View Intelligence Dossier Back to 2004 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.ng

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

1,142 (2004)

Internet users [time series]

750,000 (2003)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: an inadequate system, further limited by poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been made domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available international: country code - 234; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

853,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

3,149,500 (2003)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $8.026 billion expenditures: $11.09 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

naira (NGN)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

NGN

Current account balance [time series]

$1.439 billion (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$31.07 billion (2003 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

50.6 (1996-97)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

IMF $250 million (1998)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under the new civilian administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. The government has lacked the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. During 2003, however, the government deregulated fuel prices and announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries. GDP growth probably will rise marginally in 2004, led by oil and natural gas exports.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

14.55 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

20 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

15.67 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

nairas per US dollar - 129.222 (2003), 120.578 (2002), 111.231 (2001), 101.697 (2000), 92.3381 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$21.8 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber

Exports - partners [time series]

US 38.3%, India 9.9%, Brazil 6.8%, Spain 6.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $114.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 30.8% industry: 43.8% services: 25.4% (2003 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $900 (2003 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

7.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97)

Imports [time series]

$14.54 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals

Imports - partners [time series]

US 15.6%, UK 9.6%, Germany 7.3%, China 7.2%, Italy 4.3% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

2.3% (2003 est.)

Industries [time series]

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 prices) [time series]

13.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

27.7% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

54.36 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

7.85 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

7.83 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

15.68 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

4.007 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

275,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

2.256 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

27 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

60% (2000 est.)

Public debt [time series]

28.6% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$7.128 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA (2003 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of California

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

853 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

10 00 N, 8 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

Irrigated land [time series]

2,330 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 31.29% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 65.75% (2001)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards [time series]

periodic droughts; flooding

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Capital [time series]

Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now made the move to Abuja

Constitution [time series]

new constitution adopted May 1999

Country name [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Howard Franklin JETER embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205 FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Jibril Muhammad AMINU chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385 consulate(s) general: Atlanta and New York

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president is elected by popular vote for no more than two four-year terms; election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic transitioning from military to civilian rule

Independence [time series]

1 October 1960 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (only in some northern states), and traditional law

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (107 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (346 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.6%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 73, ANPP 28, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 9.3%, other 8.8%; seats by party - PDP 213, ANPP 95, AD 31, other 7; note - two constituencies are not reported

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Alliance for Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Chekwas OKORIE]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Audu OGBEH]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Saleh JAMBO]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC [Adams OSHIOMOLE]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Despite some irregularities, the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$469.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

0.9% (2003)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 32,665,407 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 18,763,229 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 1,452,231 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 43.4% (male 29,985,427; female 29,637,684) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 37,502,756; female 36,205,442) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,944,260; female 1,977,564) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

38.24 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

13.99 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

5.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

310,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

3.6 million (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 70.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 73.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 50.49 years male: 50.35 years female: 50.63 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68% male: 75.7% female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 18.1 years male: 18.2 years female: 17.9 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian

Net migration rate [time series]

0.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

137,253,133 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.45% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakasi Peninsula; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, the unresolved Bakasi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Benin; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over lake region, which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias

Illicit drugs [time series]

a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity, remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

IDPs: 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President Obasanjo's election in 1999) (2004)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

70 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 36 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2003 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 194,394 km paved: 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways) unpaved: 134,326 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 327,808 GRT/608,076 DWT by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 2, Pakistan 1, Togo 1, United States 1 registered in other countries: 26 (2004 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

condensate 105 km; gas 1,896 km; oil 3,638 km; refined products 3,626 km (2004)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

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

Railways [time series]

total: 3,557 km narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Waterways [time series]

8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2004)