civil War]] (1967–1970) resulted in a famine that ultimately cost at least a million lives.]]
Following the war, Nigeria enjoyed an [[oil boom]] in the 1970s, during which the country joined [[OPEC]] and received huge oil revenues. Despite these revenues, the military government did little to improve the [[standard of living]], help small and medium businesses, or invest in infrastructure. As oil revenues fuelled the rise of federal subsidies to states, the federal government became the centre of political struggle and the threshold of power in the country. As oil production and revenue rose, the Nigerian government became increasingly dependent on oil revenues and international commodity markets for budgetary and economic concerns.<ref>Watts, Michael (1987) ''State, Oil and Agriculture in Nigeria'', Institute of International Studies, University of California, {{ISBN|0-87725-166-5}}.</ref>
The [[1975 Nigerian coup d'état|coup in July 1975]], led by Generals [[Shehu Musa Yar'Adua]] and [[Joseph Nanven Garba|Joseph Garba]], ousted Gowon,{{sfnm|1a1=Iliffe|1y=2011|1pp=42–43|2a1=Derfler|2y=2011|2p=81}} who fled to Britain.{{sfn|Derfler|2011|p=82}} The coup plotters wanted to replace Gowon's autocratic rule with a triumvirate of three brigadier generals whose decisions could be vetoed by a [[Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979)|Supreme Military Council]]. For this triumvirate, they convinced General [[Murtala Muhammed]] to become military head of state, with General [[Olusegun Obasanjo]] as his second-in-command, and General [[Theophilus Danjuma]] as the third.{{sfnm|1a1=Iliffe|1y=2011|1p=43|2a1=Derfler|2y=2011|2p=81}} Together, the triumvirate introduced austerity measures to stem inflation, established a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, replaced all military governors with new officers, and launched "Operation Deadwood" through which they fired 11,000 officials from the civil service.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=44}}

Colonel [[Buka Suka Dimka]] launched a [[1976 Nigerian coup d'état attempt|February 1976 coup attempt]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Joliba |date=13 February 2015 |title=Failed Coup Attempt of 1976 |url=https://joliba-africa.com/2015/02/13/failed-coup-attempt-of-1976/ |access-date=27 June 2023 |website=Joliba |archive-date=27 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627112021/https://joliba-africa.com/2015/02/13/failed-coup-attempt-of-1976/ |url-status=live }}</ref> during which General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated. Dimka lacked widespread support among the military, and his coup failed, forcing him to flee.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=48}} After the coup attempt, General Olusegun Obasanjo was appointed military head of state.{{sfnm|1a1=Iliffe|1y=2011|1pp=48–49|2a1=Derfler|2y=2011|2p=85}} Obasanjo vowed to continue Murtala's policies.{{sfnm|1a1=Iliffe|1y=2011|1p=50|2a1=Derfler|2y=2011|2p=85}} Aware of the danger of alienating northern Nigerians, Obasanjo brought General Shehu Yar'Adua as his replacement and second-in-command as [[Vice President of Nigeria|Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters]] completing the military triumvirate, with Obasanjo as head of state and General Theophilus Danjuma as [[Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)|Chief of Army Staff]], the three went on to re-establish control over the [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99|military regime]] and organised the military's transfer of power programme: [[States of Nigeria|states creation]] and [[Electoral boundary delimitation|national delimitation]], [[Local government areas of Nigeria|local government reforms]] and the [[Constitution of Nigeria#1979 constitution (Second Republic)|constitutional drafting committee]] for a new republic.<ref>African Concord (1990). The New Helmsmen. Concord Press, Ikeja, Lagos. 13 August 1990</ref>

=== Military dictatorship and coups ===
{{main|Military dictatorship in Nigeria|Military coups in Nigeria}}


The military carefully planned the return to civilian rule putting in place measures to ensure that political parties had broader support than witnessed during the first republic. In 1979, five political parties competed in a series of elections in which Alhaji [[Shehu Shagari]] of the [[National Party of Nigeria]] (NPN) was elected president. All five parties won representation in the National Assembly. On 1 October 1979, Shehu Shagari was sworn in as the first [[President of Nigeria|President and Commander-in-Chief]] of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Obasanjo peacefully transferred power to Shagari, becoming the first head of state in Nigerian history to willingly step down.[[File:Shehu Shagari 1980-10-07.jpg|thumb|[[Shehu Shagari]] was the first elected [[President of Nigeria]] from 1979 to 1983.|upright]]In [[1983 Nigerian presidential election|August 1983]], Shagari and the NPN were returned to power in a landslide victory, with a [[1983 Nigerian parliamentary election|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. There were also uncertainties, such as in the first republic, that political leaders may be unable to govern properly.

The [[1983 Nigerian coup d'état|1983 military coup d'état]] was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military and led to the overthrow of the government and the installation of Major General [[Muhammadu Buhari]] as head of state. The military coup of Muhammadu Buhari shortly after the regime's re-election in 1984 was generally viewed as a positive development.<ref>"Nigeria, Military Faces Daunting Challenges", AP Press International, 3{{nbsp}}March 1984. Retrieved 22 February 2007.{{vs|date=January 2026}}</ref> [[Ibrahim Babangida]] overthrew Buhari in the [[1985 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état of 1985]]. Babangida established the [[Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986|Nigerian Political Bureau]] in 1986 which made recommendations for the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic. In 1989, Babangida started making plans for the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic. Babangida survived the [[1990 Nigerian coup d'état attempt]], then postponed a promised return to democracy to 1992.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Siollun |first1=Max |editor-first1=Carl |editor-first2=Patrick |editor-last1=Levan |editor-last2=Ukata |title=The Oxford Handbook of Nigerian Politics |chapter=Civil Military Affairs and Military Culture in Post-Transition Nigeria |date=2018 |pages=272–287 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198804307.013.13 |isbn=978-0-19-880430-7 }}</ref>[[File:Abdulsalami Abubakar detail DF-SC-02-04323.jpg|thumb|left|[[Abdulsalami Abubakar]], military ruler in 1998, saw the return to democracy in 1999.|upright]]Babangida legalised the formation of political parties and formed the two-party system with the [[Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Social Democratic Party]] and [[National Republican Convention]] ahead of the [[1992 Nigerian parliamentary election|1992 general elections]]. He urged all Nigerians to join either of the parties, which Chief [[Bola Ige]] referred to as "two leper hands". The [[1993 Nigerian presidential election|1993 presidential election]] held on 12 June was the first since the military coup of 1983. The results, though not officially declared by the National Electoral Commission, showed the duo of [[Moshood Abiola]] and [[Baba Gana Kingibe]] of the Social Democratic Party defeated [[Bashir Tofa]] and [[Sylvester Ugoh]] of the National Republican Convention by over 2.3&nbsp;million votes. However, Babangida annulled the elections, leading to massive civilian protests that effectively shut down the country for weeks. In August 1993, Babangida finally kept his promise to relinquish power to a civilian government but not before appointing [[Ernest Shonekan]] head of an [[Cabinet of Ernest Shonekan|interim national government]].<ref>Bilski, Andrew, "Broken Promises", ''Maclean'', 6 September 1993.{{vs|date=January 2026}}</ref> Babangida's regime has been considered the most corrupt and responsible for creating a culture of corruption in Nigeria.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first1=Larry |editor-first2=Anthony |editor-first3=Oyeleye |editor-last1=Diamond |editor-last2=Kirk-Greene |editor-last3=Oyediran |title=Transition Without End |date=1997 |doi=10.1515/9781685856199 |isbn=978-1-68585-619-9 }}{{pn|date=January 2026}}</ref>

Shonekan's interim government, the shortest in the political history of the country, was overthrown in a [[1993 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état of 1993]] led by General [[Sani Abacha]], who used military force on a wide scale to end the crisis of the Third Republic. In 1995, Abacha's regime hanged environmentalist [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]] on trumped-up charges in the deaths of four [[Ogoni people|Ogoni]] elders, which caused Nigerian's [[Suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations|suspension from the Commonwealth]]. Lawsuits under the American [[Alien Tort Statute]] against [[Royal Dutch Shell]] and Brian Anderson, the head of Shell's Nigerian operation, settled out of court.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wiwa et al v. Royal Dutch Petroleum et al.|url=http://wiwavshell.org/|work=Center for Constitutional Rights|access-date=24 August 2016|archive-date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326065947/http://wiwavshell.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> Several hundred million dollars in accounts traced to Abacha were discovered in 1999.<ref>''"Nigerian Lawyer: Abacha accounts apparently in Switzerland, Luxembourg, France, and Germany", AP press, 10 January 2000.''</ref> The regime came to an end in 1998 when the dictator died in the villa. Abacha looted money to offshore accounts in Western European banks and maintained his grip on power through arrests and bribing generals and politicians. His successor, General [[Abdulsalami Abubakar]], adopted a new constitution on 5 May 1999, which provided for multiparty elections.

=== 1999–present ===
{{Main|Fourth Nigerian Republic}}

[[File:Olusegun Obasanjo DD-SC-07-14396-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|[[Olusegun Obasanjo]] served as president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.|upright]]
On 29 May 1999, Abubakar handed over power to the winner of the 1999 presidential election, former military ruler General [[Olusegun Obasanjo]], as President of Nigeria. Obasanjo had been in prison under the dictatorship of Abacha. Obasanjo's inauguration heralded the beginning of the Fourth Nigerian Republic,<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2391/Abdusalam-Abubakar "Abdusalam Abubakar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504215600/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2391/Abdusalam-Abubakar |date=4 May 2015 }}, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed 26 October 2012.</ref> ending a 39-year period of short-lived democracies, civil war and military dictatorship. Although the elections that brought Obasanjo to power and allowed him to run for a second term in the 2003 presidential elections were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria made significant progress in democratisation under Obasanjo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |chapter=Civil society and democratic transition, 1984 – 2007 |pages=209–242 |title=A History of Nigeria |date=2008 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511819711 |isbn=978-0-521-86294-3 }}</ref>

In the 2007 general elections, [[Umaru Musa Yar'Adua|Umaru Yar'Adua]] of the People's Democratic Party came to power. The international community, which had observed the Nigerian elections to promote a free and fair process, condemned these elections as seriously flawed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Final Report|url=http://www.eueom-ng.org/Files/final_report.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216032839/http://www.eueom-ng.org/Files/final_report.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2008|access-date=24 January 2008|publisher=EU Election Observation Mission Nigeria 2007}}</ref> Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010, and Vice President [[Goodluck Jonathan]] had been sworn in by the Senate three months earlier as acting president to succeed Yar'Adua.<ref>{{cite web|date=18 May 2010|title=NASS confirms Sambo as vice president|url=https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/movie/24352/nass-confirm-sambo-as-vice-president.html|access-date=29 May 2011|work=[[The Nigerian Voice]]|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805081015/https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/movie/24352/nass-confirm-sambo-as-vice-president.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Akinlade|first=Muruf|date=18 May 2010|title=National Assembly confirms Sambo as Vice President|url=http://www.myondostate.com/myondostate/newssend.php?id=203|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427025349/http://www.myondostate.com/myondostate/newssend.php?id=203|archive-date=27 April 2011|access-date=29 May 2011|publisher=MyOndoState.Com}}</ref> Jonathan won the 2011 presidential election; the polls went smoothly and with relatively little violence or electoral fraud.<ref name="New York2">{{cite news|last=Nossiter|first=Adam|date=16 April 2011|title=Nigerians Vote in Presidential Election|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp|access-date=17 April 2011|archive-date=24 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824165122/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?pagewanted=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Jonathan's tenure saw an economic recovery that made Nigeria the leading economic power in Africa.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Premium |date=23 December 2014 |title=Nigerian economy among world's largest – Jonathan |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/173732-nigerian-economy-among-worlds-largest-jonathan.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=5 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004085504/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/173732-nigerian-economy-among-worlds-largest-jonathan.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=eribake |first=akintayo |date=24 December 2014 |title=Nigeria's economy among largest in the world — Jonathan |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/nigerias-economy-among-largest-world-jonathan/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=5 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004085507/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/nigerias-economy-among-largest-world-jonathan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Jonathan administration also saw an increase in unparalleled corruption, with as many as 20 billion US dollars said to have been lost to the Nigerian state through the national oil company. Above all, however, Jonathan's tenure saw the emergence of a wave of terror by the [[Boko Haram insurgency]], including the [[Gwoza massacre]] and [[Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Udo |first=Bassey |date=14 May 2015 |title=Missing $20 bn: Sanusi faults Alison-Madueke, says audit report proves at least $18.5bn lost |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/182926-missing-20-bn-sanusi-faults-alison-madueke-says-audit-report-proves-at-least-18-5bn-lost.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=5 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004085505/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/182926-missing-20-bn-sanusi-faults-alison-madueke-says-audit-report-proves-at-least-18-5bn-lost.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Bola Tinubu portrait.jpg|thumb|Chief [[Bola Tinubu]] is serving as President of Nigeria since 29 May 2023.|upright]]
Ahead of the [[2015 Nigerian general election|general election of 2015]], a merger of the biggest opposition parties in Nigeria – the [[Action Congress of Nigeria]], the [[Congress for Progressive Change]], the [[All Nigeria Peoples Party]], a faction of the [[All Progressives Grand Alliance]] and the new PDP (a faction of serving governors of the ruling People's Democratic Party) – formed the [[All Progressives Congress]] led by current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. At the time, it was the most expensive election ever to be held on the African continent (being surpassed only by the elections of [[2019 Nigerian general election|2019]] and [[2023 Nigerian presidential election|2023]]). The new mega-opposition party chose as their candidate for the election former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari's campaign in 2015 was popular and built around his image as a staunch anti-corruption fighter—he won the election by over two million votes. Observers generally praised the election as being fair.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nigeria election: Muhammadu Buhari wins|newspaper=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32139858|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125205929/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32139858|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1 April 2015|title=Obama praises Nigeria's president for conceding defeat|url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/obama-praises-nigerias-president-for-conceding-defeat/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=4 April 2015|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821192325/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/obama-praises-nigerias-president-for-conceding-defeat/|url-status=live|newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=APC praises Jonathan for conceding defeat|url=http://thenationonlineng.net/new/apc-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|magazine=The Nation|access-date=4 April 2015|archive-date=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708183124/http://thenationonlineng.net/new/apc-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=31 March 2015|title=Anyaoku Praises Jonathan For Conceding Defeat|url=http://www.channelstv.com/2015/03/31/anyaoku-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|access-date=4 April 2015|publisher=Channels Television|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821192329/https://www.channelstv.com/2015/03/31/anyaoku-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|url-status=live}}</ref> The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria. Insecurity heightened drastically under Buhari with [[Nigerian bandit conflict|banditry]], [[Boko Haram insurgency|insurgency]] and [[Separatist movements of Nigeria|separatist]] agitations increasingly widespread. The economy also experienced two recessions and global oil shocks as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria|COVID-19 pandemic]]. Buhari was elected in the [[2019 Nigerian general election|2019 presidential election]], he died two years after leaving office.<ref>{{cite web|last=AfricaNews|date=27 February 2019|title=Buhari beats Atiku to secure re-election as Nigeria president|url=https://www.africanews.com/2019/02/27/buhari-beats-atiku-to-secure-re-election-as-nigeria-president/|access-date=5 July 2020|website=Africanews|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924063323/https://www.africanews.com/2019/02/27/buhari-beats-atiku-to-secure-re-election-as-nigeria-president/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Four major candidates, amongst other less popular candidates, vied for the presidency in the [[2023 Nigerian presidential election|2023 presidential election]]. For the first time since the return of democracy, no former military ruler ran for president, marking a strengthening of democracy and faith in the [[Constitution of Nigeria|multiparty constitution]]. The election also saw the rise of metonymic supporters of the new candidates, the [[Obidient Movement|Obidient movement]] of [[Peter Obi]], previously governor of Anambra State, widely appealed to young, urban voters and has his core base in the Southeast;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lasisi |first=Olukayode Joshua |date=29 September 2022 |title=Peter Obi leads in new poll, Google search interest |url=https://businessday.ng/politics/article/peter-obi-leads-in-new-poll-google-search-interest/ |issn=1595-8590|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=5 October 2022 |newspaper=[[BusinessDay (Nigeria)|BusinessDay]]|language=en-US |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202040603/https://businessday.ng/politics/article/peter-obi-leads-in-new-poll-google-search-interest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Kwankwassiya of [[Rabiu Kwankwaso]], former governor of [[Kano State]] in the Northwest.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olurounbi |first1=Eromo Egbejule,Ruth |title=How Rabiu Kwankwaso became wildcard in Nigerian presidential race |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/2/1/kwankwaso-went-from-unpopular-governor-to-nigerian-presidential-wildcard |work=aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=24 August 2023 |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924073749/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/2/1/kwankwaso-went-from-unpopular-governor-to-nigerian-presidential-wildcard |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Bola Tinubu]] of the ruling party won the disputed election with 36.61% of the vote,<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria presidential election results 2023 by the numbers |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/28/nigeria-presidential-election-results-2023 |work=aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=9 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809010308/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/28/nigeria-presidential-election-results-2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> though both runners-up claimed victory and litigation continued in an election tribunal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria local elections open in shadow of contested national vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/18/nigeria-local-elections-open-in-shadow-of-contested-vote |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818143649/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/18/nigeria-local-elections-open-in-shadow-of-contested-vote |url-status=live }}</ref> Tinubu was [[Inauguration of Bola Tinubu|inaugurated]] on 29 May 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bola Tinubu sworn in as Nigeria's president, succeeds Buhari |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/29/tinubu-sworn-in-as-nigerias-president-succeeds-buhari |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906193842/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/29/tinubu-sworn-in-as-nigerias-president-succeeds-buhari |url-status=live }}</ref> His government faced ongoing domestic challenges, including widespread [[kidnapping in Nigeria]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Emmanuel Akinwotu |date=16 January 2024 |title=A kidnapping of six sisters and a murder has gripped Nigeria |url=https://devone.com.ng/2024/01/shocking-kidnapping-and-murder-of-six-sisters-grips-nigeria.html |work=DevOne Africa |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=19 February 2024 |archive-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219180223/https://devone.com.ng/2024/01/shocking-kidnapping-and-murder-of-six-sisters-grips-nigeria.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 29 May 2024, Tinubu signed a law reinstating ''[[Nigeria, We Hail Thee]]'', the national anthem from 1960 to 1978, replacing ''[[Arise, O Compatriots]]''. The [[2025 United States strikes in Nigeria|United States carried out a strike]] against [[Islamic State – West Africa Province|Islamic State]] militants in [[North West (Nigeria)|northwest Nigeria]] on 25 December 2025 at the request of Tinubu's government, marking the first foreign military intervention in post-independence Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 December 2025 |title=US launches strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-launches-strikes-against-islamic-state-militants-northwest-nigeria-trump-says-2025-12-25/ |website=Reuters}}</ref> U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] stated the strike was to protect against [[Religious violence in Nigeria|alleged violence against Christians]] in the north. 

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Nigeria|Climate change in Nigeria|Geology of Nigeria|Wildlife of Nigeria}}

[[File:Nigeria Topography.png|thumb|Topography of Nigeria]]
Nigeria is located in western Africa on the [[Gulf of Guinea]] and has a total area of {{convert|923768|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Rank Order – Area |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209041128/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html |archive-date=9 February 2014 |access-date=29 May 2011 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] }}</ref> making it the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|32nd-largest country]]. Its borders span {{convert|4,047|km|mi}}, and it shares borders with Benin ({{convert|773|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Niger ({{convert|1,497|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Chad ({{convert|87|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}), and Cameroon (including the separatist [[Ambazonia]]) {{convert|1,690|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}. Its [[coastline]] is at least {{convert|853|km|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 May 2011 |title=Africa :: Nigeria |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ |access-date=29 May 2011 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria |url-status=dead }} *Note that coastlines, and borders based on rivers or natural features, are fractals, the length of which is imprecise and depends on the measurement convention adopted.</ref> Nigeria lies between latitudes [[4th parallel north|4°]] and [[14th parallel north|14°N]], and longitudes [[2nd meridian east|2°]] and [[15th meridian east|15°E]]. The highest point in Nigeria is [[Chappal Waddi]] at {{convert|2419|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The main rivers are the [[Niger River|Niger]] and the [[Benue River|Benue]], which converge and empty into the [[Niger Delta]]. This is one of the world's largest river deltas and the location of a large area of Central African [[mangrove]]s.

Nigeria's most expansive topographical region is that of the valleys of the Niger and Benue river valleys (which merge and form a Y-shape).<ref name="encarta22">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Nigeria |encyclopedia=[[Encarta]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557915/Nigeria.html |access-date=19 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031111170137/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557915/Nigeria.html |archive-date=11 November 2003 |url-status=dead }}</ref> To the southwest of the Niger is a "rugged" [[Highland (geography)|highland]]. To the southeast of the Benue are hills and mountains, which form the [[Mambilla Plateau]], the highest plateau in Nigeria. This plateau extends through the border with [[Cameroon]], where the [[montane]] land is part of the [[Bamenda Highlands]] of Cameroon.

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map NGA present.svg|thumb|alt=|Climate map of Nigeria]]

The far south is defined by its [[tropical rainforest climate]], where annual rainfall is {{convert|60|to|80|in|mm|-2|order=flip}} per year.<ref name="gai52">{{cite web |title=Regions Used to Interpret the Complexity of Nigeria |url=http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414075757/http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard5.html |archive-date=14 April 2009 |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=Geographical Alliance of Iowa |publisher=[[University of Northern Iowa]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the southeast stands the [[Obudu Plateau]]. [[Coastal plain]]s are found in both the southwest and the southeast.<ref name="encarta22" /> [[Mangrove swamp]]s are found along the coast.<ref name="gai42">{{cite web |title=The Human and Physical Characteristics of Nigeria |url=http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard4.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328172528/http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard4.html |archive-date=28 March 2010 |access-date=13 August 2007 |work=Geographical Alliance of Iowa |publisher=[[University of Northern Iowa]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The area near the border with Cameroon close to the coast is rich rainforest and part of the [[Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests|Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests]] [[ecoregion]], an important centre for [[biodiversity]]. It is a habitat for the [[Drill (animal)|drill primate]], which is found in the wild only in this area and across the border in Cameroon. The areas surrounding [[Calabar]], Cross River State, also in this forest, are believed to contain the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The area of southern Nigeria between the Niger and the [[Cross River (Nigeria)|Cross Rivers]] has lost most of its forest because of development and harvesting by increased population and has been [[Cross–Niger transition forests|replaced by grassland]].

Everything in between the far south and the far north is [[savanna]]h (insignificant tree cover, with grasses and flowers located between trees). Rainfall is more limited to between {{convert|20|and|60|in|mm|-2|order=flip}} per year.<ref name="gai52" /> The savannah zone's three categories are [[Guinean forest–savanna mosaic|Guinean forest-savanna mosaic]], Sudan savannah, and Sahel savannah. Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is plains of tall grass interrupted by trees. Sudan savannah is similar but with shorter grasses and shorter trees. Sahel savannah consists of patches of grass and sand, found in the northeast.<ref name="gai42" />[[File:Megachad en disappearance of lake chad.jpg|thumb|Shrinking of [[Lake Chad]] in north-eastern Nigeria, with the outline of the [[British Isles]] for size comparison]]

=== Hydrology ===
Nigeria is divided into two main catchment areas – that of Lake Chad and that of the Niger. The Niger catchment area covers about 63% of the country. The main tributary of the Niger is the Benue, whose tributaries extend beyond Cameroon into Cameroon into Chad and the Sharie catchment area. In the Sahel region, rain is less than {{convert|20|in|mm|sigfig=1|order=flip}} per year, and the [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]] is encroaching.<ref name="gai52" /> In the dry northeast corner of the country lies [[Lake Chad]], on a [[Lake Chad Basin Commission|shared water]] boundary [[National boundary delimitation|delimitation]] with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The Chad Basin is fed from the north-eastern quarter of Nigeria. The Bauchi Plateau forms the watershed between the Niger/Benue and Komadugu Yobe river systems. The flat plains of north-eastern Nigeria are geographically part of the Chad Basin, where the course of the El Beid River forms the border with Cameroon, from the Mandara Mountains to Lake Chad. The Komadugu Yobe river system gives rise to the internationally important Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and Ox-bow lakes around Lake Nguru in the rainy season.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lameed |first1=Ga |title=Species diversity and richness of wild birds in Dagona-Waterfowl sanctuary, Nigeria |journal=African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development |date=3 August 2012 |volume=12 |issue=53 |pages=6460–6478 |doi=10.18697/ajfand.53.9745 |hdl=1807/55847 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2013 |title=Chad Basin National Park |url=http://cbnp.nigeriaparkservice.org/sectors.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002082125/http://cbnp.nigeriaparkservice.org/sectors.php |archive-date=2 October 2013 |url-status=usurped |access-date=22 October 2022}}</ref> Other rivers of the northeast include the Ngadda and the Yedseram, both of which flow through the Sambisa swamps, thus forming a river system. The river system of the northeast is also a major river system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 March 2016 |title=TRANSBOUNDARY DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF THE LAKE CHAD BASIN |url=http://lakechad.iwlearn.org/publications/reports/lake-cha-basin-tda-report-english |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105554/http://lakechad.iwlearn.org/publications/reports/lake-cha-basin-tda-report-english |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=22 October 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In addition, Nigeria has numerous coastal rivers.

[[File:Lake Chad from Apollo 7.jpg|thumb|Photo of Lake Chad from [[Apollo 7]], 1968]]

Over the last million years, [[Lake Chad]] in the far north-east of Nigeria has dried up several times for a few thousand years and just as often growing to many times its current size. In recent decades its surface area has been reduced considerably, which may also be due to humans taking water from the inlets to irrigate agricultural land.

===Vegetation===
Nigeria is covered by three types of vegetation: forests (where there is significant tree cover), [[savannah]]s (insignificant tree cover, with grasses and flowers located between trees), and [[montane]] land (least common and mainly found in the mountains near the Cameroon border). Both the forest zone and the savannah zone are divided into three parts.<ref name="gai4">{{cite web |title=The Human and Physical Characteristics of Nigeria |url=http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328172528/http://www.uni.edu/gai/Nigeria/Background/Standard4.html |archive-date=28 March 2010 |access-date=13 August 2007 |work=Geographical Alliance of Iowa |publisher=[[University of Northern Iowa]] }}</ref>

Some of the forest zone's most southerly portion, especially around the Niger River and [[Cross River (Nigeria)|Cross River]] deltas, is [[Central African mangroves|mangrove swamp]]. North of this is a freshwater swamp, containing different vegetation from the saltwater mangrove swamps, and north of that is a rainforest.<ref name="gai4" />

The savannah zone's three categories are divided into [[Guinean forest–savanna mosaic|Guinean forest-savanna mosaic]], made up of plains of tall grass which are interrupted by trees, the most common across the country; Sudan savannah, with short grasses and short trees; and [[Sahel]] savannah patches of grass and sand, found in the northeast.<ref name="gai4" />

[[File:The Mambilla Plateau, Nigeria 01.jpg|thumb|The [[Mambilla Plateau]] in the North-Eastern region of Nigeria]]

=== Environmental issues ===
{{further|Deforestation in Nigeria|Environmental issues in the Niger Delta|}}
[[File:Nigerian-deforrestation-b.jpg|alt=Nigerian deforrestation 1981 – 2020|thumb|Deforestation in Nigeria 1981–2020<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fashae |first=Olutoyin |date=2017 |title=Geospatial Analysis of Changes in Vegetation Cover over Nigeria |journal=Bulletin of Geography |volume=13 |issue=13 |pages=17–27 |doi=10.1515/bgeo-2017-0010 |bibcode=2017BGPGS..13...17F |doi-access=free }}</ref>]]
[[Waste management]] including [[sewage treatment]], the linked processes of [[deforestation]] and [[Soil retrogression and degradation|soil degradation]], and [[climate change]] are the major environmental problems in Nigeria.

'''Climate change'''{{Excerpt|Climate change in Nigeria|paragraphs=1, 2}}

'''Deforestation'''

In 2005, Nigeria had the highest rate of [[deforestation]] in the world, according to the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |date=17 November 2005 |title=News.mongabay.com |url=http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-forests.html |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=News.mongabay.com |archive-date=18 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618101657/http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-forests.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That year, 12.2%, the equivalent of 11,089,000 hectares, had been forested in the country. Between 1990 and 2000, Nigeria lost an average of 409,700 hectares of forest every year equal to an average annual deforestation rate of 2.4%. Between 1990 and 2005, in total Nigeria lost 35.7% of its [[forest cover]] or around 6,145,000 hectares.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 January 2010 |title=Rainforest analysis at Mongabay.com |url=http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Nigeria.htm |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=Rainforests.mongabay.com |archive-date=12 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212134304/http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Nigeria.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 6.2/10, ranking it 82nd globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |display-authors=1 |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref>

'''Pollution'''

Waste management presents problems in a [[megacity]] like Lagos and other major Nigerian cities which are linked with economic development, population growth and the inability of municipal councils to manage the resulting rise in industrial and domestic waste. This waste management problem is also attributable to unsustainable environmental management lifestyles of [[Kubwa, Abuja|Kubwa]] community in the Federal Capital Territory, where there are habits of indiscriminate disposal of waste, dumping of waste along or into the canals, sewerage systems that are channels for water flows, and the like. Haphazard industrial planning, increased urbanisation, poverty and lack of competence of the municipal government are seen as the major reasons for high levels of waste pollution in major cities of the country. Some of the solutions have been disastrous to the environment, resulting in untreated waste being dumped in places where it can pollute waterways and [[Groundwater in Nigeria|groundwater]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ogbonna |first1=D.N. |last2=Ekweozor |first2=I.K.E. |last3=Igwe |first3=F.U. |year=2002 |title=Waste Management: A Tool for Environmental Protection in Nigeria |journal=Ambio |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=55–57 |doi=10.1639/0044-7447(2002)031[0055:wmatfe]2.0.co;2 |jstor=4315211}}</ref>

[[Niger Delta|Nigeria's Delta region]] is one of the most polluted regions in the world due to serious [[oil spill]]s and other environmental problems caused by its oil industry.<ref>{{cite web |last=Donatus |first=Peter |date=15 October 2016 |title=Shell's Nigeria ecocide is creating a refugee crisis |url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/shell%E2%80%99s-nigeria-ecocide-creating-refugee-crisis,%20https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/shell%E2%80%99s-nigeria-ecocide-creating-refugee-crisis |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=greenleft.org.au |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903201403/https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/shell%E2%80%99s-nigeria-ecocide-creating-refugee-crisis,%20https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/shell%E2%80%99s-nigeria-ecocide-creating-refugee-crisis |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |date=7 August 2017 |title=UNEP Ogoniland Oil Assessment Reveals Extent of Environmental Contamination and Threats to Human Health |url=http://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=UNEP |archive-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708085021/https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and |url-status=live }}</ref> The heavy contamination of the air, ground and water with toxic pollutants is often used as an example of [[ecocide]].<ref>{{cite web |date=7 April 2021 |title='Ecocide' movement pushes for a new international crime: Environmental destruction |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ecocide-movement-pushes-new-international-crime-environmental-destruction-n1263142 |access-date=6 July 2023 |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=22 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622071013/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ecocide-movement-pushes-new-international-crime-environmental-destruction-n1263142 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fighting ecocide in Nigeria |url=https://theecologist.org/2014/feb/05/fighting-ecocide-nigeria |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=theecologist.org |date=5 February 2014 |archive-date=6 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206022748/https://theecologist.org/2014/feb/05/fighting-ecocide-nigeria |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=UNPO: Ogoni: An Ecocide in the Making? |url=https://unpo.org/article/19131 |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=unpo.org |date=2 November 2009 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707161752/https://unpo.org/article/19131 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=22 August 2011 |title=How an ecocide law could prevent another Nigerian oil disaster |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/aug/22/ecocide-law-nigerian-oil-disaster |access-date=6 July 2023 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040706/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/aug/22/ecocide-law-nigerian-oil-disaster |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 June 2023 |title=Spotlighting oil majors' 'ecocide' of Niger Delta: Q&A with Michael J. Watts |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/spotlighting-oil-majors-ecocide-of-niger-delta-qa-with-michael-j-watts/ |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=Mongabay Environmental News |language=en-US |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707162730/https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/spotlighting-oil-majors-ecocide-of-niger-delta-qa-with-michael-j-watts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In additional to the environmental damage it has caused [[Conflict in the Niger Delta|conflict in the Delta region]].

Illegal oil refineries, in which local operators convert stolen crude oil into petrol and diesel, are considered particularly "dirty, dangerous and lucrative".<ref>{{cite news |date=26 April 2022 |title=Nigeria's illegal oil refineries: Dirty, dangerous, lucrative |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61216157 |access-date=10 October 2022 |archive-date=10 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010091114/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61216157 |url-status=live }}</ref> Safety and environmental aspects are usually ignored. Refining petroleum also inevitably produces heavy oil, which is "cracked" into lighter fuel components in regular plants at great technical expense. Illegal refineries do not have these technical capabilities and "dispose" of the heavy oil where it then accumulates. The lighter components of crude oil ([[methane]] to [[butane]], [[isobutane]]) create a certain risk of explosion, which often leads to disasters at illegal plants.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Okereke |first1=Chukwumerije |last2=Emodi |first2=Nnaemeka Vincent |last3=Diemuodeke |first3=Ogheneruona E. |title=Three things that can go wrong at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria |url=http://theconversation.com/three-things-that-can-go-wrong-at-an-illegal-oil-refinery-in-nigeria-182459 |access-date=10 October 2022 |website=The Conversation |date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012233230/https://theconversation.com/three-things-that-can-go-wrong-at-an-illegal-oil-refinery-in-nigeria-182459 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, Nigeria suffered 125 deaths from explosions at local, illegal refineries.<ref>{{cite web |last=Onukwue |first=Alexander |date=25 April 2022 |title=Nigeria's illegal oil refineries keep killing people |url=https://qz.com/africa/2158492/nigerias-illegal-oil-refineries-keep-killing-people/ |access-date=10 October 2022 |website=Quartz |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015193024/https://qz.com/africa/2158492/nigerias-illegal-oil-refineries-keep-killing-people/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2010, thousands of people were inadvertently [[Zamfara State lead poisoning outbreak|exposed to lead-containing soil]] from informal [[gold mining]] within the northern state of Zamfara. While estimates vary, it is thought that upwards of 400 children died of acute [[lead poisoning]], making this perhaps the largest lead poisoning fatality outbreak ever encountered.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bashir |first1=Muhammed |last2=Umar-Tsafe |first2=Nasir |last3=Getso |first3=Kabiru |last4=Kaita |first4=Ibrahim M. |last5=Nasidi |first5=Abdulsalami |last6=Sani-Gwarzo |first6=Nasir |last7=Nguku |first7=Patrick |last8=Davis |first8=Lora |last9=Brown |first9=Mary Jean |date=18 April 2014 |title=Assessment of blood lead levels among children aged ≤ 5 years—Zamfara State, Nigeria, June–July 2012 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |volume=63 |issue=15 |pages=325–327 |pmc=5779393 |pmid=24739340}}</ref>

== Politics ==
{{main|Politics of Nigeria|Political parties in Nigeria|Elections in Nigeria}}

=== Government ===
[[File:Coat of arms of Nigeria.svg|thumb|[[Coat of arms of Nigeria]] in current use]]
Nigeria is a [[federal republic]] modelled after the [[United States]],<ref>Charles Mwalimu. ''The Nigerian Legal System: Public Law''. Peter Lang. 2005. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QWrGlYsCwPIC&pg=PA6 p. 6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405100311/https://books.google.com/books?id=QWrGlYsCwPIC&pg=PA6 |date=5 April 2023 }}.</ref> with 36 states and the capital Abuja as an independent unit. The executive power is exercised by the [[President of Nigeria|President]]. The president is both [[head of state]] and [[Head of government|head of the federal government]]. The president is [[Direct election|elected by popular vote]] to a maximum of two four-year terms.<ref name="factbook3">{{cite web|title=Nigeria|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/|work=[[The World Factbook]]|date=14 February 2022|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] (United States)|access-date=23 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[State governors in nigeria|State governors]], like the president, are elected for four years and may serve a maximum of two terms. The president's power is limited by a [[Senate of Nigeria|Senate]] and a [[House of Representatives (Nigeria)|House of Representatives]], which are combined in a [[Bicameralism|bicameral body]] called the [[National Assembly (Nigeria)|National Assembly]]. The Senate is a 109-seat body with three members from each state and one from the capital region of Abuja; members are elected by popular vote to four-year terms. The House contains 360 seats, with the number of seats per state determined by population.<ref name="factbook3" />

The Nigerian president is elected in a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes and more than 25% of the votes in at least 24 of the 36 states.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 September 2022 |title=Patrick Obahiagbon: Labour Party won't get 25% of votes in 24 states |url=https://www.thecable.ng/patrick-obahiagbon-labour-party-wont-get-25-of-votes-in-24-states |access-date=15 October 2022 |website=TheCable |language=en-US |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015201541/https://www.thecable.ng/patrick-obahiagbon-labour-party-wont-get-25-of-votes-in-24-states |url-status=live }}</ref> If no candidate reaches this hurdle, a second round of voting takes place between the leading candidate and the next candidate who received the majority of votes in the highest number of states. By convention, presidential candidates take a running mate (candidate for the vice presidency) who is both ethnically and religiously the opposite of themselves. There is no law prescribing this, yet all presidential candidates since the existence of the Fourth Republic until 2023 adhered to this rule.

However, this principle of religious and ethnic diversity in leadership was ignored in the 2023 General Elections, where the candidate for the [[All Progressives Congress]], [[Bola Tinubu|Bola Ahmed Tinubu]], a Muslim, selected another Muslim, [[Kashim Shettima|Senator Kashim Shettima]], as running mate.{{fact|date=January 2026}}

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Subdivisions of Nigeria}}

[[File:Political map of Nigeria.svg|thumb|alt=|Map of Nigeria with administrative divisions|upright=1.4]]Nigeria is divided into [[States of Nigeria|thirty-six states]] and one [[Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria|Federal Capital Territory]], which are further sub-divided into 774 [[Local government areas of Nigeria|local government areas]]. In some contexts, the states are aggregated into [[Geopolitical zones of Nigeria|six geopolitical zones]]: [[North West (Nigeria)|North West]], [[North East (Nigeria)|North East]], [[North Central, Nigeria|North Central]], [[South West (Nigeria)|South West]], [[South East (Nigeria)|South East]], and [[South South]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 November 2012 |title=Constitution amendment: What the people want |url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/11/constitution-amendment-what-the-people-want/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=14 December 2012 |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301141957/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/11/constitution-amendment-what-the-people-want/ |url-status=live |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=6 December 2012 |title=Constitutional review: Nigeria needs broader representation |url=http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106778:constitutional-review-nigeria-needs-broader-representation-&catid=203:youth-speak&Itemid=730 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511123924/http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106778%3Aconstitutional-review-nigeria-needs-broader-representation-&catid=203%3Ayouth-speak&Itemid=730 |archive-date=11 May 2013 |access-date=14 December 2012}}</ref>

Nigeria has five cities with a population of over a million (from largest to smallest): [[Lagos]], [[Kano (city)|Kano]], [[Ibadan]], [[Benin City]] and [[Port Harcourt]]. Lagos is the [[List of most populous cities in Africa|largest city in Africa]], with a population of over [[List of metropolitan areas by population|12 million]] in its [[urban area]].<ref name="felix2">{{cite news |last=Onuah |first=Felix |date=29 December 2006 |title=Nigeria gives census result, avoids risky details |agency=Reuters |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29819278.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=23 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126015018/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29819278.htm |archive-date=26 January 2009}}</ref>

The south of the country in particular is characterised by very strong urbanisation and a relatively large number of cities. According to an estimate from 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigeria: States & Agglomerations – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/nigeria/cities/agglos/ |access-date=17 October 2022 |website=citypopulation.de |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930123432/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/nigeria/cities/agglos/ |url-status=live }}</ref> there are 20 cities in Nigeria with more than 500,000 inhabitants, including ten cities with a population of one million.

