Nigeria

Radio broadcast stations

AM 35, FM 17, shortwave 0

Radios

20 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and 20 domestic satellite earth stations carry intercity traffic international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 1 coaxial submarine cable

Telephones

492,204 (1990 est.)

Television broadcast stations

28

Televisions

3.8 million (1992 est.)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber ; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; fishing and forest resources extensively exploited

Budget

revenues: $16.1 billion expenditures: $16 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1995 est.)

Currency

1 naira (N) = 100 kobo

Debt - external

$34 billion (1994 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economy - overview

The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management. Nigeria's unpopular military rulers have failed to make significant progress in diversifying the economy away from overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector which provides half of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Regime officials also appear divided on how to redress fundamental economic imbalances that result in troublesome inflation and the discouragement of investors. The government's resistance to initiating greater transparency and accountability in managing the country's multibillion dollar oil earnings continues to limit economic growth and prevent an agreement with the IMF and bilateral creditors on debt relief. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Agricultural production in 1996 suffered from severe shortages of fertilizer.

Electricity - capacity

5.88 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

141 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

14.88 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

naira (N) per US$1 - 21.886 (October 1996), 21.895 (1995), 21.996 (1994), 22.065 (1993), 17.298 (1992)

Exports

total value : $11.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber partners : US 52%, EU 34%

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $143.5 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture : 28% industry: 53% services: 19% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,380 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $10 billion (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and animals partners : EU 50%, US 13%, Japan 7%

Industrial production growth rate

-1% (1995)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

57% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 42.844 million by occupation: agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 15%

Unemployment rate

28% (1992 est.)

Area

total: 923,770 sq km land: 910,770 sq km water : 13,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of California

Climate

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

Coastline

853 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point : Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Environment - current issues

soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities

Environment - international agreements

party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geographic coordinates

10 00 N, 8 00 E

Irrigated land

9,570 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 33% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 44% forests and woodland: 12% other : 8% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone : 200 nm territorial sea: 30 nm

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Capital Territory*, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe note: the government has announced the creation of six additional states named Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nassarawa, and Zamfara as part of the process of transition to a civilian government

Constitution

1979 constitution still partially in force; plan for 1989 constitution to take effect in 1993 was not implemented

Country name

conventional long form : Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria

Data code

NI

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Walter C. CARRINGTON embassy: 2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos telephone : [234] (1) 261-0097

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Wakili Hassan ADAMU chancery: 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November 1993); Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA (since 17 November 1993); note - the chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November 1993); Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA (since 17 November 1993); note - the chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: none; Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Gen. Sani ABACHA assumed power in a military coup 17 November 1993; the government's provisions for a return to civilian rule call for the election of a president by universal suffrage in the third quarter of 1998 (inaugeration planned for October 1998)

FAX

[234] (1) 261-0257

Flag description

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

Government type

military government; Nigeria has been ruled by one military regime after another since 31 December 1983; on 1 October 1995, the present military government announced it will turn power over to democratically elected civilian authorities in October 1998

Independence

1 October 1960 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C (suspended), CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the Armed Forces Ruling Council; Federal Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee

Legal system

based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal law

Legislative branch

National Assembly note: the National Assembly was suspended after the military takeover of 17 November 1993; in October 1995, the government announced a three-year program for transition to civilian rule; elections to the National Assembly are to take place in the second quarter of 1998

National capital

Abuja note : on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of facilities in Abuja

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1960)

Political parties and leaders

political party system, which was suspended after the military takeover of 17 November 1993, was reestablished by the Provisional Ruling Council on 30 September 1996 with the registration of five of 15 competing political parties; these were the United Nigeria Congress Party or UNCP [Isa MOHAMMED, chairman]; National Center Party of Nigeria or NCPN [Magaji ABDULLAH, chairman]; Grassroots Democratic Movement or GDM [Gambo LAWAR, chairman]; Comittee for National Consensus or CNC [Abel UBEKU, chairman]; Democratic Party of Nigeria or DPN [Sale HASSAN, chairman]

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$243 million (1995 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

less than 1% (1995 est.)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 24,465,233 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 14,015,140 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males : 1,209,386 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 45% (male 24,142,369; female 23,931,502) 15-64 years: 52% (male 28,502,597; female 27,432,816) 65 years and over : 3% (male 1,572,773; female 1,547,412) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

42.58 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

12.45 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, Ijaw

Infant mortality rate

70.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.65 years male: 53.32 years female : 56.03 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.1% male: 67.3% female: 47.3% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian

Net migration rate

0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

107,129,469 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

3.05% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.17 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

demarcation of international boundaries in vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; dispute with Cameroon over land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the ICJ

Illicit drugs

facilitates movement of heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and North America; increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South America intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets NIUE (free association with New Zealand)

Airports

65 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 51 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m : 17 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m : 12 (1996 est.)

Heliports

1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 32,105 km paved: 26,005 km (including 2,044 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,100 km (1994 est.) note : many of the roads reported as paved may be graveled

Merchant marine

total : 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 353,422 GRT/600,389 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 12, chemical tanker 3, oil tanker 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km; natural gas 500 km

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

total: 3,557 km narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

Waterways

8,575 km consisting of the Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks