Country Flag of Nigeria Map of Nigeria, Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Local time in Abuja:


Facts and Figures

arrow Official Name Federal Republic of Nigeria.

arrow Capital City 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.

arrow Languages English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani.

arrow Official Currency Naira (NGN).

arrow Ethnic Groups 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%.

arrow Religions Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%.

arrow Population 129,934,911. 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 2002 est.).

arrow Land Area 446,300 sq km (172,316 sq miles).

History

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.

UNAIDS Epidemiological
Fact Sheets

[English] [French]

Global Surveillance of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a joint effort of WHO and UNAIDS. The UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance, initiated in November 1996, guides respective activities. The primary objective of the working group is to strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STIs. For this purpose, the working group collaborates closely with national AIDS programmes and a number of national and international experts and institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to compile the best information available and to improve the quality of data needed for informed decision-making and planning at national, regional and global levels. The Epidemiological Fact Sheets are one of the products of this close and fruitful collaboration across the globe.

Nigeria Contacts

Country Name Title Office Telephone Fax
Nigeria Wayne Duncan Public Health Advisor
 234 9 670 0798
 234 9 413 8612
  Joseph Osonye Nnorom, MD Medical Officer    

Web sites

U.S. Government

World Fact Book Nigeria Fact Sheet
The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO).

CDC Nigeria Fact Sheet
Nigeria boasts more than 250 different peoples, languages, histories, and religions. The republic is also known for its music. Although the country capital is now in Abuja, Lagos is still the commercial capital and largest city.

USAID: Nigeria
USAID's current HIV/AIDS program consists of 12 behavior change communication (preventative) activities, eight activities that focus on care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS, two activities that focus on care and support of children orphaned by HIV/ AIDS, and one activity on AIDS impact modeling and advocacy. The Mission has begun to consolidate its HIV/AIDS activities in four states: Anambra, Lagos, Taraba, and Kano.

HIV/AIDS in Nigeria: A USAID Brief
Nigeria’s epidemic is characterized by one of the most rapidly increasing rates of new HIV/AIDS cases in West Africa. Adult HIV prevalence increased from 1.8 percent in 1991 to 5.8 percent in 2001. This infection rate, although lower than that of neighboring African countries, should be considered in the context of Nigeria’s relatively large population of approximately 117 million; the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 3.5 million Nigerian adults and children were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2001. HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal clinics in 1999 ranged from less than 1 percent to 21 percent. Among sex workers in Lagos, HIV prevalence rose from 2 percent in 1988–89 to 12 percent in 1990–91. By 1995–96, up to 70 percent of sex workers tested positive.

US Department of State - Travel Advisory
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.

Nigeria:

Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS)
Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria is a media-based non-governmental organisation in Nigeria working in the field of HIV/AIDS and development. Our mission is to contribute to the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria by improving the quality of HIV/AIDS communication messages and by strengthening the quality of policy response and interventions.

Treatment-Access-Ng
Treatment-access-ng is an electronic conference to discuss issues of access to care and treatment in the context of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

AF-AIDS
AF-AIDS is the discussion forum on HIV/AIDS in Africa, managed by the Health and Development Networks on behalf of other partners. (From September 19 2001, AF-AIDS transfers to a new website: http://archives.healthdev.net/af-aids/ )

AFRO-NETS: African Networks for Health Research & Development
African Networks for Health Research and Development (AFRO-NETS) electronic conference to provide for exchange of information between the different networks active in Health Research for Development in the Eastern and Southern African Region.




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