Country Report Nigeria Term Paper

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Nigeria: A Country Report

As a federal republic in West Africa, the country of Nigeria, formerly a British dependency, became an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations in 1960. In 1961, Nigeria became part of the British Cameroons, a trust territory of the United Nations. In 1963, Nigeria adopted a republican constitution, yet it retained its membership in the Commonwealth.

By far the most populous country in Africa, the population estimates for Nigeria vary greatly; however, due to its vast natural resources, the country has managed to support an ever-expanding population. One of the most important events in Nigeria which has highly influenced its current economic state was the discovery of oil in 1959. In addition, traditional agriculturists in all regions of Nigeria have learned to use and exploit the nature of various soils through plant selection and by allowing a good portion of the land to remain unfarmed. Yet Nigeria's huge land expanses have allowed to support not only it own people but those in other African nations via exporting a great variety of foodstuffs.

Population:

Due to its wealth which was increased in the late 20th century, Nigeria was able to modernize itself much quicker than some its poorer neighbors. And as a result of this development, Nigeria has been forced to confront two important aspects, namely, population growth and shifts in its demographics. For the most part, population statistics for Nigeria are not very reliable. According to "A Country Study: Nigeria," with probably more than 100 million people in 1990, the precise figure is uncertain," due to the lack of a census since 1963. However, the population of Nigeria "is about twice the size of . . . The next largest country in Africa," being Egypt with an estimated 1989 population of 52 million " (2004, Internet). As to population densities, the number is greater than 400 inhabitants per kilometer, especially in "the southwest near Lagos and the rich agricultural regions around Enugu and Owerri.

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In the capital city of Lagos, it is estimated that in 1985, six million people lived and worked in this bustling, modern-day metropolis ("A Country Study: Nigeria," 2004, Internet).

Thus, it is abundantly clear that Nigeria's population is increasing at a very rapid rate. For example, in 1921, the estimated population was 18 million; in 1980, the estimate jumped to 75 million which indicates that the population increased fourfold in less than sixty years (Nelson, 1982, 156). The reasons for this huge increase are related to the improvements made by the British in the early part of the 20th century when they introduced public health measures, sewage disposal and the control of insect-born diseases.

GDP-Gross Domestic Product:

During the 1070's, Nigeria expected a continuation of its prosperous years, but the projected 8% annual increase in the GDP fell short. This was due in part to the decrease in the demand for petroleum which greatly affected its economy. By 1981, Nigeria's imports exceeded its exports, and between 1979 and 1983, Nigeria's foreign exchange buffer decreased from $3.5 billion to $1.2 billion. Although the downturn in petroleum production was stopped in 1983 and output began to exceed the official OPEC rate of 1.3 million barrels a day, oil production in Nigeria was still only about two-thirds as compared to the late 1970's (Folayan, 1983, 178).

Domestically, Nigeria's GDP (2003 estimates) were as follows -- purchasing power parity, $114.8 billion; real growth rate, 7.1%; GDP per capita income, $900; GDP composition by sector-agriculture, 30.8%, industry, 43.8% and services, 25.4%; investment (gross fixed), 27.7% of the GDP; population below the poverty line (2000), 60%; household income or consumption by percentage share, the lowest 10% @ 1.6%, the highest 10% @ 40.8% (1996-97); distribution of family income (GINI Index), 50.6 (1996-97), and the inflation rate (consumer prices) stood at 13.8% in 2003 ("Nigeria," 2005,.....

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