Politics
Conventional Long Form Name of country: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Capital City: Abuja
Type of Government: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
Date of Independence: 1 October 1960
National Holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 1 October
Chief of State: Muhammadu BUHARI
Head of Government: Muhammadu BUHARI
Description of Executive Branch/Powers: president directly elected by 'qualified' majority popular vote and at least 25% of the votes cast in 24 of Nigeria's 36 states; president elected for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28-29 March 2015 (next to be held in February 2019)
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats - 3 each for the 36 states and 1 for Abuja; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) and the House of Representatives (360 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a 23-member independent body of federal and state judicial officials; judge appointments confirmed by the Senate; judges serve until age 65
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Name of Nigeria's Ambassador to the US: Ambassador James F. ENTWISTLE
Location of the Nigeria's Embassy in the US: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location of Nigeria's consulates in the US: Atlanta, New York
Name of the US Ambassador to Nigeria: Charge d'Affaires Hakeem Toyin BALOGUN
Location of US embassy in Nigeria: Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja
Location of US consulates in Nigeria: NA
Name of Representative to the UN: Dr. Joy Ogwu
Symbolism of flag: The two green stripes represent Nigeria's natural wealth, while the white band represents peace.
National Symbols: eagle; national colors: green, white
Descriptions of International Disputes: 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 phaseout 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; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved
Quantity of refugees inside country AND countries: NA
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 2,151,979 (Boko Haram attacks and counterinsurgency efforts in northern Nigeria; communal violence between Christians and Muslims in the middle belt region, political violence; flooding; forced evictions; cattle rustling; competition for resources)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: NA
Description of current human trafficking issues: NA
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF
Capital City: Abuja
Type of Government: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
Date of Independence: 1 October 1960
National Holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 1 October
Chief of State: Muhammadu BUHARI
Head of Government: Muhammadu BUHARI
Description of Executive Branch/Powers: president directly elected by 'qualified' majority popular vote and at least 25% of the votes cast in 24 of Nigeria's 36 states; president elected for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28-29 March 2015 (next to be held in February 2019)
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats - 3 each for the 36 states and 1 for Abuja; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) and the House of Representatives (360 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a 23-member independent body of federal and state judicial officials; judge appointments confirmed by the Senate; judges serve until age 65
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Name of Nigeria's Ambassador to the US: Ambassador James F. ENTWISTLE
Location of the Nigeria's Embassy in the US: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location of Nigeria's consulates in the US: Atlanta, New York
Name of the US Ambassador to Nigeria: Charge d'Affaires Hakeem Toyin BALOGUN
Location of US embassy in Nigeria: Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja
Location of US consulates in Nigeria: NA
Name of Representative to the UN: Dr. Joy Ogwu
Symbolism of flag: The two green stripes represent Nigeria's natural wealth, while the white band represents peace.
National Symbols: eagle; national colors: green, white
Descriptions of International Disputes: 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 phaseout 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; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved
Quantity of refugees inside country AND countries: NA
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 2,151,979 (Boko Haram attacks and counterinsurgency efforts in northern Nigeria; communal violence between Christians and Muslims in the middle belt region, political violence; flooding; forced evictions; cattle rustling; competition for resources)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: NA
Description of current human trafficking issues: NA
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF