Nigeria is a West African country, officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is Africa's most populous country, with over 230 million people, and the world's sixth-most populous. Situated between the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea, it covers 923,769 square kilometers and shares borders with Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin. Nigeria is a federal republic consisting of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which serves as its capital. Lagos is its largest city and a major metropolitan area in Africa.
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.
In 1902, the British had begun plans to move north into the Sokoto Caliphate.
On 13 March 1903, at the grand market square of Sokoto, the last vizier of the caliphate officially conceded to British rule.
In June 1903, the British defeated the remaining northern forces of Attahiru.
By 1903, the Sokoto Caliphate broke up into various European colonies.
By 1906, all resistance to British rule had ended.
In 1911, the Kingdom of Nri lost its sovereignty to the British.
On 1 January 1914, the British formally united the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.
In 1914, the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate merged, establishing Nigeria's present territorial shape.
Northern Nigeria did not outlaw slavery until 1936.
In 1950, the population of Lagos was about 300,000.
In 1954, Nigeria gained a degree of self-rule.
On 1 October 1960, Nigeria became a formally independent federation.
On 1 October 1960, Nigeria gained full independence from the United Kingdom as the Federation of Nigeria, retaining the British monarch as head of state.
In November 1960, Nnamdi Azikiwe replaced the colonial governor-general.
By the eve of independence in 1960, regional differences in modern educational access were marked.
In 1960, British colonisation of Nigeria ended.
Nigeria, We Hail Thee, was the country's national anthem from 1960.
Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made African unity the centrepiece of its foreign policy.
In 1961, Southern Cameroons opted to join the Republic of Cameroon while Northern Cameroons chose to join Nigeria, leading to an imbalance in the polity.
In January 1966, a military coup led by Majors Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Adewale Ademoyega resulted in assassinations of prominent leaders and the Army taking control.
In 1966, continuous and systematically planned attacks against Igbos and those of Eastern extraction, popularly known as 1966 pogroms, occurred.
In May 1967, the Governor of the Eastern Region Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu declared the region independent from the federation as a state called the Republic of Biafra.
On 6 July 1967, the Nigerian Civil War began as the official Nigerian government side attacked Biafra at Garkem.
In 1967, Nigeria experienced a civil war, lasting until 1970.
In January 1970, the 30-month Nigerian Civil War ended with the defeat of Biafra after a long blockade and isolation.
In July 1971, Nigeria joined OPEC and has remained a key player in the international oil industry since the 1970s.
The Niger Delta Nembe Creek oil field was discovered in 1973.
In July 1975, a coup led by Generals Shehu Musa Yar'Adua and Joseph Garba ousted Gowon, who fled to Britain.
In February 1976, Colonel Buka Suka Dimka launched a coup attempt, resulting in the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed. The coup failed due to lack of widespread military support, and Dimka was forced to flee. Subsequently, General Olusegun Obasanjo became the military head of state.
Nigeria, We Hail Thee, was the country's national anthem from 1960 to 1978.
On 1 October 1979, Shehu Shagari was sworn in as the first President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, marking the peaceful transfer of power from Obasanjo to a civilian government.
In 1979, women in Nigeria were politically emancipated; however, the patriarchal system persisted as husbands often dictated their wives' votes.
In 1980, the Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations.
In August 1983, Shagari and the NPN were returned to power with a landslide victory. However, the elections were marred by violence and allegations of widespread vote-rigging and electoral malfeasance.
In 1983, a military coup d'état was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military, leading to the overthrow of the government and the installation of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as head of state.
The military coup of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984 was generally viewed as a positive development.
In 1985, Ibrahim Babangida overthrew Buhari in a coup d'état.
In 1986, Babangida established the Nigerian Political Bureau which made recommendations for the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic.
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 1989, Babangida started making plans for the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic.
As of 1990, small oil fields accounted for 62.1% of all Nigerian production.
Babangida survived the 1990 Nigerian coup d'état attempt, then postponed a promised return to democracy to 1992.
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%.
From 1990 to 2008, Nigeria's population increased by 57 million.
In 1991, Ben Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for his literary work.
In 1992, Babangida legalized the formation of political parties and formed the two-party system with the Social Democratic Party and National Republican Convention ahead of the 1992 general elections.
In 1992, Babangida postponed a promised return to democracy.
In August 1993, Babangida finally kept his promise to relinquish power to a civilian government but not before appointing Ernest Shonekan head of an interim national government.
In 1993, Shonekan's interim government was overthrown in a coup d'état led by General Sani Abacha.
In April 1994, Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, achieved their highest FIFA World Rankings, placing fifth.
In 1995, Nigeria was temporarily expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations due to being ruled by the Abacha regime.
In 1995, an estimated 21,000 Nigerian doctors were practising in the United States alone.
In 1995, the government hanged environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa on trumped-up charges, leading to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth.
In 1996, Nigeria won the gold medal for football at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first African football team to achieve this feat.
In 1998, the regime of General Sani Abacha came to an end upon his death.
On 29 May 1999, Abubakar handed over power to former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo, who won the 1999 presidential election, as President of Nigeria.
On 5 May 1999, General Abdulsalami Abubakar adopted a new constitution, which provided for multiparty elections.
Before 1999, economic development was hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement.
In 1999, Nigeria achieved a stable government following the Nigerian presidential election.
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%.
In 2000 BC, evidence of iron smelting was discovered at the site of Lejja in the Nsukka region of southeast Nigeria.
Since 2000, there has been an exponential rise in Chinese–Nigerian trade relations.
In 2001, the ICT sector only contributed 1% to Nigeria's GDP, showing the potential for growth in the sector.
In 2002, Chinua Achebe was awarded the Peace Award of the German Book Trade.
In December 2003, Millennium Park in Abuja, designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti, was officially opened to the public.
In 2003, Nigeria Airways was over-indebted and bought by the British Virgin Group.
In 2003, Nigeria made significant progress in democratization under Obasanjo after the presidential elections that brought Obasanjo to power.
In 2003, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was created to combat financial crime.
Nigeria opened in 2004 a Chinese-origin research reactor at Ahmadu Bello University.
Since June 28 2005, Nigeria Airways has been flying under the name Virgin Nigeria Airways.
In 2005, Nigeria had the highest rate of deforestation in the world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
In November 2006, Nigeria organized an Africa-South America Summit in Abuja to promote South-South linkages on a variety of fronts.
In 2007, Chinua Achebe won the Booker Prize, adding to his literary accolades.
In 2007, President Umaru Yar'Adua urged the country to embrace nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs.
In the 2007 general elections, Umaru Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party came to power.
In November 2008, Nigeria's music scene gained international attention when MTV hosted the first African music awards show in Abuja.
At the end of 2008, the Virgin Group announced its withdrawal from Virgin Nigeria Airways.
From 1990 to 2008, Nigeria's population increased by 57 million, a 60% growth rate in less than two decades.
In 2008, the Marriage Rights Act banning marriage of girls under 18 was introduced on a federal level in Nigeria.
Since September 2009, Virgin Nigeria Airways has been operating as Nigerian Eagle Airlines.
In 2009, the Eyo carnival in Lagos was seen as a step towards achieving world city status.
In 2009, the thriller film 'The Figurine' was released, heightening media attention towards the New Nigerian Cinema revolution. It achieved critical and commercial success.
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.
According to the 2010 census of Association of Religion Data Archives, 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.
In 2010, the film 'Ijé', directed by Chineze Anyaene, was released and overtook 'The Figurine' as the highest-grossing Nigerian film.
In 2010, thousands of people were inadvertently exposed to lead-containing soil from informal gold mining within the northern state of Zamfara, leading to the deaths of upwards of 400 children.
In 2011, Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.
Since mid-2010, Boko Haram and the bandit conflict have been responsible for numerous serious attacks with thousands of casualties.
In the first 12 months of the Nigeria Security Tracker's establishment in May 2011, there were 1,086 deaths from Boko Haram attacks and 290 deaths from police violence.
Goodluck Jonathan won the 2011 presidential election.
In 2011, Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.
A 2012 report 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 or unaffiliated.
In 2012, Air Peace, which is privately owned, was founded. It is now the largest airline in Nigeria.
