Nigeria: Introduction

This introductory report provides a historical and socioeconomic overview of Nigeria, detailing its transition from an agricultural exporter to an oil-dependent economy, its volatile political history between military and civilian rule, and the current challenges and reforms under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

• Nigeria transitioned from a major exporter of agricultural products like cocoa and rubber to a food importer as the economy became heavily dependent on oil after its discovery in 1956. This shift led to the collapse of agricultural production and the creation of a political economy centered on oil exports, which marginalized other productive sectors and fueled tensions in the Niger Delta.
• The Nigerian state consolidated control over the oil sector between 1973 and 1977, moving from minority participation to full state dominance. This culminated in the 1977 formation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which merged the Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC) with the Ministry of Petroleum to handle both regulatory and commercial roles.
• Nigeria's political history since independence in 1960 has been characterized by long periods of military rule and brief intervals of civilian governance. Key periods of instability include the Biafra War (1967-1970), which caused over a million deaths, and the brutal dictatorship of General Sani Abacha following the 1993 annulment of elections. The country returned to civilian rule in 1999 with the election of Olusegun Obasanjo.
• Despite being Africa's largest crude oil exporter and holding the continent's largest natural gas reserves, Nigeria faces severe socioeconomic crises. It has the world's third-largest population living in extreme poverty and ranks 161st out of 193 countries in the 2024 UN Human Development Index due to corruption, weak institutions, and security threats such as terrorism and banditry.
• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who took office on 29 May 2023, has implemented reforms to revitalize the economy, including the removal of the long-standing fuel subsidy and the unification of exchange rates to stabilize the currency and attract foreign investment.

APA

Yeboua, K., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Nigeria: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=NG&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi, and Jakkie Cilliers. Nigeria: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=NG&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Nigeria: Introduction |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=15 June 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=NG&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026nigeria, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Nigeria: Introduction}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=NG&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }