JUE 7 2010

Monday, June 7, 2010
Overview

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and its second largest economy. Despite a return to civilian government in 1999 after a long spell of military dominance, Nigeria remains a fractious nation, divided along ethnic and religious lines.

Nigerians, keenly aware that their impoverished and wealth-stratified nation has not realized its potential, had hopes that President Umaru Yar'Adua might help it do so after his election in 2007. But Mr. Yar'Adua's chronic ill health sapped his initial promises of reform and led to a constitutional crisis in his country. Mr. Yar'Adua, who suffered from kidney and heart ailments, died at age 58 on May 5, 2010.

The West African nation's vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, had been acting president since February 2010, filling a power vacuum left by Mr. Yar"Adua who departed for emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia in November 2009. When Mr. Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria in late February 2010, he did not reclaim the powers which the Nigerian Parliament reluctantly transferred to his deputy. By virtue of his presence, Mr. Yar'Adua had placed a question mark over the presidency of Mr. Jonathan, a native of the rival southern half of Nigeria. That has now been removed.

For years, the predominantly Muslim region of northern Nigeria has had regular and often bloody outbreaks of sectarian unrest in which hundreds have been killed. In early March 2010, as many as 500 people, including many women and children, may have been killed near the city of Jos, long a center of tensions between Christians and Muslims. The dead were Christians. The attack appeared to be in reprisal for violence in January 2010 when dozens of Muslims were slaughtered in and around Jos, including more than 150 in one village.

Muslim-Christian violence has drawn a threat of jihad from an al-Queda linked group. And a tenuous truce in the restive, oil-producing south fell apart when Mr. Yar'Adua was hospitalized. The violence has driven down oil production by about 1 million barrels a day, causing the country, long Africa's top oil producer, to fall behind Angola in 2009.

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General Information on Nigeria

Official Name: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Capital: Abuja (Current local time)
Government Type: Federal Republic
Population: 135.03 million
Area: 356,700 square miles; about the size of California, Nevada and Arizona
Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
GDP Per Capita: $694
Year of Independence: 1960



Reference Material on Nigeria

Columbia Encyclopedia
Nigeria (nījĭr'ēə), officially Federal Republic of Nigeria, republic (2006 provisional pop. 140,003,542), 356,667 sq mi (923,768 sq km), W Africa. It borders on the Gulf of Guinea (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean) in the south, on Benin in the west, on Niger in the northwest and north, on Chad in the northeast, and on Cameroon in the east. Abuja is the capital and Lagos is the largest city.

Land and People

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ALSO SEE: Dictionary, Geography, Statistics, WordNet

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2010, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. See Nigeria on Answers.com
Articles
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Don’t Bet on Home Continent in African World Cup
By JERÉ LONGMAN

Hope is wafting across Africa that one of its teams might win. History says otherwise.
June 5, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: WORLD CUP 2010 (SOCCER), SOCCER, IVORY COAST, URUGUAY, CAMEROON, ALGERIA, SOUTH AFRICA, FIFA

The Oil Spills We Don't Hear About
By ANENE EJIKEME

In the Niger Delta, people have been living with dead fish, oily water and gas flares for 50 years.
June 4, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: OIL (PETROLEUM) AND GASOLINE, ENVIRONMENT, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC


On a Visit to the U.S., a Nigerian Witch-Hunter Explains Herself
By MARK OPPENHEIMER

A Pentecostal preacher who is the subject of a new HBO documentary says she can tell when people are possessed.
May 22, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, DOCUMENTARY FILMS AND PROGRAMS, WITCHCRAFT, GREAT BRITAIN, HOUSTON (TEX), HOME BOX OFFICE

President for Life, and Then Some
By HOWARD W. FRENCH

The muddled succession story of Ivory Coast has become a prevalent narrative across much of Africa, with leaders seemingly doing anything to hang onto power for as long as possible.
May 12, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: IVORY COAST, AFRICA, YAR''ADUA, UMARU

New Nigerian President Sworn In
By ADAM NOSSITER; IMAM IMAM CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM KATSINA, NIGERIA.

Nigeria swore in a new president Thursday morning, former Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, hours after the death Wednesday night of Umaru Yar’Adua.
May 7, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: JONATHAN, GOODLUCK

President of Nigeria Dies After Long Illness
By ADAM NOSSITER

President Umaru Yar’Adua did not transfer power when he left the country for emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria was left in limbo.
May 6, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT, DEATHS (OBITUARIES), YAR'ADUA, UMARU

Ruling Party in Nigeria Is Fractured by Infighting
By ADAM NOSSITER

Squabbles offer hints of the power struggle to come before the wide-open 2011 presidential election.
April 24, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT, YAR'ADUA, UMARU, JONATHAN, GOODLUCK

Banks Making Big Profits From Tiny Loans
By NEIL MACFARQUHAR; ELISABETH MALKIN CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM MEXICO CITY.

