NIGERIA: A CLOSER LOOK
The People of Nigeria
N igeria is a massive country about 115 million
people comprising 300 ethnic groups speaking
400 distinct languages. In size, it is two and a
half times the size of California. The diversity of
Nigeria is reflected in its rainbow of ethnic groups and
complexions, views and counter-views, stretching from
the fringes of the Sahara Desert in the North to the
Atlantic waters in the South.
With one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, Nigeria
has the largest and most vocal press in Africa, publish
ing views and opinions freely expressed. However,
while debates are impassioned and views varied,
Nigerians largely remain united in a single, unswerving
threat: ONE NIGERIA. It is this oneness that has been
the guiding posts of Nigeria since its independence even
as it embarked upon state creation exercises in a bid to
perfect its federal structure.
Since joining the United Nations in 1960, Nigeria has
consistently committed itself to the cause of peace
keeping and peace making, Nigeria sent its first troops
to participate in the UN peace mission in the Congo,
only days after its independence. In World Citizen, a for
mer advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Carter,
Prof Ruth Morgenthau says Nigeria, “is among the
most committed countries to maintaining the degree of
international order that the present UN decision making
process permits.”
Today, Nigeria is the leading contributor in internation
al peace keeping from Africa. Of the 80 countries con
tributing troops to over 20 global peace keeping opera
tions, Nigeria has more than 7,000 men keeping the
peace outside its borders in places such as Bosnia
Herzgovina, Iraq, Kuwait, Western Sahara, Liberia,
Angola, Rwanda. Nigerian troops have also served in
Somalia, Mozambique and Cambodia, The Congo,
Chad, Lebanon, India, Pakistan (Kashmir). The core
elements in global peace keeping are the men and
women risking their lives in the interest of peace.
Nigeria has deployed over 100,000 men and women of
its Armed Forces to peace keeping in its 35 years of
independence.
NIGERIA: The Media Giant in Africa
In the whole of Africa, the undisputable leader in media
has always been Nigeria. Nigeria is one of only five
countries which had more than ten newspapers in 1990,
according to UNESCO. Of those five, Nigeria main
tained a clear lead - 31 daily newspapers, compared to
South Africa with 22, Egypt with 14, Morocco with 13,
and Algeria with 10.
By 1993, while the number of newspapers in most
African countries were declining, news publications
actually ballooned in Nigeria, a trend that represented
the highest growth rate in Africa.
Today,
there are
more
than 66
major
newspapers
and 60 regu
larly published
newsmagazines
in Nigeria. There
are also 50 state-owned
television stations and 40
state-owned radio stations.
Some of the 14 licensed pri
vate television stations have already commenced opera
tion.
NIGERIA: Leadership in Education
There are more than 18 million students in Nigerian
schools at all levels. That is more than the school popu
lation of South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco,
Tanzania, France, Britain, and Spain.
The country adopted a 6-3-3-4 educational policy in
1982. The policy requires six years primary education,
a two-tier (3-year junior, 3-year senior) secondary edu
cation and four years of University education. There are
31 universities in Nigeria today.
Apart from fully funding primary education all around
the country, the government also runs secondary
schools, and funds technical colleges, polytechnics and
universities in all 30 states of Nigeria. In addition, there
are hundreds of privately-owned schools duly approved
by government for the benefit of those who prefer to
send their children to private schools.
While literacy rate stands at about 51%, one of the high
est in Africa, Nigeria’s goal is to eradicate illiteracy in
the shortest time possible.
NIGERIA: Leadership in Sports
Nigeria has made its mark in global sports competition.
Its national soccer team, the Super Eagles, is adjudged
the best in Africa and one of the best ten in the world.
Nigeria won the World Cup in the Under-16 category in
China in 1985 and 1993 in Japan.
Nigeria’s Under-20 soccer team won the bronze medal
in the Junior World Cup competition in the Soviet
Union in 1985 and the silver medal in Saudi Arabia in
1989. In 1994 World Cup competition, Nigeria led its
group to qualify for the second round.
Dozens of Nigerians are today professional athletes in
Europe and America. A Nigerian based in the U.S.,
Hakeem Olajuwon, is today considered the best basket
ball player in the world.
PETROLEUM: Nigeria’s Economic Bedrock
Nigeria’s oil well was discovered in 1908. Today, oil is
the bedrock of Nigeria’s economic development,
accounting for more than 80% of its foreign exchange
earnings.
Nigeria’s oil reserves are the ninth largest in the world.
In 1987, crude oil reserves totalled 16 billion barrels. It
is projected that by 1997, the reserves could rise to 20
billion barrels. Nigeria is a member of the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Indeed, the
Secretary General of OPEC, Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman, is
Nigerian.
Nigeria also has vast, largely unexplored, natural gas
reserves, the world’s fifth largest. Dozens of European
and American businesses are currently exploring joint
venture businesses in gas production. But Nigerians
themselves now realize the danger of over-dependence
on the oil sector. In the past few years, deliberate
attempts have been made to concentrate on agriculture
and encourage manufacturing. Various strategies have
been established to assist farmers at every level, result
ing in impressive cutbacks in Nigeria’s food import bills
while changes in Nigeria’s industrial policy are encour
aging foreign participation in manufacturing.
ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Nigeria is the largest and most heterogenous nation in
Africa. Apart from this large market and abundant and
skilled labor force, Nigeria has a greater variety of min
eral resources than any African country. The minerals
include iron, columbite, coal, lead, zinc, zircon, urani
um, manganese, phosphate, and petroleum.
It is the largest US. sub-Saharan African trading part
ner. Over 19% of US. exports to the region goes to
Nigeria which also accounts for 10% of the U.S oil