Nigeria, Africa’s Giant and the most populous nation in Africa is often seen as a chaotic country full of danger and big noisy cities heavy in traffic. But Nigeria is more than just a busy metropolis. It is a vibrant nation with welcoming people, ancient cultures, a rich art scene and a great natural heritage. There is much to discover and much to fall in love with.

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in western Africa. It is located on the South Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea). The neighboring countries of Nigeria are Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Abuja has been the capital since December 12, 1991, but before that, the port city of Lagos used to be the capital. Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom on October 1,1960. Many different languages are spoken in the country, including Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, with English as the administrative language and commonly used language. The name is derived from Niger, the longest river in the country.

History

In the eighth century, Muslims first came to the area of ​​present-day Nigeria, followed by the Portuguese in 1472 the Portuguese and later the English. After initially trading in pepper and ivory, the Europeans soon turned to the slave trade. After a slave ban in England in 1807 the British switched to the palm oil trade, while the Portuguese and Spaniards continued to fetch slaves for some time.

In 1849, a British Consul for the Bay of Biafra and Benin was appointed, which can be regarded as the beginning of the British expansion of power in Nigeria. In 1861 a British float was sent to Lagos and after some fighting and negotiations the city was occupied. Despite the treaty that King Akitoyo made with the British, things remained unsettled. That is why the British founded the colony of Lagos in 1863, with which they took control themselves. At the Colonial Conference of Berlin (1885) Great Britain obtained the protectorate over the southern part of present-day Nigeria. In 1886, the British government granted a mandate to the Royal Niger Co. to govern this area. On January 1, 1900, this mandate was abolished and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were established. What was not yet in effective possession of this was captured between 1900 and 1903. During this period, the High Commissioner in Northern Nigeria, Baron Lugard, introduced the system of ‘indirect rule’, in which natives were involved in governance. In 1906 the Southern Nigeria Protectorate was united with the Colony of Lagos to form the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and in 1914 it was merged with the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

After World War I, a part of Cameroon was annexed to Nigeria as a mandate area. During the Second World War, Nigeria became a major supplier of tin to the British war industry, while groundnuts and palm oil contributed greatly to the food supply of the allies. With the Constitution of 1951, the federation of Nigeria was established, consisting of the Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo peoples. Each of these was given a great deal of autonomy and its own representative bodies.

Independence

The north and south of Nigeria were forged into one country by the British colonial administration, despite the great differences in religion and culture. One of the first movements to demand self-determination was the Nigerian Youth Movement. The leader of this movement, Nnamdi Azikiwe, published a timetable for Nigeria’s independence in 1943. However, the fact that Nigeria was an area with many peoples counteracted this: other peoples within Nigeria came into conflict with Nnamdi Azikiwe, who himself belonged to the Igbo people.

After that, movements arose in Nigeria that united peoples, not the country. The British started to understand that independence was inevitable, and because of the differences in peoples within Nigeria, the British proposed a federation consisting of three states. Each state would have a high degree of autonomy. In turn, four ministers would be supplied by the federal states to the central administration.

In 1959 elections were held for the first time for the federal parliament. The NPC won and formed a coalition with the NCNC. The Federation of Nigeria became an independent country within the Commonwealth in October 1960. After these elections and independence, corruption by government officials rose sharply. In 1963, the Federal Republic of Nigeria was proclaimed and Nnamdi Azikiwe became president.

In 1966, a military coup was committed, mainly by officers with an Igbo signature. However, the coup failed and the leaders were arrested in Lagos on January 18, 1966. This put an end to the federation and an anti-corruption campaign was launched. The government was mainly dominated by Igbos and on July 29, 1966, there was a counter-coup from the Hausa tribes,  many Igbos fled from all over Nigeria to southeastern Nigeria.

A civil war broke out in July 1967 and lasted until 1970. Estimates of the death toll from this war and the accompanying famine vary widely, at least half a million people died, but some observers say 2 million victims. In the reconstruction of eastern Nigeria, the Igbo were kept in the background.

Nigeria, which occupied an economically strong position due to its oil reserves, emphatically presented itself as the leader of the African states in political and economic relations with the non-African world. President Gowon was ousted in a bloodless military coup in July 1975; his successor, General M. Mohammed, was killed in a failed coup against his regime in February 1976.

Bloody riots between muslims and christians took place in the northern city of Kaduna in 2000, killing at least 1,000, according to independent sources. The reason was the possible introduction of Islamic law, the Sharia. Zamfara state was the first state to implement Sharia in 1999. At the end of the year, Islamic law was in effect in seven states. Christians, who live mainly in the south, believe that Islamic law contradicts the secular constitution. Then-President Obasanjo, himself a Christian, did not speak publicly about Sharia law.