Nigeria Independence Day

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Nigeria Independence Day - Happy 2015 Independence day Nigeria.
In 1960, Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. The nation celebrates its National Independence Day on October 1st each year.

Brief History of Nigeria

Although Nigeria gained partial independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, it was not totally independent until 1963 when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The name “Nigeria” is derived from the word “Niger” – the name of the river that constitutes the most remarkable geographical feature of the country. Nigeria is a country of 923,768 square kilometers, bound to the west by Benin, to the north by the Niger and Chad Republic, east by the Republic of Cameroon, and south by the Gulf of Guinea.

The country gained independence from the British government on October 1st 1960, and became a republic in 1963. The journey to independence started with some constitutional developments in Nigeria, these constitutional developments saw the country attaining self-rule in some quarters in 1957 and total liberation on Oct. 1st 1960.




Some important facts to remember about Nigeria:

1. President: Muhammadu Buhari (2015)
2. Land area: 923,768 square kilometers
3. Population (2014 est.): 177,155,754
4. Capital: Abuja
5. Languages: English (official), Fulani, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo (Ibo), more than 500 extra native languages
6. Religions: Islam, Christianity
7. Agriculture: millet, peanuts, cocoa, corn, palm oil, sorghum, rice, yams, cassava, rubber, sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, timber, and fish
8. Industries: hides and skins, tin, coal, crude oil, columbite; peanuts, palm oil, rubber, cotton, wood; textiles, cement as well as other construction materials, footwear, food products, steel, fertilizer, chemicals, ceramics, printing, small profit-making ship construction and repair.
9. Natural resources: limestone, lead, petroleum, natural gas, columbite, tin, coal, iron ore, zinc, and arable land.
10. Prominent trading partners: France, Brazil, US, China, Spain, Netherlands, UK, Germany (2012)

The Economy 

Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population and economy.
 With approximately 177 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world. The country is viewed as a multinational state, as it is inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; these ethnic groups speak over 500 different languages, and are identified with wide variety of cultures.

Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern and central parts of the country, and Muslims in the northern and southwestern regions. A minority of the population practise religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to Igbo and Yoruba peoples.


As of 2015, Nigeria is the world's 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively. It overtook South Africa to become Africa's largest economy in 2014. Also, the debt-to-GDP ratio is only 11 percent, which is 8 percent below the 2012 ratio. Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank;
It has been identified as a regional power on the African continent, a middle power in international affairs, and has also been identified as an emerging global power. Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globe's next "BRIC-like" economies. It is also listed among the "Next Eleven" economies set to become among the biggest in the world. Nigeria is a founding member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, OPEC, and the United Nations amongst other international organizations.

In the 2014 ebola outbreak, Nigeria was the first country to effectively contain and eliminate the Ebola threat that was ravaging three other countries in the West African region, as its unique method of contact tracing became an effective method later used by other countries, such as the United States, when Ebola threats were discovered.


Since 2002, the North East of the country has seen sectarian violence by Boko Haram, an Islamist movement that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish Sharia law. 
 Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in May 2014 claimed that Boko Haram attacks have left at least 12,000 people dead and 8,000 people crippled. At the same time, neighboring countries, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger joined Nigeria in a united effort to combat Boko Haram in the aftermath of a world media highlighted kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls and the spread of Boko Haram attacks to these countries.
 

Public Holiday
The Federal Government has declared Thursday, October 1, 2015, as a public holiday in commemoration of Nigeria’s Independence Day.

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