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Nigeria

Capital: Abuja

Nationality: Nigerian

National Date: 1st October (Independence Day)

Location: On the West Coast of Africa, in the tropics, between latitudes 40 and 140 North of the equator, and longitudes 30 and 140 East of the Greenwich meridian

Land Mass: 923,768 square kilometers

Boundaries: On the West by the Republic of Benin and Cameroun to the East; the Gulf of Guinea to the South; and Chad Republic to the North

Population: 110 million people, making it the largest black nation in the world. 250 ethnic groups, speaking over 4,000 languages and dialects. The ethnic groups have diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. About 39% of the population lives in the urban areas.

Human Resources: The country boasts of the highest pool of highly educated and trained manpower in Africa. This is in addition to its large population, which offers the largest market for investors in Africa.

Political system: Nigeria is a Federation of thirty-six States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It operates a presidential system of Government with a National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. The country also runs a three-tier system of Government, namely the Federal, State and Local Councils.

Climate: Nigeria has two well-defined seasons namely: the rainy season (April – October) and dry season (November – March). Temperatures are higher in the North while fairly lower in the South.

Official Language: English

Currency: Naira

Head of State and Government: President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR - Elected 2015

Legislative Branch: The National Assembly is a bi-cameral Assembly. The upper house (Senate) has 109 members while the lower house (House of Representatives) has 360 members

The Judiciary: The Supreme Court is headed by the Chief Justice of the Federation. There is an Appeal Court and the Federal High Court. The 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory have judiciaries headed by Chief Judges.

State and the Local Governments: Nigeria’s 36 States and 774 Local Governments are administered by Governors and Chairmen. States have Legislative Assemblies while Local Governments have same.

Main Cities: Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Ibadan, Kaduna, Abeokuta, Osogbo, Benin-City, Enugu, Calabar, Sokoto, Ilorin, Akure, Ado-Ekiti.

Investment Drive: Following the return of democracy, Nigeria has opened its doors to investors, both local and foreign and the various obstacles to investment have been removed. There is massive divestment of the Federal Government from various companies and redirecting such resources to the provision of public infrastructure and an enabling environment of active private sector participation. The Federal Government has put in place a number of incentives such as the tax holiday, income exemption, enhanced capital allowance etc for all types of investors. Most of these are to be reviewed periodically.

Osogbo is the state capital, it is very rich in arts and crafts. It is about six hours drive from Abuja, the Federal Capital and 232 kilometers from Lagos, Nigeria’s most prominent port city and commercial/industrial nerve-centre. Ibadan, the most populous city in West Africa is about 88 kilometers from Osogbo. Federal Government Agencies in the State Capital include the Nigeria Machine Tools, Osogbo Steel Rolling Company and the Industrial Development Centre. Others are the Federal Department of Solid Minerals, the Liaison Office of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, National Directorate of Employment, National Examinations Council and the West African Examinations Council.

The state capital also houses a National grid of the National Power Holding Holding Company of Nigeria. It is linked by a good network of roads with other parts of the country and it is also connected by a rail line for passengers. The Ofatedo aerodrome, near the state capital, is being upgraded to an international Airport.

The state Government operates from an ultra-modern Secretariat complex in the State Capital. The legislative and judicial arms of government are independent and work harmoniously with the executive arm to move the State forward.

Local Government administration in the State, as in other states of the Federation, is operated under a two-tier system made up of the executive and legislature. Developmental activities in the Local Government areas complement the efforts of the State Government in making the State truly investment-friendly.