In 2012, Nigeria's national basketball team qualified for the Summer Olympics, defeating heavily favored world elite teams.
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.
In June 2013, Shell announced a strategic review of its operations in Nigeria, hinting that assets could be divested.
By the end of 2013, the Nigerian film industry reportedly hit a record-breaking revenue of ₦1.72 trillion (US$4.1 billion).
In 2013, the Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations.
The movie Half of a Yellow Sun was released in 2013.
In August 2014, Shell said it was finalising its interests in four Nigerian oil fields.
As of 2014, the Nigerian film industry was worth ₦853.9 billion (US$5.1 billion), making it the third most valuable film industry in the world.
During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Nigeria was the first country to effectively contain and eliminate the Ebola threat in West Africa.
In 2014, Jonathan's tenure saw the emergence of a wave of terror by the Boko Haram insurgency, such as the Gwoza massacre and Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping.
In 2014, the film 'Half of a Yellow Sun' (2013) overtook 'Ijé' to become the highest-grossing Nigerian film.
In February 2015, the Boko Haram-affected states agreed to establish an 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force to jointly fight Boko Haram.
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.
By October 2015, Boko Haram had been driven out of all the cities it controlled and almost all the counties in northeastern Nigeria.
According to an estimate from 2015, there are 20 cities in Nigeria with more than 500,000 inhabitants, including ten cities with a population of one million.
In 2015, Muhammadu Buhari won the election.
In 2015, a ban was implemented in Nigeria on female genital mutilation.
In a 2015 report released by Pew Research Center, the Muslim population was estimated to be 50%.
Nigeria's gold production in 2015 was 8 metric tons.
By 2016, 'The Wedding Party', directed by Kemi Adetiba, held the record for the highest-grossing Nigerian film.
By 2016, the total trade between China and Nigeria had increased by over 10.3 billion dollars since 2000, leading to a trade imbalance where Nigeria imports ten times more than it exports to China.
In 2016, Boko Haram split into factions.
In 2016, Nigeria was the leading cement producer south of the Sahara, ahead of South Africa.
In 2016, the Niger Delta saw intense attacks on oil infrastructure 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 late 2016, the Nigerian federal government offered militant groups a 4.5 billion naira (US$144 million) contract to guard oil infrastructure.
A 2017 World Bank report on logistics hubs in Africa placed Nigeria in fourth place, behind Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sao Tome.
According to the International Monetary Fund, as of 2017, 32% of Nigeria's population lived in extreme poverty.
By 2017, Lagos had grown to an estimated 13.4 million people.
By the end of 2017, Scrabble had become an official sport in Nigeria with around 4,000 players.
In 2017, Nigeria signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Agreements were signed for the construction of the Itu nuclear power plant.
In 2017, Nigeria spent just under 0.4 per cent of its economic output, or US$1.6 billion, on its armed forces.
In 2017, the median age in Nigeria was 18.4 years, and Nigeria accounted for about 17% of the continent's total population.
Nigeria's rice production increased by 10% from 2017/18 to 2021/22 to 5 million tonnes a year, but could hardly keep up with the increased demand.
According to a 2018 estimate in The World Factbook by the 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.
In 2018, Nigeria's ICT sector experienced substantial growth, contributing 10% to the nation's GDP, a significant increase from just 1% in 2001.
In 2018, Nigeria's Super Eagles participated in the FIFA World Cup.
In 2018, Nigeria's women's and men's national teams in beach volleyball competed at the CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
In 2018, the Nigerian Curling Federation was established to introduce curling as a sport to the country.
In June 2019, Nigeria EduSat-1 was deployed from the International Space Station.
In August 2019, Nigeria closed its border with Benin and other neighboring countries to stop rice smuggling into the country as part of efforts to boost local production.
On December 21, 2019, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, Emmanuel Macron, and multiple other UEMOA states announced that they would merely rename the CFA franc instead of replacing the currency as originally intended, undermining Nigeria's plan for the Eco currency.
As of 2019, the HIV prevalence rate among adults of ages 15–49 in Nigeria was 1.5 per cent.
At the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Norway, Nigeria secured their first international win, beating France 8–5.