=== Law ===
{{Main|Law of Nigeria}}

The [[Constitution of Nigeria]] is the supreme law of the country. There are four distinct legal systems in Nigeria, which include [[English law]], [[common law]], [[customary law]], and  [[Sharia|Sharia law]]:
* English law in Nigeria consists of the collection of British laws from colonial times.
* Common law is the collection of authoritative judicial decisions in the field of civil law (so-called precedents) that have been handed down in the country concerned – in this case Nigeria. (This system is mainly found in Anglo-Saxon countries; in continental Europe, on the other hand, codified and, as far as possible, abstracted civil law predominates, as in the [[Napoleonic Code]] in France).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Siliquini-Cinelli|first1=Luca|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9ifDgAAQBAJ&q=English+law+in+Nigeria+is+derived+from+the+colonial+Nigeria%2C+while+common+law+is+a+development+from+its+post+colonial+independence.&pg=PA173|title=The Constitutional Dimension of Contract Law: A Comparative Perspective|last2=Hutchison|first2=Andrew|date=6 April 2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-49843-0|access-date=20 August 2022|archive-date=27 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040706/https://books.google.com/books?id=l9ifDgAAQBAJ&q=English+law+in+Nigeria+is+derived+from+the+colonial+Nigeria%2C+while+common+law+is+a+development+from+its+post+colonial+independence.&pg=PA173#v=onepage&q=English%20law%20in%20Nigeria%20is%20derived%20from%20the%20colonial%20Nigeria%2C%20while%20common%20law%20is%20a%20development%20from%20its%20post%20colonial%20independence.&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Customary law is derived from indigenous traditional norms and practices, including the dispute resolution meetings of pre-colonial Yoruba land secret societies and the [[Egbo|Èkpè]] and Okónkò of [[Igboland]] and [[Ibibio people|Ibibioland]].<ref>{{cite web |last=ProjectSolutionz |date=22 June 2021 |title=Law and the political structure in Nigeria |url=https://projectsolutionz.com.ng/law-and-the-political-structure-in-nigeria/ |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=ProjectSolutionz |language=en-US |archive-date=8 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708043422/https://projectsolutionz.com.ng/law-and-the-political-structure-in-nigeria/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Sharia in Nigeria]] ''(also known as Islamic Law)'' used to be used only in [[Northern Nigeria]], where [[Islam]] is the predominant [[religion]]. It is also being used in [[Lagos State]], Oyo State, Kwara State, Ogun State, and Osun State by Muslims. Muslim penal codes are not the same in every state and they differentiate in punishment and offences according to religious affiliation (for example, alcohol consumption and distribution).

The country has a [[judicial branch]], the highest court of which is the [[Supreme Court of Nigeria]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ |title=Africa :: Nigeria |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] (United States) |work=[[The World Factbook]] |date=12 September 2022 |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{main|Foreign relations of Nigeria}}

[[File:MinForeignAffairs.jpg|alt=|thumb|The Ministry of [[Foreign Affairs]], [[Abuja]]]]
Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made African unity the centrepiece of its foreign policy.<ref>Young, Andrew (20 July 2006) [http://allafrica.com/stories/200607200078.html "Collins Edomaruse, how Obasanjo cut UK, US to size"], ''This Day'' (Nigeria).</ref> One exception to the African focus was Nigeria's close relationship with Israel throughout the 1960s. Israel sponsored and oversaw the construction of Nigeria's parliament buildings.<ref>Burkett, Elinor (2009) ''Golda'', HarperCollins, {{ISBN|0-06-187395-0}}, p. 202.</ref>

Nigeria's foreign policy was put to the test in the 1970s after the country emerged united from its civil war. It supported movements against white minority governments in [[Southern Africa]]. Nigeria backed the [[African National Congress]] by taking a committed tough line about the South African government. Nigeria was a founding member of the [[Organisation of African Unity|Organisation for African Unity]] (now the [[African Union]]) and had tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole. Nigeria founded regional cooperative efforts in West Africa, functioning as the standard-bearer for the [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) and [[ECOMOG]] (especially during the Liberia and Sierra Leone civil wars).{{fact|date=January 2026}}

With this Africa-centred stance, Nigeria readily [[Congo Crisis|sent troops to the Congo]] at the behest of the United Nations shortly after independence (and has maintained membership since that time). Nigeria also supported several Pan-African and pro-self-government causes in the 1970s, including garnering support for [[Angola]]'s [[Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola|MPLA]], [[SWAPO]] in Namibia, and aiding opposition to the minority governments of [[Mozambican War of Independence|Portuguese Mozambique]], and [[Rhodesian Bush War|Rhodesia]]. Nigeria retains membership in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. In late November 2006, it organised an Africa-South America Summit in [[Abuja]] to promote what some attendees termed "South-South" linkages on a variety of fronts.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 November 2006 |title=ASAS – Africa-South America Summit |url=http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences/Past/2006/November/SummitASA/summit.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518172006/http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences/Past/2006/November/SummitASA/summit.htm |archive-date=18 May 2011 |access-date=29 May 2011 |publisher=[[African Union]]}}</ref> Nigeria is also a member of the [[International Criminal Court]] and the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. It was temporarily expelled from the latter in 1995 when ruled by the [[Sani Abacha|Abacha regime]].

Nigeria has remained a key player in the [[Petroleum industry|international oil industry]] since the 1970s and maintains membership in [[OPEC]], which it joined in July 1971. Its [[Petroleum industry in Nigeria|status as a major petroleum producer]] figures prominently in its sometimes volatile international relations with [[Developed country|developed countries]], notably the United States, and with developing countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shaw |first1=Timothy M. |title=The State of Nigeria: Oil Crises, Power Bases and Foreign Policy |journal=Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines |date=January 1984 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=393–405 |doi=10.1080/00083968.1984.10804070 |jstor=484337 }}</ref>

Since 2000, [[China–Nigeria relations|Chinese–Nigerian trade relations]] have risen exponentially. There has been an increase in total trade of over 10.3 billion dollars between the two nations from 2000 to 2016.<ref name="Taylor Pathology of Dependency">{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Ian |editor-first1=Carl |editor-first2=Patrick |editor-last1=Levan |editor-last2=Ukata |title=The Oxford Handbook of Nigerian Politics |chapter=The Pathology of Dependency |date=2018 |pages=742–760 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198804307.013.49 |isbn=978-0-19-880430-7 }}</ref> However, the structure of the Chinese–Nigerian trade relationship has become a major political issue for the Nigerian state. Chinese exports account for around 80 per cent of total bilateral trade volumes.<ref name="Taylor Pathology of Dependency"/> This has resulted in a serious [[Balance of trade|trade imbalance]], with Nigeria importing ten times more than it exports to China.<ref name="Taylor Pathology of Dependency"/> Subsequently, Nigeria's economy is becoming over-reliant on cheap imports to sustain itself, resulting in a clear decline in Nigerian industry under such arrangements.<ref name="Taylor Pathology of Dependency"/>

Continuing its Africa-centred foreign policy, Nigeria introduced the idea of a [[Currency union|single currency]] for West Africa known as the [[Eco (currency)|Eco]] under the presumption that it would be led by the [[Nigerian naira|naira]]. But on 21 December 2019, [[List of heads of state of Ivory Coast|Ivorian President]] [[Alassane Ouattara]], [[Emmanuel Macron]], and multiple other [[Economic Community of West African States|UEMOA]] states announced that they would merely rename the [[CFA franc]] instead of replacing the currency as originally intended.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Elliot |date=29 September 2020 |title=West Africa's new currency could now be delayed by five years |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/west-africas-new-currency-could-now-be-delayed-by-five-years.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213014223/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/west-africas-new-currency-could-now-be-delayed-by-five-years.html |archive-date=13 February 2021 |access-date=17 November 2020 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> As of 2021, the Eco currency has been delayed to 2027.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mugabi |first=Isaac |date=2 July 2021 |title=West Africa's Eco currency remains an illusion |url=https://www.dw.com/en/west-africas-eco-currency-plan-remains-a-pipe-dream/a-58136111 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222152645/https://www.dw.com/en/west-africas-eco-currency-plan-remains-a-pipe-dream/a-58136111 |archive-date=22 December 2024 |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{main|Nigerian Armed Forces}}

[[File:ZSU-23-4_Shilka_01.jpg|thumb|[[Nigerian Army]] self-propelled anti-aircraft gun]]
The [[Nigerian Armed Forces]] are the [[Military|combined military forces]] of Nigeria. It consists of three uniformed service branches: the [[Nigerian Army]], [[Nigerian Navy]], and [[Nigerian Air Force]]. The [[President of Nigeria]] functions as the [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces, exercising his [[Constitution of Nigeria|constitutional authority]] through the Ministry of Defence, which is responsible for the management of the military and its personnel. The operational head of the AFN is the [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Nigeria)|Chief of the Defence Staff]], who is subordinate to the [[Defence Minister of Nigeria|Nigerian Defence Minister]]. With a force of more than 223,000 active personnel, the Nigerian military is one of the largest uniformed combat services in Africa.<ref>{{cite web |title=Armed forces personnel, total – Data |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 |access-date=24 January 2017 |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118135008/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Nigerian Air Force Mil Mi-24V Iwelumo-1.jpg|thumb|[[Nigerian Air Force]] 
[[Mi-24]] attack helicopter]]

Nigeria has 143,000 troops in the armed forces (army 100,000, navy 25,000, air force 18,000) and another 80,000 personnel for "gendarmerie & paramilitary" in 2020, according to the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]].<ref name=":8">{{cite book |last=The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) |title=The Military Balance 2022 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2022 |isbn=9781032279008 |location=London}}</ref> Nigeria spent just under 0.4 per cent of its economic output, or US$1.6 billion, on its armed forces in 2017.<ref>3_Data for all countries from 1988 to 2017 as a share of GDP.pdf (sipri.org)</ref><ref>1_Data for all countries from 1988 to 2017 in constant (2016) USD.pdf (sipri.org)</ref> For 2022, US$2.26 billion has been budgeted for the Nigerian armed forces, which is just over a third of [[Belgium]]'s [[defence budget]] (US$5.99 billion).<ref name=":8" />

=== Communal conflicts ===
{{main|Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria|Religious violence in Nigeria|Nigerian bandit conflict|l1 = Communal conflicts in Nigeria}}

[[File:BokoHaram deaths by state.jpg|thumb|Attacks by Boko Haram, 2011 to October 2022. Each figure represents 1,000 deaths.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Nigeria Security Tracker |url=https://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-security-tracker/p29483 |access-date=15 October 2022 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |archive-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115063510/https://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-security-tracker/p29483 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[Boko Haram]] and the [[Nigerian bandit conflict|bandit conflict]] have been responsible for numerous serious attacks with thousands of casualties since mid-2010. Since then, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker, over 41,600 lives have been lost to this conflict (as of October 2022).<ref name=":5" /> The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR counts about 1.8 million internally displaced persons and about 200,000 Nigerian refugees in neighbouring countries.

The Boko Haram-affected states agreed in February 2015 to establish an 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force to jointly fight Boko Haram. By October 2015, Boko Haram had been driven out of all the cities it controlled and almost all the counties in northeastern Nigeria. In 2016, Boko Haram split and in 2022, 40,000 fighters surrendered.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Agency Report |date=24 March 2022 |title=Over 40,000 terrorists surrender to troops – DHQ |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/519364-over-40000-terrorists-surrender-to-troops-dhq.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=15 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005072510/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/519364-over-40000-terrorists-surrender-to-troops-dhq.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The splinter group [[Islamic State – West Africa Province|ISWAP]] (Islamic State in West Africa) remains active.

The fight against Boko Haram, other sectarians, and criminals, has been accompanied by increasing police attacks. The [[Council on Foreign Relations]]' Nigeria Security Tracker counted 1,086 deaths from Boko Haram attacks and 290 deaths from police violence in the first 12 months of its establishment in May 2011. In the 12 months after October 2021, 2,193 people died from police violence and 498 from Boko Haram and ISWAP,<ref name=":5" /> according to the NST. The Nigerian police are notorious for [[Vigilantism|vigilante justice]].<ref name=":5" />

The Niger Delta saw intense [[2016 Niger Delta conflict|attacks on oil infrastructure in 2016]] by militant groups such as the ''Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta'' (MEND), the ''Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force'' (NDPVF), the ''Ijaw National Congress'' (INC) and the ''Pan Niger Delta Forum'' (PANDEF). In response, the new Buhari government pursued a dual strategy of repression and negotiation.

In late 2016, the Nigerian federal government resorted to the gambit of offering the militant groups a 4.5 billion naira (US$144 million) contract to ''guard'' oil infrastructure. Most accepted. The contract was [[Tompolo#Arrest warrant|renewed in August 2022]], but led to fierce disputes among the above-mentioned groups over the distribution of the funds. Representatives speak of "war"<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Bankole |first=Idowu |date=15 September 2022 |title=Niger Delta militants at war over pipelines surveillance contract |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/09/niger-delta-militants-at-war-over-pipelines-surveillance-contract/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=18 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=18 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018071457/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/09/niger-delta-militants-at-war-over-pipelines-surveillance-contract/ |url-status=live }}</ref> – against each other. The high propensity for violence and the pettiness of the leaders, as well as the complete absence of social and environmental arguments in this dispute<ref name=":7" /> give rise to fears that the militant groups, despite their lofty names, have discarded responsibility for their region and ethnic groups and have moved into the realm of protection rackets and self-enrichment. In any case, the pipelines in the Niger Delta are not very effectively "guarded" – the pollution of the Niger Delta with stolen crude oil and [[#Oil spills|illegally produced heavy fuel oil]] continued unhindered after 2016.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 November 2017 |title=Niger Delta Avengers group says ends ceasefire in Nigeria oil hub – website |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-oil-idUSL8N1N93JA |access-date=15 October 2022 |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015102943/https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-oil-idUSL8N1N93JA |url-status=live }}</ref>

In central Nigeria, [[Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria|conflicts between Muslim Hausa-Fulani herders and indigenous Christian farmers]] flared up again, especially in Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba and Benue states. In individual cases, these clashes have claimed several hundred lives. Conflict over land and resources is increasing due to the ongoing desertification in northern Nigeria, population growth and the generally tense economic situation.

In June 2022, a massacre took place in the St. Francis Xavier Church, in Owo. The Government blamed ISWAP for the murder of over 50 parishioners, but locals suspect Fulani herdsmen's involvement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ACN |date=7 June 2022 |title=ACN statement about the Pentecost massacre in St. Francis Xavier Church in Owo, Nigeria |url=https://acninternational.org/massacre-in-owo-nigeria/ |access-date=18 November 2022 |website=ACN International |language=en-US |archive-date=18 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118132704/https://acninternational.org/massacre-in-owo-nigeria/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of Nigeria}}
 
[[File:Lagos Nigeria City View Climate change.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Over 21 million residents live in [[Lagos]], the financial epicentre of Nigeria and the most populous urban area in Africa.]]
Nigeria's economy is the [[List of African countries by GDP (nominal)|fourth largest in Africa]], the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|31st-largest in the world]] by nominal GDP, and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|30th-largest]] by [[purchasing power parity|PPP]]. In 2022, its [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|GDP (PPP)]] per capita was US$9,148,<ref>{{cite web |title=GDP Per Capita {{!}} By Country {{!}} 2022 {{!}} Data |url=https://www.worldeconomics.com/Wealth/default.aspx |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=World Economics |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510092938/https://www.worldeconomics.com/Wealth/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> which is less than South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, but slightly higher than Ghana and Ivory Coast. As of 2023, Nigeria's economy is classified as lower-middle-income.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/world-bank-country-classifications-by-income-level-for-2024-2025|date=1 July 2024|access-date=25 January 2025|title=World Bank country classifications by income level for 2024-2025|website=World Bank Blogs}}</ref>

Before 1999, economic development was hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement. In the decades thereafter, the restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reforms led to rapid growth. In 2011, [[Citigroup]] projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Economic Development of Nigeria from 1914 to 2014|url=https://www.casade.org/economic-development-nigeria-1914-2014/|date=20 January 2015|website=CASADE|language=en-US|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=19 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619145509/https://www.casade.org/economic-development-nigeria-1914-2014/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nigeria is an economic leader in Africa in several industries, including energy, [[financial market]]s, [[Medication|pharmaceuticals]], and [[Entertainment industry|entertainment]]. Its [[Banking in Nigeria|financial services sector]] is well-developed, with a mix of local and international banks, asset management companies, brokerage houses, insurance companies and brokers, private equity funds, and investment banks.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4-rlVeb1n0C&pg=PA168 |title=Growing Apart: Oil, Politics, and Economic Change in Indonesia and Nigeria |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-472-06980-4 |page=168 |access-date=26 December 2008 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040707/https://books.google.com/books?id=T4-rlVeb1n0C&pg=PA168#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> After petroleum, the largest source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria are [[remittance]]s sent home by Nigerians living abroad.<ref name="tribune.com.ng2">{{cite news |author=Gbola Subair-Abuja |date=8 September 2014 |title=Remittances from diaspora Nigerians as lubricant for the economy |newspaper=[[Nigerian Tribune]] |url=http://www.tribune.com.ng/business/tribune-business/item/15469-remittances-from-diaspora-nigerians-as-lubricant-for-the-economy/15469-remittances-from-diaspora-nigerians-as-lubricant-for-the-economy |access-date=17 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317150032/http://www.tribune.com.ng/business/tribune-business/item/15469-remittances-from-diaspora-nigerians-as-lubricant-for-the-economy/15469-remittances-from-diaspora-nigerians-as-lubricant-for-the-economy |archive-date=17 March 2015}}</ref>

Nigeria also has an abundant supply of under-exploited natural resources, including coal, [[bauxite]], [[tantalite]], gold, [[tin]], iron ore, [[limestone]], [[niobium]], lead and [[zinc]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ekene |first=Mfon Abel |date=12 March 2020 |title=Natural resources in Nigeria and their locations |url=https://www.makemoney.ng/natural-resources-in-nigeria-and-their-locations-full-list/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |website=MakeMoney.ng |language=en-GB |archive-date=10 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610154927/https://www.makemoney.ng/natural-resources-in-nigeria-and-their-locations-full-list/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The country's gold production in 2015 was 8 metric tons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gold-production?tab=table|title=Gold production|website=Our World in Data}}</ref> Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry in Nigeria is still in its infancy.

=== Agriculture ===
{{further|Agriculture in Nigeria}}
[[File:Palm nuts put out to dry.jpg|thumb|Nigerian palm nuts put out to dry]]
In 2021, about 23.4% of Nigeria's GDP is contributed by agriculture, forestry and fishing combined.<ref>{{cite web |title=Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=NG |access-date=12 November 2022 |website=World Bank |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112053830/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=NG |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria is the world's largest producer of [[Cassava production in Nigeria|cassava]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Nigeria at a glance{{!}}FAO in Nigeria{{!}}Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/ |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=fao.org |archive-date=7 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607163145/https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Additional major crops include [[maize]], [[rice]], [[millet]], [[Yam (vegetable)|yam beans]], and [[Sorghum bicolor|guinea corn]] (sorghum).<ref>{{cite web |title=Nigeria at a glance |url=https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/ |access-date=26 March 2023 |website=fao.org |archive-date=7 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607163145/https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Cocoa bean|Cocoa]] is the principal agricultural export, and one of the country's most significant non-petroleum products.<ref>{{citation |last=Cadoni |first=P. |title=Analysis of Incentives and Disincentives for Cocoa in Nigeria |date=2013 |url=https://www.fao.org/3/at586e/at586e.pdf |work=Technical notes series, MAFAP |publication-place=Rome |publisher=FAO |access-date=26 March 2023 |archive-date=30 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130065015/https://www.fao.org/3/at586e/at586e.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ibirogba |first=Femi |date=17 December 2018 |title=Stakeholders' strategies for re-awakening Nigeria's cocoa economy |url=https://guardian.ng/features/stakeholders-strategies-for-re-awakening-nigerias-cocoa-economy/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=26 March 2023 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US |quote=“Among the six major agricultural exports of the pre-petroleum exporting years (cocoa, palm oil, palm kernel, rubber, groundnuts and cotton), cocoa is the one still standing tall in terms of non-oil exports,” [Professor Adegboyega Oguntade] said. |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141838/https://guardian.ng/features/stakeholders-strategies-for-re-awakening-nigerias-cocoa-economy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria is also one of the world's top twenty exporters of [[natural rubber]], generating $20.9 million in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rubber in Nigeria {{!}} OEC |url=https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/rubber/reporter/nga |access-date=26 March 2023 |website=OEC – The Observatory of Economic Complexity |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141839/https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/rubber/reporter/nga |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before the [[Nigerian Civil War]] and the [[oil boom]], Nigeria was self-sufficient in food.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ekpo |first=Akpan H. |date=1986 |title=Food dependency and the Nigerian economy: an ex-post analysis, 1960–80 |url=https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=119536714 |journal=The Nigerian Journal of Economic and Social Studies |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=257–273 |quote=Up to 1974, the Nigerian economy was self-sufficient in the production of food. In recent years, however, Nigeria has become a net importer of basic foods. |access-date=26 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141838/https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=119536714 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":11">{{cite journal |last1=Nwozor |first1=Agaptus |last2=Olanrewaju |first2=John Shola |last3=Ake |first3=Modupe B. |title=National Insecurity and the Challenges of Food Security in Nigeria |journal=Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies |date=2019 |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=9–20 |id={{CORE output|328286959}} |doi=10.36941/ajis-2019-0032 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Okotie |first1=Sylvester |title=The Political Ecology of Oil and Gas Activities in the Nigerian Aquatic Ecosystem |chapter=The Nigerian Economy Before the Discovery of Crude Oil |date=2018 |pages=71–81 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-809399-3.00005-7 |isbn=978-0-12-809399-3 }}</ref>  Agriculture used to be the principal foreign exchange earner of Nigeria.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ake |first=Claude |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bs5rTH7GClgC&pg=PA48 |title=Democracy and Development in Africa |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8157-0220-7 |page=48 |access-date=26 December 2008 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040707/https://books.google.com/books?id=bs5rTH7GClgC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Agriculture has failed to keep pace with Nigeria's rapid population growth, and Nigeria now relies upon food imports to sustain itself.<ref name=":11" /><ref>{{cite news |date=16 August 2019 |title=Why Nigeria has restricted food imports |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49367968 |access-date=26 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141844/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49367968 |url-status=live }}</ref>  It spends US$6.7 billion yearly for food imports, four times more than revenues from food export.<ref name=":2" /> The Nigerian government promoted the use of inorganic fertilisers in the 1970s.<ref name="pasquini2">{{cite journal|last1=Pasquini|first1=MW|last2=Alexander|first2=MJ|date=2005|title=Soil fertility management strategies on the Jos Plateau: the need for integrating 'empirical' and 'scientific' knowledge in agricultural development|journal=Geographical Journal|volume=171|issue=2|pages=112–124|doi=10.1111/j.1475-4959.2005.00154.x|bibcode=2005GeogJ.171..112P }}</ref>

Nigeria's rice production increased by 10% from 2017/18 to 2021/22, reaching 5 million tonnes per year,<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 April 2022 |title=Rice pyramids and Nigeria's production puzzle |url=https://guardian.ng/features/rice-pyramids-and-nigerias-production-puzzle/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605085413/https://guardian.ng/features/rice-pyramids-and-nigerias-production-puzzle/ |archive-date=5 June 2022 |access-date=17 June 2022 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US}}</ref> but it failed to keep up with rising demand. Consequently, rice imports remained steady at 2 million tonnes annually. In August 2019, Nigeria closed its border with Benin and other neighbouring countries to stop rice smuggling into the country as part of efforts to boost local production.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 August 2019 |title=Nigeria closes part of border with Benin to check rice smuggling |publisher=Reuters |url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1VJ0PH-OZATP |url-status=dead |access-date=29 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829113752/https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1VJ0PH-OZATP |archive-date=29 August 2019 }}</ref>

Until now, Nigeria exported unhusked rice but had to import husked rice, the country's staple food. The [[Imota rice mill|rice mill in Imota]], near Lagos, is designed to handle the processing at home, improve the balance of trade and the labour market, and save transport and middlemen costs. When fully operational at the end of 2022, the plant, the largest south of the Sahara, is expected to employ 250,000 people and produce 2.5 million 50-kg bags of rice annually.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 May 2022 |title=Lagos today: Like Tinubu like Sanwo-Olu |url=https://www.thecable.ng/lagos-today-like-tinubu-like-sanwo-olu |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=TheCable |language=en-US |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522125209/https://www.thecable.ng/lagos-today-like-tinubu-like-sanwo-olu |url-status=live }}</ref>

The plant was inaugurated in 2023 with the commencement of full production.

=== Oil and natural gas ===
{{further|Petroleum industry in Nigeria|Oil theft in Nigeria}}
Nigeria is the [[List of countries by oil production|15th largest producer of petroleum in the world]], the [[List of countries by oil exports|6th largest exporter]], and has the [[List of countries by proven oil reserves|9th largest proven reserves]]. Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy and politics, accounting for about 80% of government earnings. Nigeria also has the [[List of countries by natural gas proven reserves|9th largest proven natural gas reserves]] estimated by [[OPEC]]; the government's value of its about 206.53 trillion cubic feet has been valued at $803.4 trillion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nnodim |first=Okechukwu |date=29 April 2022 |title=Nigeria's proven gas reserves worth over $803.4tn – FG |url=https://punchng.com/nigerias-proven-gas-reserves-worth-over-803-4tn-fg/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US |archive-date=21 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421165556/https://punchng.com/nigerias-proven-gas-reserves-worth-over-803-4tn-fg/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Natural gas is seen as having the potential to unlock an [[economic miracle]] on the Niger River.<ref>{{cite news |author=PricewaterhouseCoopers |title=Evaluating Nigeria's Gas Value Chain |url=https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/publications/evaluating-nigeria-gas-value-chain.html |access-date=14 June 2023 |newspaper=PwC |language=en-NG |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614022004/https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/publications/evaluating-nigeria-gas-value-chain.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria each year loses to [[Gas flare|gas flaring]] an estimate of US$2.5 billion,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ejiogu |first1=Amanze R. |title=Gas Flaring in Nigeria: Costs and Policy |journal=Energy & Environment |date=October 2013 |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=983–998 |doi=10.1260/0958-305X.24.6.983 |jstor=43735213 |bibcode=2013EnEnv..24..983E }}</ref> and over 120,000 barrels of oil per day to [[Oil theft in Nigeria|crude theft]] in the [[Niger Delta]], its main oil-producing region.<ref>{{cite news |last=Onuah |first=Felix |date=19 August 2022 |title=Nigeria's Buhari worried over large scale crude oil theft |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-buhari-worried-over-large-scale-crude-oil-theft-2022-08-19/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614022003/https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-buhari-worried-over-large-scale-crude-oil-theft-2022-08-19/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=7 July 2022 |title=Shell Nigeria says crude oil theft an existential threat to industry |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shell-nigeria-says-crude-oil-theft-an-existential-threat-industry-2022-07-06/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211125042/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shell-nigeria-says-crude-oil-theft-an-existential-threat-industry-2022-07-06/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This has led to [[Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea|piracy]] and [[Conflict in the Niger Delta|conflict]] for control in the region and has led to disruptions in production preventing the country from meeting its OPEC quota and exporting petroleum at full capability.<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Lizzie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwuQ71ZbaOcC&pg=PA26|title=Nigeria: The Bradt Travel Guide|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84162-239-2|page=26|access-date=26 December 2008|archive-date=27 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627040707/https://books.google.com/books?id=fwuQ71ZbaOcC&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Nigerdelta NASA.jpg|thumb|Overflight photo of the creeks of the Niger Delta]]

Nigeria has a total of 159 [[Petroleum reservoir|oil fields]] and 1,481 [[Oil well|wells]] in operation according to the [[Department of Petroleum Resources]].<ref name="NDES2">''Environmental Resources Managers Ltd, Niger Delta Environmental Survey Final Report Phase I; Volume I: Environmental and Socio-Economic Characteristics (Lagos: Niger Delta Environmental Survey, September 1997)''</ref> The most productive region of the nation is the coastal [[Niger Delta Basin (geology)|Niger Delta Basin]] in the Niger Delta or "south-south" region which encompasses 78 of the 159 oil fields. Most of Nigeria's oil fields are small and scattered, and as of 1990, these small fields accounted for 62.1% of all Nigerian production. This contrasts with the sixteen largest fields which produced 37.9% of Nigeria's petroleum at that time.<ref name="politicaleconomy2">''Nigeria: The Political Economy of Oil'' {{ISBN|0-19-730014-6}} (Khan, Ahmad)</ref> Petrol was Nigeria's main import commodity until 2021, accounting for 24% of import volume.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reports {{!}} National Bureau of Statistics |url=https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/1241147 |access-date=28 May 2022 |website=nigerianstat.gov.ng |archive-date=17 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617202838/https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/1241147 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Niger Delta Nembe Creek oil field was discovered in 1973 and produces from the middle [[Miocene]] [[River delta|deltaic]] [[sandstone]]-[[shale]] in an [[anticline]] [[Petroleum trap|structural trap]] at a depth of {{convert|2|to|4|km|ft|-3|abbr=off}}.<ref>Nelson, P.H.H., Role of Reflection Seismic in Development of Nembe Creek Field, Nigeria, 1980, in Giant Oil and Gas Fields of the Decade: 1968–1978, AAPG Memoir 30, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, {{ISBN|0-89181-306-3}}, pp. 565–576</ref> In June 2013, Shell announced a strategic review of its operations in Nigeria, hinting that assets could be divested. While many international oil companies have operated there for decades, by 2014 most were making moves to divest their interests, citing a range of issues including oil theft. In August 2014, Shell said it was finalising its interests in four Nigerian oil fields.<ref name="ShellNigeria2">{{cite news |date=27 August 2014 |title=Stakes in four Nigerian oil fields being sold by Shell |publisher=Nigeria Sun |url=http://www.nigeriasun.com/index.php/sid/225153307 |access-date=28 August 2014 |archive-date=31 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831130922/http://www.nigeriasun.com/index.php/sid/225153307 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The supply of natural gas to Europe, threatened by the [[Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)|Russo-Ukrainian war]], pushed projects to transport Nigerian natural gas via pipelines to Morocco or Algeria.<ref>{{cite web |title=Morocco closer to activating the gas pipeline with Nigeria |url=https://atalayar.com/en/content/morocco-closer-activating-gas-pipeline-nigeria |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=Atalayar |date=27 April 2022 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524103335/https://atalayar.com/en/content/morocco-closer-activating-gas-pipeline-nigeria |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nigeria's president launches new gas pipeline project |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/natural-gas/nigerias-president-launches-new-gas-pipeline-project/29750 |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=aa.com.tr |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522125209/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/natural-gas/nigerias-president-launches-new-gas-pipeline-project/29750 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=9 May 2022 |title=Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) Project Updates |url=https://constructionreviewonline.com/project-timelines/nigeria-morocco-gas-pipeline-nmgp-project-updates/ |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=Construction Review Online |language=en-US |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528231902/https://constructionreviewonline.com/project-timelines/nigeria-morocco-gas-pipeline-nmgp-project-updates/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of May 2022, however, there are no results on this yet.

=== Energy ===
{{main|Energy in Nigeria}}

[[File:ASC Leiden - Rietveld Collection - Nigeria 1970 - 1973 - 01 - 083 Kainji Dam. The water flows from four openings.jpg|thumb|[[Kainji Dam]] on the [[Niger River]], built in the 1960s]]
Nigeria's energy consumption is much more than its generation capacity. Most of the energy comes from traditional fossil fuels, which account for 73% of total primary production. The rest is from hydropower (27%). Since independence, Nigeria has tried to develop a domestic nuclear industry for energy. Nigeria opened 2004 a Chinese-origin research reactor at [[Ahmadu Bello University]] and has sought the support of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] to develop plans for up to 4,000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2027 according to the National Program for the Deployment of Nuclear Power for Generation of Electricity. In 2007, President [[Umaru Musa Yar'Adua|Umaru Yar'Adua]] urged the country to embrace nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs. In 2017, Nigeria signed the UN [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{cite web |date=7 July 2017 |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament – No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2015, Nigeria began talks with Russia's state-owned [[Rosatom]] to collaborate on the design, construction and operation of four nuclear power plants by 2035, the first of which will be in operation by 2025. In June 2015, Nigeria selected two sites for the planned construction of the nuclear plants. Neither the Nigerian government nor Rosatom would disclose the specific locations of the sites, but it is believed that the nuclear plants will be sited in [[Akwa Ibom State]] and [[Kogi State]]. The sites are planned to house two plants each. In 2017 agreements were signed for the construction of the [[Itu nuclear power plant]].

==== Electricity ====
According to the survey, 94% of Nigerians are connected to the national grid, but only 57% have their electricity consumption recorded by an electricity meter.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |date=23 June 2023 |title=Only 57 Percent of Nigerian Electricity Customers are Metered |url=https://www.noi-polls.com/post/only-57-percent-of-nigerian-electricity-customers-are-metered |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=NOIPolls |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707163906/https://www.noi-polls.com/post/only-57-percent-of-nigerian-electricity-customers-are-metered |url-status=live }}</ref> Only 1% of Nigerians surveyed reported having electricity 24 hours a day. 68% have electricity 1 to 9 hours a day, according to the NIO. Two-thirds of Nigerians, or 66%, pay up to 10,000 Naira (US$13) a month for electricity, which is almost 3% of the average income in Nigeria.<ref name=":12" /> Over two-thirds of respondents, or 67%, were willing to pay more for uninterrupted electricity supply. Power generators are owned by 21% of Nigerians, while 14% use solar energy.<ref name=":12" />

=== Manufacturing and technology ===
{{further|Automotive industry in Nigeria|Pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria}}
[[File:Nigeria EduSat-1.jpg|thumb|[[Nigeria EduSat-1]], the first satellite built by Nigeria by the [[Federal University of Technology Akure]]]]
Nigeria has a manufacturing industry that includes leather and textiles (centred in [[Kano (city)|Kano]], [[Abeokuta]], [[Onitsha]], and Lagos), plastics and processed food. [[Ogun State|Ogun]] is considered to be Nigeria's current industrial hub, as most factories are located in Ogun and more companies are moving there, followed by Lagos.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 June 2013 |title=Industrial hub: Why more companies are moving to Ogun |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]|url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/why-more-companies-are-moving-to-ogun/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=14 March 2014 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924000820/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/why-more-companies-are-moving-to-ogun/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=5 May 2013 |title=Ogun State's rising investment profile |url=http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/05/05/ogun-states-rising-investment-profile/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717030348/http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/05/05/ogun-states-rising-investment-profile/ |archive-date=17 July 2014 |access-date=14 March 2014 |publisher=Daily NewsWatch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2012 |title=Ogun State: Nigeria's new Industrial hub |url=http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/top-stories/219914-ogun-state-nigeria%E2%80%99s-new-industrial-hub.html |access-date=14 March 2014 |publisher=Online Nigeria News |archive-date=29 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129151508/http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/top-stories/219914-ogun-state-nigeria%E2%80%99s-new-industrial-hub.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city of [[Aba, Abia|Aba]] in the south-eastern part of the country is well known for handicrafts and shoes, known as "Aba made".<ref name="Naijalitz">{{cite web |title=Nigeria now generates 13,000mw of power, says Minister – Chukwuma |url=https://naijalitz.com/nigeria-now-generates-13000mw-of-power-says-minister/ |access-date=28 October 2020 |publisher=Naijalitz – No 1 Entertainment Portal |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211145905/https://naijalitz.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nigeria has a market of 720,000 cars per year, but less than 20% of these are produced domestically.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=A new car assembly plant begins operation in Nigeria |url=https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cas/news-events/news/details/a-new-car-assembly-plant-begins-operation-in-nigeria |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies (CAS) |archive-date=4 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704124830/https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cas/news-events/news/details/a-new-car-assembly-plant-begins-operation-in-nigeria |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016, Nigeria was the [[Cement production by country|leading cement producer]] south of the Sahara, ahead of South Africa.<ref>{{cite web |last=Yager |first=Thomas R. |date=March 2022 |title=The Mineral Industry of Nigeria |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2017-18/myb3-2017-18-nigeria.pdf |access-date=10 June 2022 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610111629/https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2017-18/myb3-2017-18-nigeria.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Aliko Dangote]], Nigeria's richest inhabitant, based his wealth on cement production, as well as agricultural commodities.<ref>{{cite web |last=Umoh |first=Ruth |title=Billionaire Aliko Dangote is the world's richest black person—here's how he made his wealth |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/05/how-nigerian-aliko-dangote-became-the-worlds-richest-black-person.html |access-date=26 March 2023 |publisher=CNBC |date=5 December 2018 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141844/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/05/how-nigerian-aliko-dangote-became-the-worlds-richest-black-person.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to its own information, the [[Ajaokuta Steel Mill|Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited]] produces 1.3 million tonnes of [[steel]] per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Products: Ajaokuta Steel Company: ...the Bedrock of Nigeria's Industrialization. |url=https://www.ajaokutasteel.com/site/pagef.php?cnt=Products |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=ajaokutasteel.com |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625011058/https://www.ajaokutasteel.com/site/pagef.php?cnt=Products |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, steel plants in [[Katsina (city)|Katsina]], [[Jos]] and [[Osogbo]] no longer appear to be active.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 April 2014 |title=Nigeria to revive steel rolling mills – Official {{!}} Premium Times Nigeria |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/159578-nigeria-revive-steel-rolling-mills-official.html |access-date=26 May 2022 |language=en-GB |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524193627/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/159578-nigeria-revive-steel-rolling-mills-official.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 2019, [[Nigeria EduSat-1]] was deployed from the [[International Space Station]]. It is the first satellite that was built in Nigeria, which followed [[Nigerian weather and communications satellites|many other Nigerian satellites]] that were built by other countries.{{Efn|[[Nigerian weather and communications satellites|NigeriaSat-1]], [[Nigerian weather and communications satellites|NigeriaSat-2]], [[Nigerian weather and communications satellites|NigeriaSat-X]], [[NigComSat-1]], and [[NigComSat-1]]R}}<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Polycarp |first=Nwafor |date=18 May 2017 |title=Nigeria to launch Africa's 1st nanosatellite |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/05/nigeria-launch-africas-1st-nanosatellite/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=17 February 2018 |archive-date=17 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217202808/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/05/nigeria-launch-africas-1st-nanosatellite/ |url-status=live |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]}}</ref> In 2021, Nigeria hosts about 60 percent of the pharmaceutical production capacity in Africa,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Onyesi |first=Chika |date=6 October 2021 |title='Nigeria's pharmaceutical sector dwindling despite 60 percent production capacity' |url=https://dailypost.ng/2021/10/06/nigerias-pharmaceutical-sector-dwindling-despite-60-percent-production-capacity/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=5 June 2022 |newspaper=[[Daily Post (Nigeria)|Daily Post]]|language=en-US |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605182803/https://dailypost.ng/2021/10/06/nigerias-pharmaceutical-sector-dwindling-despite-60-percent-production-capacity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the larger pharmaceutical companies are located in [[Lagos]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Yahaya |first=Abdulwali |date=19 September 2019 |title=Top 10 Best Pharmaceutical Companies in Nigeria & Their Products |url=https://nigerianinfopedia.com.ng/registered-pharmaceutical-companies-in-nigeria/ |access-date=2 June 2022 |website=Nigerian Infopedia |language=en-US |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517172640/https://nigerianinfopedia.com.ng/registered-pharmaceutical-companies-in-nigeria/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The pharmaceutical producer with the most employees in Nigeria is [[Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries]] Ltd.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited |url=https://www.emzorpharma.com/about-emzor/ |access-date=2 June 2022 |website=Emzor |date=27 December 2018 |language=en-GB |archive-date=1 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801201737/https://www.emzorpharma.com/about-emzor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria has a few electronic manufacturers like [[Zinox]], the first branded Nigerian computer, and manufacturers of electronic gadgets such as tablet PCs.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Okonji, Emma |date=24 October 2013 |title=Zinox Introduces Tablet Range of Computers, Plans Commercial Launch |url=http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/zinox-introduces-tablet-range-of-computers-plans-commercial-launch/162517/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027075729/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/zinox-introduces-tablet-range-of-computers-plans-commercial-launch/162517 |archive-date=27 October 2013 |access-date=14 March 2014 |newspaper=[[This Day]]}}</ref> As of January 2022, Nigeria is the host to 5 out of the 7 [[Unicorn (company)|unicorn companies]] in Africa.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 January 2022 |title=Nigeria produces five of seven unicorns in Africa |url=https://guardian.ng/technology/nigeria-produces-five-of-seven-unicorns-in-africa/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=17 October 2022 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017085459/https://guardian.ng/technology/nigeria-produces-five-of-seven-unicorns-in-africa/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Internet and telecommunications ===
{{main|Telecommunications in Nigeria}}

