The civil service in 1990 consisted of the federal
civil
service, the twenty-one autonomous state civil services,
the
unified local government service, and several federal and
state
government agencies, including parastatals and
corporations. The
federal and state civil services were organized around
government
departments, or ministries, and extraministerial
departments
headed by ministers (federal) and commissioners (state),
who were
appointed by the president and governors, respectively.
These
political heads were responsible for policy matters. The
administrative heads of the ministry were the directors
general,
formerly called permanent secretaries. The "chief"
director
general was the secretary to the government and until the
Second
Republic also doubled as head of the civil service. As
chief
adviser to the government, the secretary conducted liaison
between the government and the civil service.
The major function of the director general, as of all
senior
civil servants, was to advise the minister or the
commissioner
directly. In doing so, the director general was expected
to be
neutral. In the initial periods of military rule, these
administrative heads wielded enormous powers. For some
time, the
military rulers refused to appoint civilian political
heads. Even
after political heads were appointed, it was years before
the era
of "superpermanent secretaries" to end. That happened in
1975
when, after Gowon's fall, the civil service was purged to
increase its efficiency. Many of the superpermanent
secretaries
lost their jobs, and the subordinate status of permanent
secretaries to their political bosses was reiterated.
Another
consequence of the purge, reinforced subsequently, was the
destruction of the civil service tradition of security of
tenure.
The destruction was achieved by the retirement or
dismissal of
many who had not attained retirement age.
Until the 1988 reforms, the civil service was organized
strictly according to British traditions: it was
apolitical,
civil servants were expected to serve every government in
a
nonpartisan way, and the norms of impersonality and
hierarchical
authority were well entrenched. As the needs of the
society
became more complex and the public sector expanded
rapidly, there
was a corresponding need to reform the civil service. The
Adebo
Commission (1970) and the Udoji Commission (1972) reviewed
the
structure and orientations of the civil service to make it
more
efficient. Although these commissions recommended ways of
rationalizing the civil service, the greatest problems of
the
service remained inefficiency and red tape. Again in 1985,
a
study group headed by Dotun Phillips looked into the
problems. It
was believed that the 1988 reforms, the most current
measures
aimed at dealing with the problems of the service as of
1990,
were based on this report.
Compared with the 1960s and 1970s, the civil service by
1990
had changed dramatically. It had been politicized to the
extent
that most top officials openly supported the government of
the
day. The introduction of the quota system of recruitment
and
promotion, adherence to the federal-character principle,
and the
constant interference of the government in the day-to-day
operation of the civil service--especially through
frequent
changes in top officials and massive purges--meant that
political
factors rather than merit alone played a major role in the
civil
service.
The 1988 reforms formally recognized the politicization
of
the upper echelons of the civil service and brought about
major
changes in other areas. The main stated objective of the
reforms
was "to ensure a virile, dynamic and result-oriented civil
service." As a result, ministers or commissioners vested
with
full executive powers were fully accountable for their
ministries
or commissions. The director general had become a
political
appointee whose length of tenure was dependent on that of
the
government of the day; in practice, this meant that
directors
general need not be career civil servants, thereby
reducing the
latter's career prospects. Each ministry had been
professionalized so that every official, whether
specialist or
generalist, made his career entirely in one ministry,
whereas
previously an official could move among ministries. A new
department--the Presidency--comprising top government
officials
was created at the federal level to coordinate the
formulation of
policies and monitor their execution, thus making it a
clearinghouse between the president and all federal
ministries
and departments.
The reforms created a new style of civil service, but
the
structure might change under later governments with
different
priorities. In the past, the attempt by every government
to
effect changes in the civil service produced many
discontinuities. Ministries have been constantly
restructured,
new ones created, and existing ones abolished.
Nevertheless, the
1988 reforms might solve some of the problems of the civil
service, because most civil servants tended to remain in
their
jobs despite reorganizations. Also, the move of the
capital from
Lagos to Abuja the early 1990s will provide new
opportunities to
apply the federal-character principle in replacing
Lagosian civil
servants unwilling to move.
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Background | | British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.
