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About Nigeria Federal Capital ABUJA Area 923,768.64Sq.Kilometers Estimate Population 110,532,242(July 1998 est.) Principal Rivers Niger and Benue National Day October 1 Remembrance Day January 15 Currency Naira 100 kobo Time GMT + 1 hour Climate Humid Sub-tropical Weights Metric Legal Tax System British Oriented Introduction: Nigeria is one of the largest countries in Africa. It lies within the tropics along the Gulf of Guinea, on the Western coast of Africa. It covers a total geographical area of 923,768 square kilometers. The River Niger which is the most important river in Nigeria and the third longest in Africa rises in the mountain of Futa Jalon to the North East of Sierra Leone, and stretches for a distance of 2600 Nautical Miles through other countries. It enters Nigeria through the north west and empties into the Gulf of Guinea through the Delta having received the waters of its major tributary- the River Benue which has its source in the Republic of Cameroon and flows in a south westerly direction, at its confluence in Lokoja. The construction of the Kainji Hydro Electric dam about 111.04 km north of Jebba has created a lake with an area of 1251 square kilometres. The dam, which was built principally to boost generation of electric power in the early seventies, is also being used to control the flow of the Niger floodwater. This has made the river navigable to barge traffic from the Escravos Light House to Niamey in Niger Republic- a veritable avenue for transit traffic. There are many rivers and rivulets along the coast. Prominent among them are the Ogun River in the west, which flows into the Lagos Lagoon thus creating the calm waters that have sustained the ports in Lagos; the Escravos and Forcados whose terminals are renowned for hosting the Crude Oil Tankers; the Bonny river which provides Port Harcourt with an outlet to the sea and the Cross River System with the Imo and Qua-Iboe rivers. The climate varies from tropical at the coast to sub-tropical further inland. It is characterized by temperature, which is generally very high and increases as one moves from the Southern to the Northern part of the country resulting in a wide geographical variety in physical features. Metrological data indicate highest temperatures in February/March and lowest in July, with an average maximum temperature of 31.4 degrees C and 23.3 degrees C in February/March and July respectively. The average minimum temperature is 25.6 degrees C during February/March and 23.1 degrees C in July. In fact temperatures at the coast seldom rise above 32 degrees C but humidity can be as high as 95 per cent. Winds are regular during part of the year with the strongest occurring during the rainy season and lighter during the dry seasons. The direction of wind varies with the seasons. Predictably, the sea and swell conditions vary considerably over the year with least sea and swell in the dry season and higher sea and swell in the rainy season. The population of the country is put at about 100 million and is made up of multi-ethnic groups- the major ones being Hausa, Fulani, Ibo, Yoruba, Edo, Urhobo, Efik, Ijaw, Tiv, and Kanuri. History: Nigeria came into formal existence in 1914 with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates and was presided over by a Governor General. She became independent and a sovereign nation on the 1st of October 1960 and a Republic on the 1st of October 1963. The Military intervened in the governance of the country following the coup d’ etat of January 1966. In 1967 the Federal structure of the country was enhanced by the creation of twelve states out of the existing four regional structures. The year 1976 witnessed the creation of seven more states and Abuja while in 1987 two additional states were created bringing the number to 21 states. A new constitution modeled after the American Presidential system was introduced into Nigeria in 1979 ending the 14 years of military interregnum. This functioned for 4 years until 1983 when it was overthrown by military. The new military government was itself replaced after serving 20 months. The present military administration came into power on Tuesday, August 27, 1985 to bring normalcy into the affairs of government and salvage the country from economic ruin. Agriculture: As a land of lush, vibrant vegetation and rolling fields, Nigeria is one of the most endowed countries in the world. The country has abundant land, water and human resources and enjoys warm temperatures capable of supporting agricultural produce all the year round. Although 70 percent is arable, only half of this is put under cultivation. Nigeria’s agriculture declined considerably during the seventies as a result of the economy’s reliance on the petroleum oil boom and consequently Nigeria declined to a net food importer. There is, however, a concerted effort by Government to turn this around with the vigorous drive at export promotion and local raw materials sourcing for industries- an exercise that is showing marked improvement from available data. Industry: There are over 2000 industrial establishments in the country today as against a very limited number in 1960. These industries contribute substantially to the gross National Product of the Nation. The industrial policy now places great emphasis on the monitoring role of co-ordinated planning and development of the country. Its key factor is the ban of importation of products, which can be produced locally. Prominent industrial establishments are the giant oil industry and its numerous affiliates; the steel industries and the rolling mills; pharmaceuticals; food processing; and car assembly industries. Others include the financial institutions, the banks, merchant houses and insurance companies. Mining: Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of crude petroleum oil in the world and the second in Africa. She is a member of OPEC. The production of crude petroleum oil, which was about 2 million barrels a day in 1980, has slumped as a result of oil glut. The crude oil constitutes about 90 percent of the country’s total export. Other major mineral items of export are tin ore, tin metal and columbite. Nigeria is also a member of the Organization of African Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC). Trade: Nigeria maintains essentially non-discriminatory foreign trade relations with all five continents of the world. She has entered into many bilateral trade agreements with various countries. Among Nigeria’s principal trading partners are Great Britain, West Germany, USA, France, Italy, Belgium and Japan. There also exists a thriving trade between Nigeria and her neighbouring countries of the West and Central African Sub region. Banking and currency: The currency and fiduciary issues are controlled by the Central Bank of Nigeria, a government financial institution that acts as a bankers’ bank, issues treasury bills, fixes bank rates and engages in open market operations designed to check inflationary pressures in the country. The commercial banks play a vital role in the development of international trade by undertaking routine financial transactions and making available some foreign exchange to merchants and big traders. Transport: Nigeria has one of the most modern and best-developed transport systems in Africa. Rail, road, air and inland waterways traverse the length and breadth of the country to link the industrial, commercial and agricultural centres. Transport by road, air and sea also links the country with the rest of the world. Nigerian road network totals over 132 771 km. Nigeria has a railway mileage of 2680 route miles and extends to the majority of commercial centres in the country. Regular shipping services are operated between Nigerian Ports and the rest of the world. Many of the shipping lines serving Nigeria are members of the West African Lines Conference. The major ones are:- UKWAL, COWAC, FEWAC, AWAFC and ANICL. The inland water transportation is very vital to the country’s economy. The Central Water Transportation Company is the sole government owned company charged with responsibility for provision of relatively cheap, reliable and adequate services along the Niger and the Benue. So many other private operators abound. The Nigerian Airways is the government owned airline providing air transportation. It is complemented by some private airlines given recognition by the government for scheduled domestic and international flights. |
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