[[File:Wikidata for Libraries and Librarians in Nigeria 69.jpg|thumb|Nigerian librarians editing the [[Wikidata]] database]] The Nigerian telecommunications market is one of the fastest-growing in the world, with major emerging market operators (like [[MTN Group|MTN]], [[9mobile]], [[Airtel]] and [[Globacom]]) basing their largest and most profitable centres in the country.<ref>{{cite book |author1=DeRouen, Karl R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tSLeN4U_C6kC&pg=PA546 |title=International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia |author2=Bellamy, Paul |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-275-99253-8 |page=546 |access-date=26 December 2008 |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041209/https://books.google.com/books?id=tSLeN4U_C6kC&pg=PA546 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria's ICT sector has experienced much growth, representing 10% of the nation's GDP in 2018 as compared to just 1% in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Economy of Africa |url=https://www.cgdev.org/reader/new-economy-africa-opportunities-nigerias-emerging-technology-sector |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212033405/https://www.cgdev.org/reader/new-economy-africa-opportunities-nigerias-emerging-technology-sector |archive-date=12 February 2020 |access-date=24 January 2020 |website=Center For Global Development }}</ref> Lagos is regarded as one of the largest technology hubs in Africa with its thriving tech ecosystem.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shapshak |first1=Toby |title=Africa's Booming Tech Hubs Are "Backbone of Tech Ecosystem" Having Grown 40% This Year |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tobyshapshak/2019/07/11/africas-booming-tech-hubs-are-backbone-of-tech-ecosystem-having-grown-40-this-year/#5ed629bf24c2 |access-date=24 January 2020 |website=Forbes |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115164420/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tobyshapshak/2019/07/11/africas-booming-tech-hubs-are-backbone-of-tech-ecosystem-having-grown-40-this-year/#5ed629bf24c2 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to a survey by the [[GSM Association]], 92% of adult Nigerian men and 88% of women owned a mobile phone.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 June 2022 |title=92% of Nigerian adult males own mobile device, says GSMA |url=https://punchng.com/92-of-nigerian-adult-males-own-mobile-device-says-gsma/ |access-date=19 August 2022 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819153505/https://punchng.com/92-of-nigerian-adult-males-own-mobile-device-says-gsma/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Using various measures including but not limited to illegal arrest, taking down of websites, passport seizures, and restricted access to bank accounts, the [[Telecommunications in Nigeria#Internet censorship and surveillance|Nigerian government is punishing citizens for expressing themselves on the internet]] and working to stifle internet freedom.<ref>{{cite web |last=Paul |first=Emmanuel |date=28 November 2019 |title=Everything you need to know about Nigeria's Social Media Bill and what you can do about it |url=https://techpoint.africa/2019/11/28/nigerias-social-media-bill/ |access-date=20 May 2021 |website=Techpoint Africa |language=en-US |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520174826/https://techpoint.africa/2019/11/28/nigerias-social-media-bill/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in Nigeria}}

[[File:Òwú Waterfalls.jpg|thumb|[[Owu waterfalls]], visited by Nigerian [[Undergraduate education|undergraduates]]]]
Tourism in Nigeria centres largely on events, because of the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannahs, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.<ref name="suntra2">{{cite news|last=Archibong|first=Maurice|date=18 March 2004|title=Nigeria: Gold mine waiting to be tapped|url=http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/travels/2004/mar/18/travels-mar18-01.htm|location=Lagos, Nigeria|url-status=dead|access-date=21 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426214225/http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/travels/2004/mar/18/travels-mar18-01.htm|archive-date=26 April 2007|newspaper=[[The Sun (Nigeria)|The Sun]]}}</ref>
Abuja is home to several parks and green areas. The largest, [[Millennium Park (Abuja)|Millennium Park]], was designed by architect [[Manfredi Nicoletti]] and officially opened in December 2003. After the re-modernisation project achieved by the administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola, Lagos is gradually becoming a major tourist destination. Lagos is currently taking steps to become a [[global city]]. The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originating from [[Iperu, Ogun|Iperu Remo]], Ogun State) was a step toward world city status. Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a business-oriented and fast-paced community.<ref name="METRO2">{{cite web|title=Managing Metropolitan Lagos|url=http://www.africaleadership.org/rc/Managing%20Metropolitan%20Lagos.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513124623/http://www.africaleadership.org/rc/Managing%20Metropolitan%20Lagos.pdf|archive-date=13 May 2012|access-date=4 April 2012|publisher=R.Rasaki}}</ref> Lagos has become an important location for African and black cultural identity.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Anthony|last1=Appiah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC&pg=PA53|title=Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 2|first2=Henry Louis|last2=Gates|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-19-533770-9|page=53|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-date=27 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041215/https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lagos has sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including [[Elegushi Beach]] and Alpha Beach. Lagos also has many 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|Intercontinental Hotel]], [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton]], and [[Four Points by Sheraton]]. Other places of interest include the [[Tafawa Balewa Square]], Festac town, The [[Nike Art Gallery]], [[Freedom Park (Lagos)|Freedom Park]], and the [[Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos|Cathedral Church of Christ]].

=== Transport ===
{{Main|Transport in Nigeria}}

Due to Nigeria's location in the centre of West Africa, [[Transport in Nigeria|transport plays a major role in the national service sector]]. Government investments have seen an increase in extensive road repairs and new construction has been carried out gradually as states in particular spend their share of increased government allocations. Representative of these improvements is the [[Second Niger bridge|Second Niger Bridge]] near Onitsha, which was largely completed in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sustainability In The Nigerian Financial Sector – ESRM Africa |url=https://esrmafrica.org/nigeria-posts-4/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625172952/https://esrmafrica.org/nigeria-posts-4/ |archive-date=25 June 2022 |access-date=26 May 2022 |language=en-ZA}}</ref> A 2017 World Bank report on logistics hubs in Africa placed the country in fourth place, behind Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sao Tome,<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 April 2017 |title=Cote d'Ivoire, others ahead of Nigeria on global logistics hub |url=https://t.guardian.ng/business-services/cote-divoire-others-ahead-of-nigeria-on-global-logistics-hub/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=26 March 2023 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306235701/https://t.guardian.ng/business-services/cote-divoire-others-ahead-of-nigeria-on-global-logistics-hub/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but in 2021, Nigeria joined the World Logistics Passport, a private sector group working to increase the effiency of global trade.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anagor |first=Amaka |date=8 October 2021 |title=Nigeria joins World Logistics Passport as strategic trade hub in West Africa |url=https://businessday.ng/news/article/nigeria-joins-world-logistics-passport-as-strategic-trade-hub-in-west-africa/ |issn=1595-8590|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=26 March 2023 |newspaper=[[BusinessDay (Nigeria)|BusinessDay]]|language=en-US |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415005457/https://businessday.ng/news/article/nigeria-joins-world-logistics-passport-as-strategic-trade-hub-in-west-africa/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Roads ====
{{Main|Roads in Nigeria}}

[[File:Map of Trans-African Highways.PNG|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Four trans-African automobile routes pass through Nigeria:
* [[File:Schild TAH8.svg|20px]] [[Lagos-Mombasa Highway]]
* [[File:Schild TAH2.svg|20px]] [[Algiers-Lagos Highway]]
* [[File:Schild TAH7.svg|20px]] [[Dakar-Lagos Highway]]
* [[File:Schild TAH5.svg|20px]] [[Dakar-Ndjamena Highway]]

Nigeria has the largest road network in [[West Africa]]. It covers about 200,000&nbsp;km, of which 60,000&nbsp;km are asphalted. Nigeria's roads and highways handle 90% of all passenger and freight traffic. It contributes N2.4trn ($6.4bn) to GDP in 2020. The federal government is responsible for 35,000&nbsp;km of the road network. The motorway links of important economic centres such as [[Lagos]]-[[Ibadan]], Lagos-[[Badagry]] and [[Enugu (city)|Enugu]]-[[Onitsha]] have been renovated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shuaibu |first=Faruk |date=1 May 2022 |title=How FG moves to save 35,000km road networks |url=https://dailytrust.com/how-fg-moves-to-save-35000km-road-networks |access-date=14 September 2022 |newspaper=[[Daily Trust]]|archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914134253/https://dailytrust.com/how-fg-moves-to-save-35000km-road-networks |url-status=live }}</ref>

The rest of the road network is a state matter and therefore in very different shape, depending on the state. Economically strong states such as Lagos, [[Anambra State|Anambra]] and [[Rivers State|Rivers]] receive particularly poor evaluations.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 April 2022 |title=7 States With the Worst Road Networks in Nigeria |url=https://businesselitesafrica.com/2022/04/24/7-states-with-the-worst-road-networks-in-nigeria/,%20https://businesselitesafrica.com/2022/04/24/7-states-with-the-worst-road-networks-in-nigeria/ |access-date=14 September 2022 |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Most roads were built in the 1980s and early 1990s. Poor maintenance and inferior materials have worsened the condition of the roads. Travelling is very difficult. Especially during the rainy season, the use of secondary roads is sometimes almost impossible due to potholes.<ref>{{cite web |title=2.3 Nigeria Road Network – Logistics Capacity Assessment – Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments |url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Nigeria+Road+Network |access-date=14 September 2022 |website=dlca.logcluster.org |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914134254/https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Nigeria+Road+Network |url-status=dead }}</ref> Road bandits often take advantage of this situation for their criminal purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=UPDATED: Motorists List Nigeria's Most Dangerous Roads, Say Bandits Built Dens Along Them {{!}} Sahara Reporters |url=https://saharareporters.com/2020/12/16/updated-motorists-list-nigerias-most-dangerous-roads-say-bandits-built-dens-along-them |access-date=14 September 2022 |website=saharareporters.com |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914134254/https://saharareporters.com/2020/12/16/updated-motorists-list-nigerias-most-dangerous-roads-say-bandits-built-dens-along-them |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Babangida |first=Mohammed |date=18 May 2022 |title=Bandits abduct motorists on Abuja – Kaduna highway |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/530677-bandits-abduct-motorists-on-abuja-kaduna-highway.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=14 September 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914134253/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/530677-bandits-abduct-motorists-on-abuja-kaduna-highway.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Rail transport ====
{{Main|Rail transport in Nigeria}}

Railways have undergone a massive revamping with projects such as the [[Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway|Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway]] being completed connecting cities of [[Kano State|Kano]], [[Kaduna (city)|Kaduna]], [[Abuja]], [[Ibadan]] and [[Lagos]]. [[Lagos Rail Mass Transit]] controls transport in [[Lagos]] with two currently operating services. The [[Red Line (Lagos Transit)|Red Line]] and The [[Blue Line (Lagos Transit)|Blue Line]]. [[Abuja Light Rail]] controls rail services in [[Abuja]] and currently has one operating service, the Blue Line.

==== Air transport ====
{{Main|List of airports in Nigeria}}

[[File:Arik Air Hifly A340-500 CS-TFW in LHR.jpg|thumb|An A340-500 of [[Arik Air]] ]]
The Nigerian aviation industry generated 198.62 billion naira (€400 million) in 2019, representing a contribution of 0.14% to GDP. It was the fastest-growing sector of the Nigerian economy in 2019. Passenger traffic increased from 9,358,166 in 2020 to 15,886,955 in 2021, a significant increase of over 69%. Aircraft movements increased by more than 46% from 2020 to 2021. Total freight volumes were 191 tonnes in 2020 but increased to 391 tonnes in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigerian airports processed 15.8m passengers in 1 year {{!}} Dailytrust |url=https://dailytrust.com/nigerian-airports-processed-15-8m-passengers-in-1-year |access-date=21 October 2022 |website=dailytrust.com |date=22 September 2022 |archive-date=20 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020185424/https://dailytrust.com/nigerian-airports-processed-15-8m-passengers-in-1-year |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2021, the [[Anambra International Cargo Airport]] started its operation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Report |first=Agency |date=9 January 2022 |title=New Anambra airport records 142 flights, 3,865 passengers in one month — Official |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/504810-new-anambra-airport-records-142-flights-3865-passengers-in-one-month-official.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=26 February 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]] |archive-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226134130/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/504810-new-anambra-airport-records-142-flights-3865-passengers-in-one-month-official.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2022, the second terminal of the [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport]] has been inaugurated. It will increase the capacity of the airport to 14 million passengers per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lagos Airport's Terminal 2 opens – the Nigerian president wants concessions 'fast-tracked' |url=https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/lagos-airports-terminal-2-opens--the-nigerian-president-wants-concessions-fast-tracked-602197 |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=CAPA – Centre for Aviation |archive-date=30 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530162124/https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/lagos-airports-terminal-2-opens--the-nigerian-president-wants-concessions-fast-tracked-602197 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Air Peace, 5N-BQP, Boeing 737-33R.jpg|thumb|B737-300 of [[Air Peace]]]]
There are 54 airports in Nigeria, The principal airports are:
* [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport]] in Lagos,
* [[Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport]] in Abuja,
* [[Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport]] in Kano,
* [[Akanu Ibiam International Airport]] in Enugu and
* [[Port Harcourt International Airport]] in Port Harcourt.

Nigeria had in the past operated a state-owned airline [[Nigeria Airways]] which was over-indebted in 2003 and was bought by the British [[Virgin Group]]; since 28 June 2005, it has flown under the name [[Air Nigeria|Virgin Nigeria Airways]]. At the end of 2008, the Virgin Group announced its withdrawal from the airline; since September 2009 the airline has been operating as Nigerian Eagle Airlines. The largest airline in Nigeria is privately owned [[Air Peace]], founded in 2012.

== Demographics ==

{{Main|Demographics of Nigeria}}

{{See also|Social class in Nigeria}}
[[File:Population density map of Nigerian states - English.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Population density (persons per square kilometre) in Nigeria|alt=]]The [[United Nations]] estimates that the population of Nigeria in {{UN_Population|Year}} was at {{UN_Population|Nigeria}}{{UN_Population|ref}}, distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre. Around 42.5% of the population were 14 years or younger, 19.6% were aged 15–24, 30.7% were aged 25–54, 4.0% were aged 55–64, and 3.1% were aged 65 years or older. The median age in 2017 was 18.4 years.<ref name="People and Society: Population22">{{cite web |title=People and Society: Population |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ |access-date=17 October 2018 |website=The World Fact Book |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nigeria is the [[List of countries and dependencies by population#Sovereign states and dependencies by population|world's sixth-most populous country]]. The birth rate is 35.2-births/1,000 population and the death rate is 9.6 deaths/1,000 population as of 2017, while the total fertility rate is 5.07 children born/woman.<ref name="People and Society: Population22" /> Nigeria's population increased by 57&nbsp;million from 1990 to 2008, a 60% growth rate in less than two decades.<ref name="IEApop20112">[http://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2Highlights.XLS CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012151137/http://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2Highlights.XLS |date=12 October 2009}} Population 1971–2008 IEA [http://iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106205757/http://iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf|date=6 January 2012}} pp. 83–85</ref> Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa<ref>{{cite web |last=Dunne |first=Daisy |date=17 February 2023 |title=The Carbon Brief Profile: Nigeria |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/the-carbon-brief-profile-nigeria/ |access-date=24 February 2023 |website=Carbon Brief |archive-date=25 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825081628/https://www.carbonbrief.org/the-carbon-brief-profile-nigeria/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and accounts for about 17% of the continent's total population as of 2017; however, exactly how populous is a subject of speculation.<ref name="auto12">{{cite web |title=Human Development Data (1990–2017) |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/data |access-date=17 October 2018 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |archive-date=2 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102154237/http://hdr.undp.org/en/data |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Nigeria-demography.svg|thumb|Historical population of Nigeria (1950–2020)]]
Millions of Nigerians have emigrated during times of economic hardship, primarily to Europe, North America and Australia. It is estimated that over a million Nigerians have emigrated to the United States and constitute the [[Nigerian American]] populace. Individuals in many such Diasporic communities have joined the "Egbe Omo Yoruba" society, a national association of Yoruba descendants in North America.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 May 2007 |title=Egbe Omo Yoruba, National Association of Yoruba descendants in North America |url=http://www.yorubanation.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309144042/http://www.yorubanation.org/ |archive-date=9 March 2018 |access-date=29 May 2011 |publisher=yorubanation.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Mary Mederios |last2=Haub |first2=Carl |date=December 2005 |title=The Demographic Divide: What It Is and Why It Matters |url=http://www.prb.org/Articles/2005/TheDemographicDivideWhatItIsandWhyItMatters.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426083256/http://www.prb.org/Articles/2005/TheDemographicDivideWhatItIsandWhyItMatters.aspx |archive-date=26 April 2011 |access-date=6 June 2011 |publisher=[[Population Reference Bureau]] }}</ref> Nigeria's largest city is [[Lagos]]. Lagos has grown from about 300,000 in 1950<ref>{{Cite book |last1=McDonald |first1=John F. |title=Urban Economics and Real Estate: Theory and Policy |last2=McMillen |first2=Daniel P. |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-59148-2 |edition=2 |series=Wiley Desktop Editions |page=9}}</ref> to an estimated 13.4&nbsp;million in 2017.<ref name="Major Urban Areas: Population">{{cite web |title=Major Urban Areas: Population |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ |access-date=17 October 2018 |website=The World Fact Book |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The three largest ethnic groups are the [[Hausa people|Hausa]], [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] and [[Igbo people|Igbo]], together accounting for more than 60% of the population, while the [[Edo people|Edo]], [[Ijaw people|Ijaw]], [[Fula people|Fulɓe]], [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]], [[Urhobo people|Urhobo-Isoko]], [[Ibibio people|Ibibio]], [[Ebira people|Ebira]], [[Nupe people|Nupe]], [[Gbagyi people|Gbagyi]], [[Jukun people (West Africa)|Jukun]], [[Igala people|Igala]], [[Idoma people|Idoma]], [[Ogoni people|Ogoni]] and [[Tiv people|Tiv]] account for between 35 and 40%; other minorities make up the remaining 5%.<ref name="NGeo">"Nigeria" in ''Geographica: The complete Atlas of the world'', Random House, 2002, {{ISBN|0-375-72037-5}}</ref> The [[Middle Belt]] of Nigeria is known for its diversity of ethnic groups, including the [[Atyap people|Atyap]], [[Berom people|Berom]], Goemai, Igala, [[Kofyar people|Kofyar]], Pyem, and [[Tiv people|Tiv]].<ref name="felix2" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4-rlVeb1n0C&pg=PA132 |title=Growing Apart: Oil, Politics, and Economic Change in Indonesia and Nigeria |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-472-06980-4 |page=132 |access-date=27 June 2024 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041237/https://books.google.com/books?id=T4-rlVeb1n0C&pg=PA132#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Suberu |first=Rotimi T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKeUMmDlPkEC&pg=PA154 |title=Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Nigeria |publisher=US Institute of Peace Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-929223-28-2 |page=154 |access-date=27 June 2024 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041216/https://books.google.com/books?id=WKeUMmDlPkEC&pg=PA154 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are small minorities of British, American, [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]], [[Chinese people in Nigeria|Chinese]] (est. 50,000),<ref>{{cite web |last=Politzer |first=Malia |date=August 2008 |title=China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration |url=http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 |access-date=7 June 2011 |publisher=Migration Information Source |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129114909/http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[White Zimbabweans|white Zimbabwean]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Simpson |first=Sarah |date=August 2008 |title=Why white Zimbabwean farmers plan to stay in Nigeria |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0502/p04s01-woaf.html |access-date=7 June 2011 |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |archive-date=4 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504072806/http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0502/p04s01-woaf.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Japanese, Greek, Syrian and [[Lebanese Nigerians|Lebanese]] immigrants. Immigrants also include those from other West African or East African nations.

=== Languages ===
{{main|Languages of Nigeria}}[[File:Nigeria linguistical map 1979.svg|thumb|upright=1.45|right|Map of Nigeria's linguistic groups]]Of the 525 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria at some time in its history, eight are now extinct.<ref>{{cite web |year=2019 |title=Nigeria |url=http://www.ethnologue.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912022921/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NG |archive-date=12 September 2019 |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |publisher=SIL International Publications |location=Dallas, TX |edition=22th |editor-first1=David M. |editor-last1=Ebihard |editor-first2=Gary F. |editor-last2=Simons |editor-first3=Charles D. |editor-last3=Fennig}}</ref> In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the influence of British colonisation which ended in 1960. [[Nigerian Pidgin|Nigerian Pidgin English]], first used by British and [[Slavery in Africa|African slavers]] to facilitate the [[Atlantic slave trade]] in the late 17th century,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40975399|title=BBC starts Pidgin digital service for West Africa audiences|date=21 August 2017|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=16 February 2018}}</ref> has replaced the native language for many Nigerians. Many French speakers from surrounding countries have influenced the English spoken in the border regions of Nigeria and some Nigerian citizens have become fluent enough in French to work in the surrounding countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dukeh |first=Segun |date=2025-11-25 |title=Why Do Nigerians Speak French? |url=https://guardian.ng/nigerian/why-do-nigerians-speak-french/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

With the majority of Nigeria's populace in rural areas, the major languages of communication in the country remain indigenous languages. Some of the largest of these, notably Yoruba and Igbo, have derived standardised languages from several different dialects and are widely spoken by those ethnic groups. [[Nigerian Pidgin|Nigerian Pidgin English]], often known simply as "[[Pidgin]]" or "Broken" (Broken English), is also a popular [[lingua franca]], though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang. The pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the Niger Delta Region.<ref>{{cite book |last=Adegbija |first=Efurosibina E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auI_WuBrWncC&pg=PA55 |title=Multilingualism: A Nigerian Case Study |publisher=Africa World Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-59221-173-9 |location=Last paragraph |page=55 |access-date=26 December 2008 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041223/https://books.google.com/books?id=auI_WuBrWncC&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Religion in Nigeria (2018 estimate in [[The World Factbook]] of [[CIA]])<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Nigeria|section=People and Society|date=7 August 2024 }}</ref><!--PLEASE DON'T ALTER THIS PIE CHART OR ITS SOURCES. This pie chart represents best the diversity of Religion in Nigeria which has not been "officially recognised" by the Constitution of Nigeria the two main religions in Nigeria are Islam and Christianity. The rest of all the religions are placed in "Others" category. Since this is an article on "Religion in Nigeria", all major practised religions must be mentioned here including subdivisions of the main groups such as the distinction between Catholics and Protestants in Nigeria. "CIA FACTBOOK" source data is based on the 2018 Census of Nigeria but it is under-detailed since it places PROTESTANT, ROMAN CATHOLICS  all under one category of "CHRISTIANS". The present sources are apt and reliable enough to be used.-->|label1=[[Islam in Nigeria|Islam]]|value1=53.5|color1=Green|label2=[[Protestantism in Nigeria|Protestant]]|value2=35.3|color2=blue|label3=[[Catholic Church in Nigeria|Catholic]]|value3=10.6|color3=red|label4=Other|value4=0.6|color4=yellow}}
{{main|Religion in Nigeria}}

{{see also|Secularism in Nigeria}}
{{Multi image
| image1      = AbujaNationalMosque (cropped).jpg
| image2      = Catedral Nacional em Abuja, Nigéria.jpg
| direction   = horizontal
| caption1    = [[Abuja National Mosque]] 
| caption2    = [[National Christian Centre|National Church of Nigeria, Abuja]]
| total_width = 300
}}
Nigeria is a Muslim-majority country with a sizeable Christian minority, as well as a tiny minority of adherents of [[traditional African religions]] and other religions.<ref name="Cia 19">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Nigeria|access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref> The Christian share of Nigeria's population is in decline because of the lower [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]] compared to Muslims in the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=McKinnon |first=Andrew |year=2021 |title=Christians, Muslims and Traditional Worshippers in Nigeria: Estimating the Relative Proportions from Eleven Nationally Representative Social Surveys |journal=Review of Religious Research |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=303–315 |doi=10.1007/s13644-021-00450-5 |hdl=2164/16008 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> As in other parts of Africa where Islam and Christianity are dominant, religious [[syncretism]] with the traditional African religions is common.<ref>Chitando, Ezra (editor: Afe Adogame), ''African Traditions in the Study of Religion, Diaspora and Gendered Societies'', [[Routledge]] (2016), p. 31, {{ISBN|9781317184188}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=VMjeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041224/https://books.google.com/books?id=VMjeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31#v=onepage&q&f=false|date=27 June 2024}}</ref>

A 2012 report on religion and public life by the [[Pew Research Center]] stated that in 2010, 49.3% of Nigeria's population was Christian, 48.8% was Muslim, and 1.9% were followers of indigenous and other religions (such as the [[Hausa animism|Bori]] in the North) or unaffiliated.<ref name="Pew Forum on Religion2">{{cite web |date=18 December 2012 |title=Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Percentages |url=http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101080244/http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php |archive-date=1 January 2013 |work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |access-date=9 August 2013 }}</ref> However, in a report released by Pew Research Center in 2015, the Muslim population was estimated to be 50%, and by 2060, according to the report, Muslims will account for about 60% of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/|title=The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations|first=Jeff|last=Diamant|date=April 2019 |access-date=21 November 2019|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118120245/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2010 census of [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] has also reported that 48.8% of the total population was Christian, slightly larger than the Muslim population of 43.4%, while 7.5% were members of other religions.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Religious Adherents, 2010 – Nigeria |url=http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_166_2.asp |access-date=28 July 2013 |publisher=World Christian Database |archive-date=16 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016175434/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_166_2.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, these estimates should be taken with caution because sample data is mostly collected from major urban areas in the south, which are predominantly Christian.<ref name="Regional Distribution of Christians2">{{cite web |date=19 December 2011 |title=Regional Distribution of Christians |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-regions/ |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=Pewforum.org |archive-date=1 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801012932/http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-regions/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-muslim/Regional|title=Distribution of Christians|date=4 June 2013 }}{{dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 January 2011 |title=The Future of the Global Muslim Population |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/ |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=Pewforum.org |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224211126/http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  According to a 2018 estimate in The [[World Factbook]] by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], the population is estimated to be 53.5% Muslim, 45.9% Christian (10.6% Catholic and 35.3% Protestant and other Christian), and 0.6% as other.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/|title=Nigeria – The World Factbook|website=[[CIA]]|date=6 February 2024|access-date=23 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109223449/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2020, the Pew Research Center reported that Nigeria's Muslim majority numbered around 56.1% while the country's Christian share had declined to 43%.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Hackett |first=Conrad |date=2025-11-11 |title=5 facts about religion in Nigeria |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/11/11/5-facts-about-religion-in-nigeria/ |access-date=2025-12-23 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

Islam dominates northwestern Nigeria and northeastern Nigeria (Kanuri, Fulani and other groups). In the west, the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] people are predominantly Christian with a significant Muslim minority in addition to a few adherents of traditional religions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Research note: Exploring survey data for historical and anthropological research: Muslim–Christian relations in south-west Nigeria |url=https://academic.oup.com/view-large/35408497 |publisher=Academic.oup.com |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930220115/https://academic.oup.com/view-large/35408497 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and locally cultivated Christianity are widely practised in Western areas, while [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] is a more prominent Christian feature of southeastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in the Ibibio, [[Efik people|Efik]], [[Ijaw people|Ijo]] and [[Ogoni people|Ogoni]] lands of the south. The [[Igbo people|Igbos]] (predominant in the east) and the [[Ibibio people|Ibibio]] (south) are 98% Christian, with 2% practising traditional religions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Nigeria: a secular or multi-religious state – 2 |url=http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/columnist/thursday/jide-osuntokun/46858-nigeria-a-secular-or-multi-religious-state-2.html |location=Lagos, Nigeria|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306085141/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/columnist/thursday/jide-osuntokun/46858-nigeria-a-secular-or-multi-religious-state-2.html |archive-date=6 March 2014 |access-date=15 April 2014|newspaper=[[The Nation (Nigeria)|The Nation]]}}</ref> The [[Middle Belt|middle belt]] of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who were found to be majority Christians and members of traditional religions, with a significant Muslim minority.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 November 2004 |title=The Middle Belt: History and politics |url=http://www.nasarawastate.org/newsday/news/culture/11129114540.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229202021/http://www.nasarawastate.org/newsday/news/culture/11129114540.html |archive-date=29 February 2012 |access-date=13 March 2012 |publisher=Nasarawastate.org}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{further|Health in Nigeria}}
[[File:Paediatric ward, General hospital, Ilorin.jpg|thumb|Paediatric ward, General hospital, Ilorin]]
Health care delivery in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country, and the private sector.<ref>Akhtar, Rais (1991), ''Health Care Patterns and Planning in Developing Countries'', Greenwood Press, p. 264.</ref> Nigeria has been reorganising its health system since the [[Bamako Initiative]] of 1987, which formally promoted community-based methods of increasing accessibility of drugs and health care services to the population, in part by implementing user fees.<ref>{{cite web |title=User fees for health: a background |url=http://www.eldis.org/healthsystems/userfees/background.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=28 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128203803/http://www.eldis.org/healthsystems/userfees/background.htm |archive-date=28 November 2006}}</ref> The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through community-based health care reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services. A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.<ref>{{cite web |title=Effect of the Bamako-Initiative drug revolving fund on availability and rational use of essential drugs in primary health care facilities in south-east Nigeria |url=http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/378 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828093311/http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/378 |archive-date=28 August 2007 |access-date=28 December 2006}}</ref>

Almost half of Nigerians, or 48%, report that they or a household member has fallen ill in the last three months. [[Malaria]] had been diagnosed in 88% of the cases and [[typhoid fever]] in 32%.<ref name=":13">{{cite web |date=15 May 2023 |title=Malaria Disease: A Worrisome Health Challenge in Nigeria |url=https://www.noi-polls.com/post/malaria-disease-a-worrisome-health-challenge-in-nigeria |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=NOIPolls |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707163906/https://www.noi-polls.com/post/malaria-disease-a-worrisome-health-challenge-in-nigeria |url-status=live }}</ref> High blood pressure was in third place with 8%. For symptoms of malaria, 41% of Nigerians turn to a [[hospital]], 22% to a chemist's shop, 21% to a pharmacy and 11% seek cure through herbs.<ref name=":13" /> [[Tuberculosis]] (TB) is a significant public health issue in Nigeria, ranking among the top countries with high TB burdens globally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 December 2019 |title=Nigeria is among the 14 high burden countries for TB - KNCV Nigeria |url=https://kncvnigeria.org/nigeria-is-among-the-14-high-burden-countries-for-tb/ |access-date=28 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Polio Vaccination - Nigeria (16869996070).jpg|thumb|[[Polio eradication|Polio vaccination]] in [[Adamawa State]], northeastern Nigeria, 2014]]
The [[HIV/AIDS in Nigeria|HIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria]] is much lower than in other African nations such as Botswana or South Africa whose prevalence (percentage) rates are in the double digits. {{As of|2019}}, the [[HIV]] prevalence rate among adults of ages 15–49 was 1.5 per cent.<ref name=":0" /> [[Life expectancy]] in Nigeria is 54.7 years on average,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title={{!}} Human Development Reports|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/NGA|access-date=4 February 2021|website=hdr.undp.org|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201161539/http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/NGA|url-status=live}}</ref> and 71% and 39% of the population have access to improved water sources and improved [[sanitation]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=Countdown Country Profiles|url=https://profiles.countdown2030.org/#/cp/NGA|access-date=4 February 2021|website=profiles.countdown2030.org|archive-date=2 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202065727/https://profiles.countdown2030.org/#/cp/NGA|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2019}}, the infant mortality is 74.2 deaths per 1,000 [[live birth (human)|live births]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) – Nigeria {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?locations=NG|access-date=4 February 2021|website=data.worldbank.org|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307152327/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?locations=NG|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012, a new bone marrow donor program was launched by the [[University of Nigeria]] to help people with [[leukaemia]], [[lymphoma]], or [[sickle cell disease]] to find a compatible donor for a life-saving [[Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation|bone marrow transplant]], which cures them of their conditions. Nigeria became the second African country to have successfully carried out this surgery.<ref name="McNeil">{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/health/a-match-and-a-mission-helping-blacks-battle-cancer.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
|title=Finding a Match, and a Mission: Helping Blacks Survive Cancer
|last=McNeil
|first=Donald
|date=11 May 2012
|work=The New York Times
|access-date=15 May 2012
|archive-date=11 April 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411030631/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/health/a-match-and-a-mission-helping-blacks-battle-cancer.html?_r=1
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In the [[Western African Ebola virus epidemic|2014 Ebola outbreak]], Nigeria was the first country to effectively contain and eliminate the Ebola threat that was ravaging three other countries in the West African region; the unique method of [[contact tracing]] employed by Nigeria became an effective method later used by countries such as the United States when Ebola threats were discovered.<ref name="Matt Schiavenza">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/why-nigeria-stopped-ebola-but-not-boko-haram/381442/|title=Why Nigeria Was Able to Beat Ebola, but Not Boko Haram|first=Matt|last=Schiavenza|date=14 October 2014|work=The Atlantic|access-date=17 April 2015|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126135605/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/why-nigeria-stopped-ebola-but-not-boko-haram/381442/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Punch">{{cite news |url=http://www.punchng.com/news/us-sends-medical-experts-to-study-how-nigeria-contained-ebola/ |title=US sends experts to study Nigeria's anti-Ebola strategies |newspaper=The Punch |date=3 October 2014 |access-date=8 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205124719/http://www.punchng.com/news/us-sends-medical-experts-to-study-how-nigeria-contained-ebola/ |archive-date=5 December 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Vanguard">{{Cite news |url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/us-sends-medical-experts-study-nigeria-tamed-ebola/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|title=US sends medical experts to study how Nigeria tamed Ebola |first=Hugo |last=Odiogor |date=2 October 2014 |access-date=8 May 2015 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112035212/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/us-sends-medical-experts-study-nigeria-tamed-ebola/ |url-status=live |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]}}</ref>

The Nigerian health care system is continuously faced with a shortage of doctors known as "[[Human capital flight|brain drain]]", because of emigration by skilled Nigerian doctors to North America and Europe. In 1995, an estimated 21,000 Nigerian doctors were practising in the United States alone, which is about the same as the number of doctors working in the Nigerian public service. Retaining these expensively trained professionals has been identified as one of the goals of the government.<ref>{{cite web
 |last = Anekwe
 |first = Mike Chinedu
 |title = BRAIN DRAIN: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE (1)
 |publisher =[[Niger Delta Congress]]
 |date = April 2003
 |url = http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/barticles/brain_drain_the_nigerian_experie.htm
 |access-date = 7 June 2011
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110527134510/http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/barticles/brain_drain_the_nigerian_experie.htm
 |archive-date = 27 May 2011
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

=== Education ===

{{Main|Education in Nigeria}}

[[File:Abisogun Leigh Science Building, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University.jpg|thumb|Abisogun Leigh Science Building, for the [[Lagos State University]]'s Faculty of Science]]
Education in Nigeria is overseen by the [[Federal Ministry of Education (Nigeria)|Ministry of Education]]. [[Local government areas of Nigeria|Local authorities]] take responsibility for implementing policy for state-controlled public education and state schools at a regional level. The education system is divided into [[kindergarten]], [[primary education]], [[secondary education]] and [[tertiary education]]. After the 1970s oil boom, tertiary education was improved so it would reach every subregion of Nigeria. 68% of the Nigerian population is literate, and the rate for men (75.7%) is higher than that for women (60.6%).<ref name="CP2006">{{cite web|title=Country Profile – Nigeria|publisher=[[United States Library of Congress]] – Federal Research Division|date=July 2008|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Nigeria.pdf|access-date=28 May 2011|archive-date=27 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527194855/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Nigeria.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nigeria provides free, government-supported education, but attendance is not compulsory at any level, and certain groups, such as nomads and the handicapped, are under-served. Nearly 10.5 million Nigerian children aged 5–14 years are not in school. Only 61% of 6–11 year-olds regularly attend primary school.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education {{!}} UNICEF Nigeria |url=https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126083302/https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education |url-status=live }}</ref> The education system consists of six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four, five or six years of university education leading to a bachelor's degree.<ref name="CP2006"/> The government has majority control of university education. Tertiary education in Nigeria consists of universities (public and private), polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education. The country has a total of 138 universities, with 40 federally owned, 39 state-owned, and 59 privately owned. Nigeria was ranked 105th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/nigeria |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>

=== Crime ===
{{main|Crime in Nigeria}}

[[File:Nigerian_female_police.jpg|thumb|A [[Nigeria Police Force|Nigerian police officer]] at the [[Eyo festival]] in Lagos]]The security situation in Nigeria is considered inadequate despite political stability. 68% of Nigerians feel "not safe" in their country. 77% do not know of an alarm number ("helpline") for emergencies.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=27 May 2022 |title=7 In 10 Nigerians find "state of security" dreadful |url=https://www.noi-polls.com/post/7-in-10-nigerians-find-state-of-security-dreadful |access-date=3 October 2023 |website=noi-polls.com |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004023643/https://www.noi-polls.com/post/7-in-10-nigerians-find-state-of-security-dreadful |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nigerians, according to the above survey, fear being robbed (24%) or kidnapped (also 24%), being victims of armed bandits or of petty theft (both 8%), or being harmed in the herdsmen-farmers conflict (also 8%).<ref name=":14" /> This is followed by "ritual killings" (4%) and "Boko Haram" (3.5%). Respondents see "more security personnel and better training" (37%), "reduction of unemployment" (13%) and "prayers / divine intervention" (8%) as promising countermeasures.<ref name=":14" />[[File:Crime rate nigeria uk.jpg|thumb|Homicides by Nigerian state per year and per 1 million inhabitants, comparing the UK and Turkey (source: Nigeria Security Tracker 1/2020-6/2023)]]
The number of homicides in Nigeria varies greatly depending on the state. Metropoles such as [[Lagos]], [[Enugu (city)|Enugu]], [[Kano (city)|Kano]] and [[Ibadan]] are much safer than rural areas. Kano has better homicide statistics than Britain, with one and one-half homicides per year and one million inhabitants – which can be explained by the fact that the region's religious and morality police not only monitor the morality of the inhabitants and crack down on drug users, but also have a curbing effect on murder and manslaughter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigeria Security Tracker |url=https://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-security-tracker/p29483 |access-date=1 October 2023 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en |archive-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115063510/https://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-security-tracker/p29483 |url-status=live }}</ref> This contrasts with other cities that are also Islamic, such as [[Maiduguri]] and [[Kaduna (city)|Kaduna]], which have worrying statistics on homicides.

There is some [[piracy in the Gulf of Guinea]], with attacks directed at all types of vessels. However, security measures on board of mentioned vessels have recently meant that pirates are now more likely to attack fishing villages.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Igwe |first=Uchenna |date=17 January 2023 |title=Murder, kidnapping and arson: Nigerian pirates switch targets from ships to shore |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jan/17/nigeria-pirates-switch-targets-from-ships-to-shore |access-date=4 October 2023 |archive-date=27 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627041232/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jan/17/nigeria-pirates-switch-targets-from-ships-to-shore |url-status=live }}</ref>

Internationally, Nigeria is infamous for a type of [[advance-fee scam]] along with a form of [[confidence trick]]. The victim is talked into sending money or bank account information to the scammer on the premise that a larger amount of money will be transferred to them. In reality, the scammer collects money from the victim with no payout occurring.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/types-of-consumer-fraud.html#nigerian|title=Types of Consumer Fraud|date=6 April 2019 |publisher=[[Office of the Comptroller of the Currency]]|access-date=1 September 2024}}</ref> In 2003, the Nigerian [[Economic and Financial Crimes Commission]] was created to combat this and other forms of organised financial crime.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Establishment Act |url=https://www.efccnigeria.org/efcc/about-efcc/the-establishment-act |website=[[Economic and Financial Crimes Commission]] |access-date=1 July 2021 |archive-date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625141718/https://www.efccnigeria.org/efcc/about-efcc/the-establishment-act |url-status=live }}</ref> The EFCC is quite active.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sanni |first=Kunle |date=4 January 2023 |title=EFCC secures 3,785 convictions in 2022 |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/574055-efcc-secures-3785-convictions-in-2022.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=4 October 2023 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005041037/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/574055-efcc-secures-3785-convictions-in-2022.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Agbana |first=Rotimi |date=20 May 2023 |title=Corrupt politicians planning to flee before May 29 – EFCC |url=https://punchng.com/corrupt-politicians-planning-to-flee-before-may-29-efcc/ |access-date=4 October 2023 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005041036/https://punchng.com/corrupt-politicians-planning-to-flee-before-may-29-efcc/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nigeria's President Tinubu suspends anti-corruption agency head |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/15/nigerias-president-tinubu-suspends-anti-corruption-agency-head |access-date=4 October 2023 |website=aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005041036/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/15/nigerias-president-tinubu-suspends-anti-corruption-agency-head |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Poverty ===
{{Main|Poverty in Nigeria}}

[[File:Absolute poverty by zone in Nigeria.svg|thumb|The total expenditure of food and non-food produce a poverty incidence of 60.2 percent or 89,096,000 Nigerians living in [[poverty]]. This measure is used for poverty headcount comparison across countries. Poverty Line is N54,401.16.]]

According to the [[International Monetary Fund]], 32% of Nigeria's population lives in extreme poverty (as of 2017), living on less than US$2.15 a day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population) – Nigeria {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?end=2017&locations=NG&start=1985 |access-date=12 October 2022 |website=data.worldbank.org |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928132013/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?end=2017&locations=NG&start=1985 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[World Bank]] stated in March 2022 that the number of poor Nigerians had increased by 5 million to 95.1 million during the Covid period.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olawoyin |first=Oladeinde |date=30 March 2022 |title=Number of poor people in Nigeria to reach 95 million in 2022 – World Bank |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/520849-number-of-poor-people-in-nigeria-to-reach-95-million-in-2022-world-bank.html |issn=2360-7688|access-date=12 October 2022 |newspaper=[[Premium Times]]|language=en-GB |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012074437/https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/520849-number-of-poor-people-in-nigeria-to-reach-95-million-in-2022-world-bank.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Accordingly, 40% of Nigerians live below the poverty line of US$1.90 as handled by the World Bank.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nigeria Poverty Assessment |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/21/afw-deep-structural-reforms-guided-by-evidence-are-urgently-needed-to-lift-millions-of-nigerians-out-of-poverty |access-date=12 October 2022 |publisher=World Bank |archive-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011134326/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/21/afw-deep-structural-reforms-guided-by-evidence-are-urgently-needed-to-lift-millions-of-nigerians-out-of-poverty |url-status=live }}</ref>

The threshold amounts used internationally by the IMF and the World Bank do not take into account the local purchasing power of the US dollar.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} The methodology is therefore not without controversy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Perspective {{!}} The official U.S. poverty rate is based on a hopelessly out-of-date metric |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/09/16/official-us-poverty-rate-is-based-hopelessly-out-of-date-metric/ |access-date=12 October 2022 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531021450/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/09/16/official-us-poverty-rate-is-based-hopelessly-out-of-date-metric/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SOLVED:Why is it difficult to determine a universal poverty threshold? |url=https://www.numerade.com/questions/why-is-it-difficult-to-determine-a-universal-poverty-threshold/ |access-date=12 October 2022 |website=numerade.com |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012071029/https://www.numerade.com/questions/why-is-it-difficult-to-determine-a-universal-poverty-threshold/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the undoubted existence of slums in Nigeria, for example, the fact that 92% of men and 88% of women in Nigeria own a mobile phone<ref>{{cite web |date=26 June 2022 |title=92% of Nigerian adult males own mobile device, says GSMA |url=https://punchng.com/92-of-nigerian-adult-males-own-mobile-device-says-gsma/ |access-date=12 October 2022 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819153505/https://punchng.com/92-of-nigerian-adult-males-own-mobile-device-says-gsma/ |url-status=live }}</ref> is difficult to reconcile with the poverty percentages published by the IMF and the World Bank.

=== Human rights ===
{{main|Human rights in Nigeria|LGBT rights in Nigeria}}

[[File:Protesters at the endSARS protest in Lagos, Nigeria 19.jpg|thumb|[[End SARS]] is a decentralised social movement and series of mass protests against [[police brutality]] in Nigeria.]]
Nigeria's human rights record remains poor.<ref name="StateDeptHumanRights2">{{cite web|date=25 February 2009|title=2008 Human Rights Report: Nigeria|url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119018.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226175315/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119018.htm|archive-date=26 February 2009|access-date=20 March 2009|work=2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|publisher=United States, Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor}}</ref> According to the U.S. Department of State,<ref name="StateDeptHumanRights2" /> the most significant human rights problems are the use of excessive force by security forces, impunity for abuses by security forces, arbitrary arrests, prolonged pretrial detention, judicial corruption and executive influence on the judiciary, rape, torture and other cruel, [[inhuman or degrading treatment]] of prisoners, detainees and suspects; harsh and life‑threatening prison and detention centre conditions; human trafficking for prostitution and forced labour, societal violence and vigilante killings, [[Child labour in Nigeria|child labour]], child abuse and [[Child sexual abuse in Nigeria|child sexual exploitation]], [[Domestic violence in Nigeria|domestic violence]], discrimination based on ethnicity, region and religion.

Nigeria is a state party of the [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women]].<ref>{{cite web|title=OHCHR &#124; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/cedaw/pages/cedawindex.aspx|website=ohchr.org|access-date=2 March 2021|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301183748/https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/CEDAWIndex.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> It also has signed the [[Maputo Protocol]], an international treaty on women's rights, and the African Union Women's Rights Framework.<ref>{{cite news|date=17 March 2017|title=Failure to pass equality bill betrays Nigerian women, activists say|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-women-lawmaking-idUSKCN0WJ2L4|newspaper=Reuters|last1=Guilbert|first1=Kieran|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025232111/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-women-lawmaking-idUSKCN0WJ2L4|url-status=live}}</ref> Discrimination based on sex is a significant human rights issue. Forced marriages are common.<ref>{{cite web|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|title=Refworld – Nigeria: Prevalence of forced marriage, particularly in Muslim and Yoruba communities; information on legislation, including state protection; ability of women to refuse a forced marriage|url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/50b4ab202.html|access-date=14 October 2016|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224191703/https://www.refworld.org/docid/50b4ab202.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Child marriage in Nigeria|Child marriage]] remains common in Northern Nigeria;<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria's child brides: 'I thought being in labour would never end' |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/02/nigeria-child-brides-religion |last=Mark |first=Monica |date=2 September 2013 |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301091348/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/02/nigeria-child-brides-religion |url-status=live }}</ref> 39% of girls are married before age 15, although the Marriage Rights Act banning marriage of girls under 18 was introduced on a federal level in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Joe Sandler|date=11 March 2015|title=Nigeria: Child brides facing death sentences a decade after child marriage prohibited|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/11/the-tragedy-of-nigerias-child-brides|work=The Guardian|access-date=14 October 2016|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225035118/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/11/the-tragedy-of-nigerias-child-brides|url-status=live}}</ref> There is rampant [[Polygamy in Nigeria|polygamy in Northern Nigeria]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Shoneyin|first=Lola|author-link=Lola Shoneyin|date=19 March 2010|title=Polygamy? No thanks|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/20/polygamy-nigeria-abuja-tradition|work=The Guardian|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-date=9 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909180216/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/20/polygamy-nigeria-abuja-tradition|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Domestic violence in Nigeria|Domestic violence is common]]. Women have fewer land rights.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Bioye Tajudeen |last1=Aluko |first2=Abdul–Rasheed |last2=Amidu |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/accra/papers/ts09/ts09_04_aluko_amidu.pdf |title=Women and Land Rights Reforms in Nigeria |date=2006 |publisher=5th FIG Regional Conference |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126044618/https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/accra/papers/ts09/ts09_04_aluko_amidu.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Maternal death|Maternal mortality]] was at 814 per 100,000 live births in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) &#124; Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=2 March 2021|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214211400/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Female genital mutilation in Nigeria|Female genital mutilation is common]], although a ban was implemented in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|last=Topping|first=Alexandra|date=29 May 2015|title=Nigeria's female genital mutilation ban is important precedent, say campaigners|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/29/outlawing-fgm-nigeria-hugely-important-precedent-say-campaigners|work=The Guardian|access-date=14 October 2016|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205184606/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/29/outlawing-fgm-nigeria-hugely-important-precedent-say-campaigners|url-status=live}}</ref> At least half a million suffer from [[Urogenital fistula|vaginal fistula]], largely as a result of lack of medical care.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Nigeria, neglected women bear the shame of fistulas |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/6/11/in-nigeria-neglected-women-bear-the-shame-of-fistulas.html |website=america.aljazeera.com |last=Oduah |first=Chika |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224033157/http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/6/11/in-nigeria-neglected-women-bear-the-shame-of-fistulas.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=6 March 2002 |title=The Dutch doctor and the river spirit |url=http://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/the-dutch-doctor-and-the-river-spirit/ |website=Radio Netherlands Archives |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224192825/http://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/the-dutch-doctor-and-the-river-spirit/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Gender inequality in Nigeria|Women face a large amount of inequality]] politically in Nigeria, being subjugated to a bias that is [[Sexism|sexist]] and reinforced by socio-cultural, economic and oppressive ways.<ref name="Ajayi, Kunle 200723"/> Women throughout the country were only politically [[Emancipation|emancipated]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Azinge |first1=Epiphany |title=The Right to Vote in Nigeria: A Critical Commentary on the Open Ballot System |journal=Journal of African Law |date=1994 |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=173–180 |doi=10.1017/S0021855300005507 |jstor=745393 }}</ref> Yet husbands continue to dictate the votes for many women, which upholds the patriarchal system.<ref name="Ajayi, Kunle 200723">{{cite journal |last1=Ajayi |first1=Kunle |title=Gender Self-Endangering: The Sexist Issue in Nigerian Politics |journal=Journal of Social Sciences |date=March 2007 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=145–147 |doi=10.1080/09718923.2007.11978365 }}</ref> Most workers in the [[Informal economy|informal sector]] are women.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Arum |first1=Ifeyinwa |last2=Eze |first2=Nnenna Sandra |title=Women and the Informal Sector of Nigerian Economy |journal=Redeemer's University Journal of Management and Social Sciences |date=24 August 2022 |volume=5 |issue=1 |url=https://www.runjmss.com/index.php/runojs/article/view/43 }}</ref> Women's representation in government since independence from Britain is very poor. Women have been reduced to sideline roles in appointive posts throughout all levels of government and still make up a tiny minority of elected officials.<ref name="Ajayi, Kunle 200723" /> But nowadays with more education available to the public, Nigerian women are taking steps to have more active roles in the public, and with the help of different initiatives, more businesses are being started by women.

Under the [[Sharia in Nigeria|Shari'a]] penal code that applies to Muslims in twelve northern states, offences such as alcohol consumption, [[LGBT rights in Nigeria|homosexuality]],<ref>{{cite news |date=16 June 2016 |title=Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |last1=Bearak |first1=Max |last2=Cameron |first2=Darla |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623062213/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> infidelity and theft carry harsh sentences, including amputation, lashing, stoning and long prison terms.<ref name="UKtravel2">{{cite web|date=20 March 2009|title=Sub Saharan Africa, Nigeria|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria?ta=lawsCustoms&pg=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524133652/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria?ta=lawsCustoms&pg=3|archive-date=24 May 2011|access-date=20 March 2009|work=Travel advice by country|publisher=United Kingdom, Foreign & Commonwealth Office}}</ref> Nigeria is considered to be one of the most [[Homophobia|homophobic]] countries in the world.<ref name="pewglobal.org2">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-homosexuality/ |title=The Global Divide on Homosexuality |work=pewglobal |date=4 June 2013 |access-date=6 August 2019 |archive-date=3 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103034522/http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-homosexuality/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Country policy and information note: sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, Nigeria, February 2022 (accessible version) |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nigeria-country-policy-and-information-notes/country-policy-and-information-note-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-or-expression-nigeria-february-2022-accessible-version#general-treatment-by-state-and-non-state-actors |website=Gov.uk |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012014659/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nigeria-country-policy-and-information-notes/country-policy-and-information-note-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-or-expression-nigeria-february-2022-accessible-version#general-treatment-by-state-and-non-state-actors |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hansford |first1=Amelia |title=More than 60 people remanded in jail for attending alleged gay wedding in Nigeria |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/09/05/nigeria-alleged-gay-wedding/ |website=PinkNews |date=5 September 2023 |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012014659/https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/09/05/nigeria-alleged-gay-wedding/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of Nigeria|Mass media in Nigeria|Censorship in Nigeria}}

=== Literature ===
{{main|Nigerian literature}}

[[File:Chinua Achebe, 1966 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Chinua Achebe]], winner [[Booker Prize]] 2007 and [[Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels|Peace Award of the German book trade]] 2002|upright]]
Most Nigerian literature is written in [[English language|English]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Nigeria |url=https://nigeriaembassygermany.org/about-nigeria.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015033706/https://nigeriaembassygermany.org/about-nigeria.htm |archive-date=15 October 2023 |access-date=8 September 2023 |website=nigeriaembassygermany.org}}</ref> partly because this language is understood by most Nigerians. Literature in the [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], [[Hausa language|Hausa]] and [[Igbo language|Igbo]] languages (the three most populous language groups in Nigeria) does exist, however, and in the case of the Hausa, for example, can look back on a centuries-old tradition. The Nigerian, [[Wole Soyinka]], won the [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize for literature]]. [[Ben Okri]] won the prestigious [[Booker Prize]] in 1991; [[Chinua Achebe]] did the same in 2007. Achebe also won the [[Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels|Peace Award of the German Book Trade]] in 2002. [[Lola Shoneyin]] has won several awards for her book [[The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives (novel)|The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives]].

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Nigeria}}

The earliest known form of popular music in Nigeria was the [[palm-wine music]] which dominated the music landscape in the 1920s. [[Tunde King]] was a prominent name in the genre.<ref name="theconversation">{{cite web | last1=Ngobili | first1=Chijioke | editor-first1=Charl | editor-last1=Blignaut | url=https://theconversation.com/100-years-of-pop-music-in-nigeria-what-shaped-four-eras-181298 | title=100 years of pop music in Nigeria: What shaped four eras | date=14 July 2022 | doi=10.64628/AAJ.r95cfkvfr | access-date=15 October 2023 | archive-date=16 October 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016041348/https://theconversation.com/100-years-of-pop-music-in-nigeria-what-shaped-four-eras-181298 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sunng">{{Cite news |title=Nigerians and their music: A historical perspective |url=https://sunnewsonline.com/nigerians-and-their-music-a-historical-perspective/?amp |location=Lagos, Nigeria|newspaper=[[The Sun (Nigeria)|The Sun]]|language=en |date=10 March 2023 |access-date=15 October 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016042850/https://sunnewsonline.com/nigerians-and-their-music-a-historical-perspective/?amp |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 1930s saw the emergence of Onitsha Native Orchestra. They explored various social themes and trends in their native singing style.<ref name="theconversation"/><ref name="sunng"/>

In the 1950s and 1960s, [[Highlife|Highlife music]] became a popular staple in the country with regional genres such as the [[Igbo highlife|Igbo Highlife]]. A notable exponent of the genre were the genre's first Nigerian [[boy band]] [[Oriental Brothers International]], [[Bobby Benson]], [[Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe|Osita Osadebe]], [[Victor Olaiya]], [[Rex Lawson]], [[Dr Sir Warrior]] and [[Oliver De Coque]].<ref name="theconversation"/><ref name="sunng"/>

The 1970s was the era of [[Fela Kuti]], the pioneer of Afrobeat genre – fused from [[Highlife]], [[Jazz]] and [[Yoruba music|Yoruba Music]]. Fela later evolved into social activism and black consciousness.<ref name="theconversation"/><ref name="sunng"/>

In the 1980s, [[King Sunny Adé|King Sunny Ade]] achieved success with [[Jùjú music|Juju Music]]. Another prominent singer of the era is  [[William Onyeabor]], who is known for his fusion of  [[Funk|Funk Music]] and [[Disco]].<ref name="theconversation"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=William Onyeabor Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/william-onyeabor-mn0000683943 |access-date=16 October 2023 |website=AllMusic |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031063653/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/william-onyeabor-mn0000683943 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By the 1990s, reggae music transitioned into the music scene. Prominent reggae artiste of the era was [[Majek Fashek]]. By the mid-1990s, [[Hip hop music|Hip hop Music]] began to gain popularity, led by acts such as [[The Remedies|Remedies]], Trybes Men, JJC, etc. Throughout the years, [[Highlife|highlife music]] retained its popularity in the country.

At the turn of the century, famous 2000s acts like [[P-Square]], [[2Baba|2face]], and [[D'banj|Dbanj]] were credited to have made tremendous impact in the evolution of [[Afrobeats]] and its popularisation on the international stage.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oluwafemi |first=Taiwo |date=20 February 2023 |title=2face, D'banj, P-Square – Who Was The Biggest Artiste Of Their Era? |url=https://tooxclusive.com/2face-dbanj-p-square-who-was-the-biggest-artiste-of-their-era/ |access-date=15 October 2023 |website=tooXclusive |language=en-US |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016041349/https://tooxclusive.com/2face-dbanj-p-square-who-was-the-biggest-artiste-of-their-era/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Azeez |first=Makinde |date=8 September 2018 |title=2Baba, D'banj And Psquare – Which One Of Them Is Worth Calling A Musical Legend? |url=https://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/entertainment/2baba-dbanj-and-psquare-which-one-of-them-is-worth-calling-a-musical-legend |access-date=15 October 2023 |website=Naijaloaded |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016041350/https://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/entertainment/2baba-dbanj-and-psquare-which-one-of-them-is-worth-calling-a-musical-legend |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=HOPKID |date=25 April 2023 |title=PSquare Paved The Way For Afrobeat Not D'banj or 2face |url=https://naijasureguys.com.ng/psquare-paved-the-way-for-afrobeat-not-dbanj-or-2face/ |access-date=15 October 2023 |website=THE NSG |language=en-US |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016041349/https://naijasureguys.com.ng/psquare-paved-the-way-for-afrobeat-not-dbanj-or-2face/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2008, Nigeria's music scene (and that of Africa) received international attention when MTV hosted the continent's first African music awards show in Abuja.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 November 2008|title=AP/CNN: MTV launches first-ever African music award show|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/22/MTV.Africa.ap/index.html|access-date=26 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209102925/http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/22/MTV.Africa.ap/index.html|archive-date=9 December 2008}}</ref> Over a decade later, the Afrobeat genre has widely taken over, with artist like [[Davido]], [[Wizkid]] and [[Burna Boy]].

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of Nigeria}}

{{Quote box
| quote = Top five [[List of highest-grossing Nigerian films|highest grossing Nigerian films]] as at 2024:
* [[Everybody Loves Jenifa]] (₦1.7 billion) - 2024 film
* [[A Tribe Called Judah]] (₦1.4 billion) - 2023 film
* [[Battle on Buka Street]] (₦668 million) - 2022 film 
* ''[[Omo Ghetto: The Saga]]'' (₦636 million) - 2020 film<ref name="Top 20 films 9th 15th April 2021 - Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria">{{cite web |url=https://www.ceanigeria.com/box-office/206-top-20-films-report-9th-15th-april-2021 |title=Top 20 Films Report 9th–15th April 2021 |publisher=CEAN |location=Nigeria |access-date=10 August 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420090341/https://www.ceanigeria.com/box-office/206-top-20-films-report-9th-15th-april-2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Alakada: Bad and Boujee]] (₦460 million) - 2024 film
}}

The Nigerian film industry is known as [[Nollywood]] (a [[Blend word|blend]] of "Nigeria" and "Hollywood")<ref>{{cite news |title=Lights, camera, Africa |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2010/12/16/lights-camera-africa?story_id=17723124&CFID=153287426&CFTOKEN=59754693 |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031741/https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2010/12/16/lights-camera-africa?story_id=17723124&CFID=153287426&CFTOKEN=59754693 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is now the second-largest producer of movies in the world, having surpassed Hollywood. Only India's [[Bollywood]] is larger. Nigerian [[film studios]] are based in [[Lagos]], [[Kano (city)|Kano]], and [[Enugu (city)|Enugu]], and form 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 cinema|digital filming and editing]] technologies.
The 2009 thriller film ''[[The Figurine]]'' heightened the media attention towards the [[New Nigerian Cinema]] revolution. The film was a critical and commercial success in Nigeria, and it was also screened in international film festivals.<ref name="Thorburn, Jane2">{{cite web|author=Thorburn, Jane|title=NOLLYWOOD 2 Doing It Right|url=http://www.janethorburn.co.uk/nollywood2DoingItRight.html#pixsmall48adfc|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-date=11 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311052908/http://www.janethorburn.co.uk/nollywood2DoingItRight.html#pixsmall48adfc|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2010 film ''[[Ijé]]'' by Chineze Anyaene, overtook ''The Figurine'' to become the [[List of highest-grossing films in Nigeria|highest-grossing Nigerian film]]; a record it held for four years until it was overtaken in 2014 by ''[[Half of a Yellow Sun (film)|Half of a Yellow Sun]]'' (2013).<ref name="The Economist2">{{cite news|date=17 July 2014|title=Nigerian films try to move upmarket: Nollywood's new scoreboard|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/07/nigerian-films-try-move-upmarket|access-date=20 March 2015|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209134216/https://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/07/nigerian-films-try-move-upmarket|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author=Akande, Victor|date=14 September 2014|title=Toronto: Nigerians disagree over new Nollywood|url=http://thenationonlineng.net/new/toronto-nigerians-disagree-over-new-nollywood/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=24 March 2015|archive-date=22 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922123311/http://thenationonlineng.net/new/toronto-nigerians-disagree-over-new-nollywood/|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Nation (Nigeria)|The Nation]]}}</ref> By 2016, this record was held by ''[[The Wedding Party (2016 film)|The Wedding Party]]'' by [[Kemi Adetiba]].

By the end of 2013, the film industry reportedly hit a record-breaking revenue of ₦1.72&nbsp;trillion (US$4.1&nbsp;billion). As of 2014, the industry was worth ₦853.9&nbsp;billion (US$5.1&nbsp;billion), making it the third most valuable film industry in the world behind the [[United States]] and [[India]]. It contributed about 1.4% to Nigeria's economy; this was attributed to the increase in the number of quality films produced and more formal distribution methods.<ref>{{cite web|author=Liston, Enjoli|date=10 April 2014|title=Hello Nollywood: how Nigeria became Africa's biggest economy overnight|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/nigeria-africa-biggest-economy-nollywood|access-date=12 April 2014|work=The Guardian Newspaper|archive-date=12 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412020045/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/nigeria-africa-biggest-economy-nollywood|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Hazlewood, Phil|date=7 April 2014|title=Nollywood helps Nigeria kick South Africa's economic butt|url=http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/world/2014/04/07/nollywood-helps-nigeria-kick-south-africa-s-economic-butt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413145853/http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/world/2014/04/07/nollywood-helps-nigeria-kick-south-africa-s-economic-butt|archive-date=13 April 2014|access-date=12 April 2014|publisher=Sowetan Live}}</ref>

[[T.B. Joshua]]'s [[Emmanuel TV]], originating from Nigeria, is one of the most viewed television stations across Africa.<ref>{{cite news|last=Manasa|first=Makweembo|date=11 February 2010|title=TB Joshua – 21st Century Prophet in Our Midst?|work=Zambian Watchdog|url=http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/02/11/tb-joshua-21st-century-prophet-in-our-midst/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710080804/http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/02/11/tb-joshua-21st-century-prophet-in-our-midst/|archive-date=10 July 2010|access-date=8 September 2010}}</ref>

=== Festival ===
{{Main|Festivals in Nigeria}}

[[File:Ofala Onitsha 13.jpg |thumb|right|Ofala Festival of Onitsha People]]
There are many [[festivals in Nigeria]], some of which date to the period before the arrival of the major religions in this ethnically and culturally diverse society. The main Muslim and Christian festivals are often celebrated in ways that are unique to Nigeria or unique to the people of a locality.<ref name="OnlineNigeria2">{{cite web |title=Festivals in Nigeria |url=http://www.onlinenigeria.com/festivals/ |access-date=26 April 2011 |work=Online Nigeria |archive-date=16 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116020515/http://www.onlinenigeria.com/festivals/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has been working with the states to upgrade the traditional festivals, which may become important sources of tourism revenue.<ref name="Oxford20102">{{cite book | title=The Report: Nigeria 2010 |publisher=Oxford Business Group |isbn=978-1-907065-14-9 |page=243 |chapter=Patchwork of Celebration |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VFONkYzHco8C&pg=PA243}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Nigerian cuisine}}

[[File:Jollof_rice_with_fried_fish_and_plantains_garnished_with_cucumber_and_tomatoes.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Jollof rice with fried fish and plantain, garnished with cucumber and tomatoes|Jollof rice with fried fish and plantain, garnished with cucumber and tomatoes]]

[[Nigerian cuisine]], like West African cuisine in general, is known for its richness and variety. Many different spices, herbs, and flavourings are used in conjunction with [[palm oil]] or [[Peanut|groundnut]] oil to create deeply flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot with [[chili pepper|chilli peppers]]. Nigerian feasts are colourful and lavish, while aromatic market and roadside snacks cooked on barbecues or fried in oil are plentiful and varied. [[Suya]] is usually sold in urban areas especially during night-time.<ref>Anthonio, H.O. and Isoun, M. (1982), ''Nigerian Cookbook'', Macmillan, Lagos, {{ISBN|0-333-32698-9}}.</ref>

=== Fashion ===
{{Main|Fashion in Nigeria}}

[[File:Adire_Market_Week.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Àdìrẹ, colourful Nigerian tie-dyed fabric|Àdìrẹ]]

The fashion industry in Nigeria contributes significantly to the country's economics. Casual attire is commonly worn but formal and traditional styles are also worn depending on the occasion. Nigeria is known not only for its fashionable textiles and garments, but also for its fashion designers who have increasingly gained international recognition. [[Euromonitor International|Euromonitor]] estimates the [[Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan]] fashion [[Market (economics)|market]] to be worth $31 billion, with Nigeria accounting for 15% of these $31 billion.<ref>{{cite web |last=None |date=11 June 2019 |title=The state of Nigeria's Fashion Industry |url=https://www.stearsng.com/article/the-state-of-nigerias-fashion-industry/ |access-date=19 June 2022 |website=stearsng.com |archive-date=17 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617020333/https://www.stearsng.com/article/the-state-of-nigerias-fashion-industry/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nigeria is not only known for their many fashion textiles and garment pieces that are secret to their culture. They also produced many fashion designers who have developed many techniques and businesses along the way.

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sports in Nigeria}}

[[File:NIG-ARG_(2).jpg|thumb|[[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]] at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]]]

[[Association football|Football]] is largely considered Nigeria's national sport, and the country has its own [[Nigeria Professional Football League|professional football league]]. [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria's national football team]], known as the "Super Eagles", has played in the [[FIFA World Cup]] on six occasions ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], and [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]]). In April 1994, the Super Eagles ranked fifth in the [[FIFA World Rankings]], the highest ranking achieved by an African team. They won the [[Africa Cup of Nations]] in [[1980 African Cup of Nations|1980]], [[1994 African Cup of Nations|1994]], and [[2013 Africa Cup of Nations|2013]], and have also hosted both the U17 and U20 FIFA World Cup. They won the gold medal for football in the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] (in which they beat Argentina) becoming the first African football team to win gold in Olympic football.

Nigeria is also involved in other sports such as basketball, cricket and track and field.<ref>{{cite web|year=2011|title=Nigerian Basketball|url=http://www.africabasket.com/Nigeria/basketball.asp|access-date=7 June 2011|publisher=Africabasket.com|archive-date=26 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826193254/http://www.africabasket.com/Nigeria/basketball.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nigeria men's national basketball team|Nigeria's national basketball team]] made the headlines internationally when it became the first African team to beat the [[United States men's national basketball team|United States men's national team]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Nick |last1=Selbe |title=Nigeria Upsets Team USA in Pre-Olympics Exhibition |url=https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/07/11/team-usa-upset-nigeria-tokyo-games-mens-basketball-exhibition-olympics |accessdate=28 August 2021 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=10 July 2021 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406070355/https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/07/11/team-usa-upset-nigeria-tokyo-games-mens-basketball-exhibition-olympics |url-status=live }}</ref> In earlier years, Nigeria qualified for the [[Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Summer Olympics]] as it beat heavily favoured world elite teams such as [[Greece men's national basketball team|Greece]] and [[Lithuania men's national basketball team|Lithuania]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120710072346/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/52642/arti.html OQTM – Nigeria celebrates 'greatest' victory], fiba.com, accessed 16 December 2012.</ref> Nigeria has been home to numerous internationally recognised basketball players in the world's top leagues in America, Europe and Asia. These players include [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Basketball Hall of Famer]] [[Hakeem Olajuwon]], and later players in the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]. The [[Nigerian Premier League (basketball)|Nigerian Premier League]] has become one of the biggest and most-watched basketball competitions in Africa. The games have aired on ''Kwese TV'' and have averaged a viewership of over a million people.<ref>{{cite news |first=Lee |last=Nxumalo |title=Basketball's next frontier is Africa |url=https://www.newframe.com/basketballs-next-frontier-is-africa/ |work=New Frame |date=20 December 2020 |access-date=11 January 2021 |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116062357/https://www.newframe.com/basketballs-next-frontier-is-africa/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nigeria made history by qualifying the first [[bobsled]] team for the [[Winter Olympics]] from Africa when their women's two-person team qualified for [[Bobsleigh at the 2018 Winter Olympics|the bobsled competition at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Udoh |first=Colin |title=Nigeria bobsled women qualify for Winter Olympics |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/id/21430137/nigeria-bobsled-women-qualify-winter-olympics |publisher=ESPN |date=17 November 2017 |access-date=29 January 2018 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125155358/https://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/id/21430137/nigeria-bobsled-women-qualify-winter-olympics |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1990s, [[Scrabble]] was made an official sport in Nigeria; by the end of 2017, there were around 4,000 players in more than 100 clubs in the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Nigeria produces Scrabble champions |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2017/11/30/why-nigeria-produces-scrabble-champions?zid=319&ah=17af09b0281b01505c226b1e574f5cc1 |newspaper=The Economist |date=30 November 2017 |access-date=30 November 2017 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203174451/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2017/11/30/why-nigeria-produces-scrabble-champions?zid=319&ah=17af09b0281b01505c226b1e574f5cc1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, the Nigerian Curling Federation was established to introduce a new sport to the country in order to make the game part of the curriculum at the elementary, high school, and university levels. At the [[2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship]] in Norway, Nigeria won their first international match beating France 8–5.<ref>{{cite web |title=First African curling facility begins development in Nigeria |url=https://worldcurling.org/2020/06/nigeria-rink/ |publisher=[[World Curling Federation]] |date=18 June 2020 |access-date=1 May 2021 |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607182418/https://worldcurling.org/2020/06/nigeria-rink/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nigeria's women's and men's national teams in [[beach volleyball]] competed at the [[2018–2020 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Continental Cup Finals start in Africa |url=https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |publisher=[[FIVB]] |date=22 June 2021 |access-date=7 August 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807141038/https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |url-status=live }}</ref> The country's U21 national teams qualified for the 2019 [[FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Beach Volleyball: Team Nigeria lands in Cape Verde |url=https://www.sunnewsonline.com/beach-volleyball-team-nigeria-lands-in-cape-verde/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=7 August 2021  |date=25 February 2019 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829153543/https://www.sunnewsonline.com/beach-volleyball-team-nigeria-lands-in-cape-verde/ |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Sun (Nigeria)|The Sun]]}}</ref>

Nigeria is the birthplace of the sport [[loofball]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About Loofball |url=https://www.topendsports.com/sport/new/loofball.htm |access-date=3 May 2023 |website=topendsports.com |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531105739/https://www.topendsports.com/sport/new/loofball.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal|Nigeria}}
* [[Outline of Nigeria]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last=Derfler |first=Leslie |year=2011 |title=The Fall and Rise of Political Leaders: Olof Palme, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Indira Gandhi |location=New York |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1349290512 }}
* {{cite book | last= Iliffe| first= John | title= Obasanjo, Nigeria and the World | date= 2011 | author-link= John Iliffe (historian) | isbn = 9781847010278 | publisher= Boydell & Brewer | jstor= 10.7722/j.ctt81pgm | oclc = 796383923 }}
* {{cite book |last=Shillington |first=Kevin |year=2005 |title=History of Africa |edition=2nd |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9780333599570}}

== Further reading ==
* Achebe, Chinua. ''The Trouble with Nigeria'' (Fourth Dimension, 1983)
* Dibua, Jeremiah I. ''Modernization and the Crisis of Development in Africa: The Nigerian Experience'' (Routledge, 2017)
* Ekundare, Olufemi R. ''An Economic History of Nigeria 1860–1960'' (Methuen & Co Ltd, 1973)
* {{cite book |last1=Falola |first1=Toyin |last2=Heaton |first2=Matthew M. |title=A History of Nigeria |date=2008 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511819711 |isbn=978-0-521-86294-3 }}
* Falola, Toyin; and Adam Paddock. ''Environment and Economics in Nigeria'' (2012)
* Falola, Toyin, Ann Genova, and Matthew M. Heaton. ''Historical Dictionary of Nigeria'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) [http://shcas.shnu.edu.cn/_upload/article/files/de/94/931b0247425ba03333178c9595d2/de98fbe8-46c3-487e-b684-9d5ba3760418.pdf online] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401062344/http://shcas.shnu.edu.cn/_upload/article/files/de/94/931b0247425ba03333178c9595d2/de98fbe8-46c3-487e-b684-9d5ba3760418.pdf |date=1 April 2022 }})
* {{cite web|title=Black China: Africa's First Superpower Is Coming Sooner Than You Think|website=Newsweek|date=15 January 2020|first=Sam|last=Hill|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/black-china-africas-first-superpower-is-coming-sooner-than-you-think/ar-BBYYOwW?ocid=spartanntp|access-date=15 January 2020|archive-date=15 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115191214/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/black-china-africas-first-superpower-is-coming-sooner-than-you-think/ar-BBYYOwW%3Focid%3Dspartanntp|url-status=live}}
* Jones, Cunliffe-Peter. ''My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010)
* Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. ''Nigeria: a country study'' (U.S. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division, 1992) [https://countrystudies.us/nigeria/ online], comprehensive historical coverage; not copyright.
* Shillington, Kevin. ''Encyclopedia of African History''. (University of Michigan Press, 2005) p.&nbsp;1401.

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Nigeria}}
* {{Official website|https://nigeria.gov.ng/}}, Government of Federal Republic of Nigeria
* {{Wikiatlas|Nigeria}}
* {{OSM relation|192787}}
* [https://www.foreignaffairs.gov.ng/ Foreign Affairs of Nigeria]
* [https://ecowap.ecowas.int/country/Nigeria Nigeria] profile from [[ECOWAS]]
* [https://www.aljazeera.com/where/nigeria/ News headline links] from [[Al Jazeera]].
* [https://www.democracynow.org/topics/nigeria Nigeria], Democracy Now!
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13949550 Nigeria profile] from the [[BBC News]]

{{Nigeria topics|state=collapsed}}
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