In 2019 Nigeria had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.2/10, ranking it 82nd globally out of 172 countries.
In 2019, Nigeria was one of the world's top twenty exporters of natural rubber, generating $20.9 million.
In 2019, Nigeria's U21 national teams qualified for the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships.
In 2019, the Nigerian aviation industry generated 198.62 billion naira (€400 million), representing a contribution of 0.14% to the GDP and becoming the fastest-growing sector of the economy.
In the 2019 presidential election, Buhari was re-elected.
In 2020, Nigeria had 143,000 troops in the armed forces and another 80,000 personnel for gendarmerie & paramilitary.
In 2020, Nigeria's road network contributed N2.4trn ($6.4bn) to the country's GDP.
In 2020, Nigeria's women's and men's national teams in beach volleyball competed at the CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
In 2020, total freight volumes in the Nigerian aviation sector were 191 tonnes.
In the 12 months after October 2021, 2,193 people died from police violence and 498 from Boko Haram and ISWAP, according to the NST.
In December 2021, the Anambra International Cargo Airport commenced operations.
As of 2021, the implementation of the Eco currency has been delayed to 2027.
In 2021, Nigeria hosts about 60 percent of the pharmaceutical production capacity in Africa, the larger pharmaceutical companies are located in Lagos.
In 2021, Nigeria joined the World Logistics Passport, a private sector group aimed at increasing the efficiency of global trade.
In 2021, about 23.4% of Nigeria's GDP was contributed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing combined.
In 2021, the United Nations estimated Nigeria's population to be 213,401,323, distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, with a population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre.
Nigeria's rice production increased by 10% from 2017/18 to 2021/22 to 5 million tonnes a year, but could hardly keep up with the increased demand.
Until 2021, Petrol was Nigeria's main import commodity until 2021, accounting for 24% of import volume.
As of January 2022, Nigeria hosts 5 out of the 7 unicorn companies in Africa.
In March 2022, the World Bank stated that the number of poor Nigerians had increased by 5 million to 95.1 million during the Covid period.
In April 2022, the second terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport was inaugurated, increasing the airport's capacity to 14 million passengers per year.
In June 2022, a massacre took place in the St. Francis Xavier Church in Owo, with the government blaming ISWAP for the murder of over 50 parishioners, but locals suspecting Fulani herdsmen's involvement.
In August 2022, the contract for militant groups to guard oil infrastructure was renewed, leading to disputes among the groups over fund distribution.
As of October 2022, over 41,600 lives have been lost to the Boko Haram and bandit conflict, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker.
For 2022, US$2.26 billion has been budgeted for the Nigerian armed forces.
In 2022, 40,000 Boko Haram fighters surrendered.
In 2022, Nigeria suffered 125 deaths from explosions at local, illegal refineries.
In 2022, Nigeria's GDP (PPP) per capita was US$9,148.
In 2022, the Second Niger Bridge near Onitsha was largely completed, representing an improvement in transport infrastructure.
The rice mill in Imota, near Lagos, is intended to handle the corresponding processing at home, improve the balance of trade and the labour market, and save unnecessary costs for transport and middlemen. 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.
In May 2023, Bola Tinubu, of the ruling party, won the disputed election.
As of 2023, Nigeria's economy is classified as lower-middle-income.
In 2023, the Nigerian president is elected in a modified two-round system.
In 2023, the general election of 2015 was surpassed only by the elections of 2019 and 2023.
In the 2023 General Elections, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Muslim, selected another Muslim, Senator Kashim Shettima, as running mate.
On 29 May 2024, Tinubu signed into law an act readopting Nigeria, We Hail Thee, which was the country's national anthem from 1960 to 1978, as its national anthem, replacing Arise, O Compatriots.
As of 2024, a list of the top five highest-grossing Nigerian films exists.
In 2024, Nigeria was ranked 113th in the Global Innovation Index.
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.
As of 2021, the Eco currency's implementation is delayed to 2027.
Nigeria has sought the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop plans for up to 4,000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2027.
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 2011, Citigroup projected that Nigeria would have the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050.
According to a Pew Research Center report, by 2060, Muslims will account for about 60% of the country's population.
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