Despite its saintly aura, microfinancing is dominated by larger banks that often charge high interest rates.
April 14, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: POVERTY, MICROFINANCE, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND TRENDS, THIRD WORLD AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, MEXICO, CARE, KIVA.ORG, YUNUS, MUHAMMAD

Pastors Meet With President of Nigeria
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nigeria’s ill and long unseen president met briefly with Christian religious leaders on Monday, still physically weak but “able to grunt out an amen,” a pastor who took part in the visit said.
April 6, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: YAR'ADUA, UMARU

Out of Africa
INTERVIEW BY DEBORAH SOLOMON

The Nigerian novelist talks about the latest ethnic violence in his country.
March 28, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: ACHEBE, CHINUA

Education First, Beating UConn a Close Second
By JERÉ LONGMAN

Nneka Ogwumike, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria, will be a key to Stanford’s chances of defeating Connecticut in a possible national championship game.
March 22, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS, COLLEGE ATHLETICS, NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT (WOMEN), IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION, PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSN, MOORE, MAYA, MULKEY, KIM, AURIEMMA, GENO

Acting Leader of Nigeria Dissolves His Cabinet
By ADAM NOSSITER; SENAN MURRAY CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM ABUJA, NIGERIA.

In an effort to put his stamp on the presidency, Goodluck Jonathan dismissed the cabinet members inherited from Umaru Yar’Adua, who is too ill to carry out his duties.
March 18, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT, JONATHAN, GOODLUCK


Where Bad News Is No News
By ADAOBI TRICIA NWAUBANI

Every time Nigeria experiences an episode of violence, the nation seems to go quiet or to have amnesia, while the rest of the world becomes fixated.
March 18, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: CIVIL WAR AND GUERRILLA WARFARE, NEWS AND NEWS MEDIA, JOS (NIGERIA), YAR'ADUA, UMARU

Nigerians Recount Night of Their Bloody Revenge
By ADAM NOSSITER

This week dozens of herdsmen slaughtered hundreds of people in a brutal act of sectarian retribution in Jos.
March 11, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: MURDERS AND ATTEMPTED MURDERS, CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM, FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS, BOKO HARAM, AMERICAN RED CROSS

Ravaged Nigerian Village Is Haunted by Latest Massacre
By ADAM NOSSITER; JUDE OWUAMANAM CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM DOGON NA HAUWA and JOS, NIGERIA.

After ethnic violence flared in January in Jos, the military patrolled the city, but neglected nearby villages where reprisals took place over the weekend.
March 10, 2010
MORE ON NIGERIA AND: VIOLENCE


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Multimedia
Video
Transforming Nigeria

A Western-educated, Nigerian gubernatorial candidate concedes to a corrupt system in a bid to transform it. (Produced by Adam B. Ellick)
Related Article

Nigeria Navigator

A list of Web sites about Nigeria as selected by editors of The New York Times.
C.I.A. World Factbook country profile
State Department -- history and overview
BBC country profile
The Economist - forecast and economic data
News and online media
National Geographic world music guide
The Nigerian Government's Portal Page
News
Links to Nigerian Newspaper Web Sites
A Nigerian News Site
Compiles reports from many sources
The Economist
Offers links to data and analysis
From the Council on Foreign Relations
Michelle D. Gavin: A Blow for Nigerian Democracy, CFR.org Podcast
Nigeria's Creaky Political System, CFR.org Backgrounder
Nigeria: Elections and Continuing Challenges, Council Special Report
MEND: The Niger Delta's Umbrella Militant Group, CFR.org Backgrounder
Islamic Law in Nigeria, CFR Transcript
From the International Crisis Group
Links to Articles and Papers About Conflict in Nigeria

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Economic outlook for the most developed countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
Statistical profiles of the least developed countries (U.N.)
World Bank country brief
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Statistical overview (U.N.)
Colleges and universities (Braintrack)
Energy
Resources and trends (U.S. D.O.E.)
Environment
Regional assessments (U.N.)
Government
Online constitutions (University of Richmond)
Embassies in the U.S.
Health
Country profile (World Health Organization)
Children's health (Unicef)
Development indicators (World Bank)
Natural disasters and relief efforts (ReliefWeb)
Human Rights
U.S. Department of State
Amnesty International
Maps
Google Maps
Google Earth
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection (University of Texas)
Population/Demographics
International data (Census Bureau)
Demographic profiles (Population Reference Bureau)
Travel
NYTimes.com/Travel
Travel information (State Department)
World museum directory
Other Useful Links
Weather (World Meteorological Organization)
Government statistics
International postal codes
Calling codes
Country comparisons

Multimedia
Video
Father of C.I.A. Attacker Speaks

The father of the Jordanian suicide bomber who killed eight people at a C.I.A. outpost in Afghanistan called his son a defender of the oppressed.

Video
Transforming Nigeria

A Western-educated, Nigerian gubernatorial candidate concedes to a corrupt system in a bid to transform it.


An Age-Old Problem

Thanks to a relentless campaign, Guinea worm is poised to become the first disease since smallpox to be pushed into oblivion.

Video
Diseases on the Brink: Guinea Worm

Former President Jimmy Carter and the Times's Donald G. McNeil Jr. discuss the ancient parasitic disease of guinea worm.


Land Conflicts in Nigeria

Many conflicts across the broad midsection of Africa may look like tribal or religious wars, but the very core is often a contest over land.


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