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Location | | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
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Area(sq km) | | total: 923,768 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 10 00 N, 8 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km
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Coastline(km) | | 853 km
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Climate | | varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
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Natural resources | | natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 33.02%
permanent crops: 3.14%
other: 63.84% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 2,820 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 286.2 cu km (2003)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%)
per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | periodic droughts; flooding
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Environment - current issues | | soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea
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Population | | 149,229,090
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 41.5% (male 31,624,050/female 30,242,637)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 42,240,641/female 40,566,672)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 2,211,840/female 2,343,250) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 19 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 19.1 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 1.999% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 36.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 16.56 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 48% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 94.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 100.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 46.94 years
male: 46.16 years
female: 47.76 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 4.91 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Nigeria, 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%
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Religions(%) | | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
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Languages(%) | | English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
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Country name | | conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
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Government type | | federal republic
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Capital | | name: Abuja
geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions | | 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara
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Constitution | | adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999
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Legal system | | based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007)
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president; percent of vote - Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA 69.8%, Muhammadu BUHARI 18.7%, Atiku ABUBAKAR 7.5%, Orji Uzor KALU 1.7%, other 2.3%
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Legislative branch | | bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats, 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011); House of Representatives - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%, other 8.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, UNPP 2.8%, NPD 1.9%, APGA 1.6%, PRP 0.8%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6, UNPP 2, APGA 2, NPD 1, PRP 1, vacant 1
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Court (judges recommended by the National Judicial Council and appointed by the president); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government from a pool of judges recommended by the National Judicial Council)
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Academic Staff Union for Universities or ASUU; Campaign for Democracy or CD; Civil Liberties Organization or CLO; Committee for the Defense of Human Rights or CDHR; Constitutional Right Project or CRP; Human Right Africa; National Association of Democratic Lawyers or NADL; National Association of Nigerian Students or NANS; Nigerian Bar Association or NBA; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC; Nigerian Medical Association or NMA; the Press; Universal Defenders of Democracy or UDD
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International organization participation | | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag description | | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green
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Economy - overview | | Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, has undertaken several reforms over the past decade. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. Since 2008 the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt-relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. Based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices, GDP rose strongly in 2007 and 2008. President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his predecessor with emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for electricity and roads.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $336.2 billion (2008 est.)
$319.3 billion (2007 est.)
$300.1 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $207.1 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 5.3% (2008 est.)
6.4% (2007 est.)
6.2% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $2,300 (2008 est.)
$2,200 (2007 est.)
$2,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 18.1%
industry: 50.8%
services: 31.1% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 51.04 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 70%
industry: 10%
services: 20% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 4.9% (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 70% (2007 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 32.4% (2004)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 43.7 (2003)
50.6 (1997)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 21.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $19.76 billion
expenditures: $24.72 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 11.6% (2008 est.)
5.4% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $35.29 billion (31 December 2008)
$26.82 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $32.04 billion (31 December 2008)
$22.78 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $49.51 billion (31 December 2008)
$35.68 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $49.8 billion (31 December 2008)
$86.35 billion (31 December 2007)
$32.82 billion (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $6.437 billion (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 13.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
20% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish
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Industries | | crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 2.8% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $3.877 billion (2008 est.)
$2.203 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $76.03 billion (2008 est.)
$61.82 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
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Exports - partners(%) | | US 41.4%, India 10.4%, Brazil 9.4%, Spain 7.2%, France 4.6% (2008)
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Imports | | $46.3 billion (2008 est.)
$38.8 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
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Imports - partners(%) | | China 13.8%, Netherlands 9.6%, US 8.4%, UK 5.3%, South Korea 5.2%, France 4.3% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $53 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$51.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $9.996 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$8.007 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $68.84 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$58.84 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $13.02 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$12.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 117.8 (2008 est.), 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | naira (NGN)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 1.308 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 62.988 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed
domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth but subscribership remains only about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular services growing rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple cellular service providers operate nationally with subscribership reaching 45 per 100 persons in 2008
international: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2008)
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Internet country code | | .ng
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Internet users | | 11 million (2008)
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Airports | | 56 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | condensate 21 km; gas 2,560 km; liquid petroleum gas 97 km; oil 3,396 km; refined products 4,090 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 193,200 km
paved: 28,980 km
unpaved: 164,220 km (2004)
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Ports and terminals | | Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos
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Military branches | | Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)
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|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 31,929,204
females age 16-49: 30,638,979 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 19,763,535
females age 16-49: 18,850,650 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 1,697,030
female: 1,618,561 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.5% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 5,778 (Liberia)
IDPs: undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly short-term) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 21.92 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 61.9%
hydro: 38.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 19.21 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 2.169 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 286,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 2.327 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 170,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 36.22 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 32.82 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 12.28 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 20.55 billion cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 5.215 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 3.1% (2007 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 2.6 million (2007 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 170,000 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis and shistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.)
|
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 8 years
male: 9 years
female: 7 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 0.9% of GDP (1991)
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