Nigeria in 2300 AD is one of the most powerful African nations. Together with its allies (nonaligned Mali and the ICU (Ivory Coast Union) nations of Burkina Faso, Guinea Coast and Senegal), it has 11 Rudell units (compared to the 17 of America).
Population: 281,021,000 including ICU & Mali (224,816,800 for Nigeria alone). (63% urban, 37% rural). Literacy: 94%. College Education: 78%. Life Expectancy: 78.9 male, 81.1 female. Largest Cities: Lagos, Nigeria (10,127,000), Accra, Guinea Coast (5,723,000), Freetown, Mali (4,199,000). Industrial Capacity: 8.8 for Nigeria, alone; (11 Rudell units including the ICU & Mali). Agricultural Output: 102% (net exporter of grains and other agricultural products). Mineral Production: 120% (net exporter of bauxite, iron, and tin). Power Production: 57% net importer of power (beanstalk grid). (56% solar, 0% atomic, 44% mineral). Principal Trading Partners: Ivory Coast Union, Mali, America, Canada, UK, France (especially from the Ivory Coast Union), other European Union powers (Germany, the Netherlands, etc.), the Bahamas, Chad, Gabon, and Japan.
Since the 20th century Nigeria has been the most populous country in all of Africa. It is the second most industrialized nation in all of Africa, behind only Azania (the former South Africa). Much of this was due to the efforts of President-for-life Andreas Muhtma in the 21rst century, who called in technical experts from America & Canada. Needing help with its food supply after the Twilight War, Nigeria helped its surrounding neighbors by sharing equipment, expertise, and other resources, thus raising their standards of living, and increasing goodwill. Initial resistance from those fearing annexation was soon quelled by this model relationship.
After Muhtma's death, the Fulani & Ibo minorities caused a general labor strike which crippled transportation. The rioting and unrest thus caused were barely controlled by Muhtma's successors.
According to paragraph 5 on page 65 of _Earth/Cybertech Sourcebook_: "Nigeria organized the French-dominated states of the Ivory Coast into a union of nations under one economic umbrella. Though officially part of the French Empire today, Senegal, Guinea Coast, and Burkina Faso owe their prosperity to Nigeria, not France." Again, Mali is nonaligned, but very friendly to Nigeria.
A former British colony (from 1861 - 1960), Nigeria regained its independence and got back on its feet just in time for the Twilight War... Left alone by the rest of the world, Nigeria was able to use its then-great population (about 70 - 75% of the surviving africans) and its superior industrial base to solve its own problems. It lost some of its former 680,048 square miles to both the new nation of Berbera, and the re-emergent Biafra during this time, and current occupies only 356,689 square miles (923,850 square kilometers). At the time, this was considered no loss, as both the Berbers and Biafrans (who had failed in a previous bid for independence in the late 20th Century) were troublesome to rule, and losing these territories meant fewer mouths to feed. While Nigeria holds no grudges against Biafrans for their secession, it does wish to regain its former territory, in a peaceful manner (especially Enugu, former capital of the Western region which now forms Biafra, and Port Harcourt).
Flowing southeast from Burkina-Faso across Nigeria's the Northwestern border, the Niger River runs 512 km (320 miles) before turning south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its delta extends 192 km (120 miles) along the coast. The Benue, flowing southwestward 640 km (400 miles), joins the Niger at Lokoja. Nigeria is basically divided into four East-West environmental regions:
Nigeria has several bodies of fresh water within it or along its borders, including: Lake Chad on its Northeast border, and the Niger, Benue, Kaduna, & Sokoto Rivers, and Lake Kainji, as well as the oceanic Gulf of Guinea along its Southern border. It has a typical tropical climate with high humidity, especially during the Rainy Season (from June - September), while the Dry Season (November - April) is characterized by the dust-laden harmattan blowing down from the Sahara (although this has been somewhat ameliorated by the "blooming of the desert", in more recent years). 45% of the land is now arable.
Rainfall: Varying from 3,300 mm (130")/year along the coast to 650 mm (26")/year along the northern border. Elevation and distance from the coast are the key factors.
Temperature: Maximums range from 35 deggrees C (95 degrees F) on the cloudy coast to 41 degrees C (105 degrees F) in the north. Minimums span the range from 22 degrees C (72 degrees F) in the south to 19 degrees C (66 degrees F) in the north.
Leading cities include the Federal Capital city of Abuja, Lagos (the former capital and major port), Ibadan, & Kanu (governmental seats of the two regions), Kaduna, and the major ports of Burutu, Warri, Sapele, Victoria, and Tiko.
The basic racial type in Nigeria is Congo-negroid, although Berbers and Mediterranean types have been assimilated in the North. Attracting people from all over Africa, Nigeria has about 250 different ethnic groups. The four largest (together making up more than 65% of the total population) are: the Hausa (21%) and Fulani (9%) in the North, the Ibo (17%, mostly in the Northeast), and the Yoruba (21%, in the Southwest).
Smaller but still politically important groups include the: Chamba, Edo, Ekoi, Ibibio, Ijaw, Kanuri (in the North, although most Kanuri now live in their own nation, to the East of Nigeria), Nupe, and Tiv. Other groups are quite small. The caucasion population of Nigeria is less than 60,000, mostly located in the major cities.
While English is the Official language of Nigeria (used by all Government, etc.), fully 58% of the population is at least bilingual, and many speak several of the following languages: Arabic, Berber, Biafran, French, Hausa (or Chadic), Ibo, Igbo, Kanuri, Ubangi Shari, and Yoruba. Since Nigeria has long been a mecca for africans seeking educations and jobs, it is not unusual to find speakers of any of the numerous native languages within her borders. Thus, any Niger-kordofanian (Bantu) tongues (Anyl, Ashanti, Azande, Bassa, Bauie, Bimba, Birom, Bulu, Efik, Ewe, Fang, Fante, Fula, Gande, the previously-mentioned Ibo & Igbo, Kikuyu, Kituba, Kongo, Kpele, Kru, Luba, Lunda, Makua, Mande, Mbundu, Mende, More, Mossi, Ngala, Ngbaudi, Nyamwezi-Sukuma, Nyanja, Rundi, Rwanda, Shona, Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Temne, Tiv, Tswana, Twi, Wolof, Xhosa, Yao, Yoruba (also mentioned previously), Zande, or Zulu), or the Nilotic languages (Bagimi, Dinka, Fur, Kanembu, the Kanuri common to the east, Koman, Luo, Maban, Masai, Nuer, Sango, Shilluk, Songhai, or Wadai) or Hamitic tongues (Beja, Berber, Galia, Hausa/Chadic, Somali, and Tuareg) might be a Nigerian's native tongue.
Mohammedanism is the predominant faith in the Northern region, although many natives remain pagans (50% Muslim). Christianity dominates the Southern region (40% Christian).
The Nigerian monetary unit is the Naira, which is generally stable, and holds up well (good exchange rates) to the monetary units of the major world powers. Nigeria Imports 64% of all the manufactured goods it buys from EU countries, and 10% from America. It exports 54% of its goods to America, and 23% to the EU. All trade in food is to the Ivory Coast Union nations, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Chad.
Exports: Nigeria has long been the world's leading producer of both Columbite and Tin. Among African nations, it is also the leading producer of petrochemicals for the plastics industry. Cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs remain important to industrialized Nigeria, and the exports of leather, wool, and hides continue. Palm oil and kernels, and cocoa are major cash-crops. Benniseed, cassava, cotton, durral (guinea corn), hardwood lumbers (such as Abura, Obeche, and Mahogany), maize, millet, peanuts, rice, rubber, soybeans, spices, yams, coal, columbite, gas, gold, limestone, oil, tin, and tungsten are among the major exports. Manufactured goods are generally used by the Nigerians and surrounding peoples, rather than exported.
Extensive hydrogen roadgrids for Ground/Hover vehicles are in place. Roadways total 216,000 km all together, with 60,000 km paved, and 51,000 improved. The remaining 105,000 km are unimproved dirt roads that frequently resemble streambeds during the rainy season. Paved roadways exist between all the major cities, with the lesser roads running off them into "the bush". The Great Coast Road connects such cities as Ibadan, Abeokuta, Lagos, Benin City, Sapele, Warri, and Port Harcourt, Oroni, Enugu & Calabar in Biafra, before cutting through Cameroon to Libreville, Gabon and continuing south to Kinshasa, Zaire and eventually around the coast of Azania and up the eastern coast. In the opposite direction, the Great Coast Road runs through Accra, Guinea on to Monrovia, Ivory Coast and then turns northward to Dakar, Senegal. Another major Highway runs northwestward from Abuja through Ubangi Shari to Freetown, Mali. No major roadways head north from Nigeria, into Berbera. Internally, another great road connects most of the northern cities (Sokoto, Katsina, Kanu, Nguru, Potiskum, Maiduguri, and Mubi). Another great roadway links the more central cities of Abuja, Minna, Kaduna, Zaria, Jos, and Bauchi, before joining the northern road at Mubi. Other roads link these major cities to each other.
Maglev rail lines connect major cities in the region, and total 248,000 km. These mainly radiate from Abuja and Jos (most of Nigeria's mines are in the Abuja-Jos-Bauchi-Zaria area of the Jos Plateau). Railways lead straight from Abuja (Nigeria's capital) to Libreville, Gabon; Kinshasa, Zaire; Freetown, Mali; and Accra/Dakar, as well as areas beyond (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, etc.).
Air service to many other countries is common, and Nigerian airlines offer regular flights. International airports are not uncommon (Nigeria has six; one each in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kanos, Kaduna, and Maiduguri). Over 100 commercial airports exist, with a concommitant airfleet, and the Nigerian Merchant Marine also has over 100 ships.
The above does not include the assets of military bases. The Nigerian Airforce has several bases all their own (see below).
Schooling through High School (grade 12) is provided free of charge to all natural-born Nigerians. Nigeria also has over 50 Universities within its borders, as well as several more specialty and trade schools.
Nigeria is divided up into two (formerly three) regions (the Northern, and Eastern - also formerly Western), each of which comprises ten states, plus a 21rst "Federal Capital Territory". Each region has its own Capital (Kanu for the Northern region, and Ibadan for the Eastern). The country is ruled by a popularly-elected "President-for-Life" who appoints his own Council of Ministers (cabinet). Laws are made by a Bicameral National Assembly; The House of Chiefs (consisting of an equal number from each of the two regions), as well as a House of Assembly (composed of an equal number from each state). The military coups so common in former days seem to be a thing of the past. Tribal wars also seem to have burned themselves out, leaving Nigeria a generally peaceful place to live. Always having had generally good relations with its caucasions, Nigeria is plagued by none of the racial tensions that Azania has had to deal with.
The Defense Budget has generally been <= 5% of the GDP. This has risen to an all-time high of 10% in recent years, with most expenditures going to train and equip Ground Military troops to defend its mines (as well as protecting the Northern border from Berber cattle-thieves). Active troop strength is currently 143,000, although it is believed that double that number could be called up in a short period of time. Manpower availability (males 15-49): 28,778,532; with 16,451,582 fit for military service. 1,256,440 reach military age (18) annually. Nigeria Defense Forces mainly consist of four branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Paramilitary Police Force, as well as specialty units such as Commandos, and the "Freefallers", which are a form of Space Military that provide security aboard L-5 and Nigeria's few other space assets.
Nigerian Army Forces are very well trained, and equipped with modern technology (as are the other branches). They frequently see action fighting off marauding Berber invaders, and some skirmishers from the War of Biafran Independence still survive. Thus, the Ground Military is in superb shape (Elite). The Merchant Marine sees frequent use, but the wet navy doesn't see as much action as the Army (Experienced). The Air Forces are well trained (Experienced) and the Commandos and Freefallers are Nigeria's Elite fighting forces.
Ground Military bases tend to be every 50 km along the Northern border, where they can easily be called up to engage Berber raiders. Some military airfields are also here to help in troop transport, as needed. Anywhere there is an airport, there will be some airforce presence. The Navy patrols not only the coast, but also the navigable riverways, guarding the Benue River border with Biafra. Coastal Naval forces tend to use smaller warships and fast hydrofoil. The Elite Freefallers tend to be stationed aboard Nigeria's few starships, or protecting L-5. They and the Commandos are often trained at the Ground Military's Fort Niger (where the Niger River enters Nigeria from Burkina Faso, near the border of the Guinea Coast). Commando units are frequently rotated, and their positions kept secret.
Other industries include: Agriculture, brewing, cement, ceramics, chemicals, construction, construction materials, electronics, farming, fertilizers (phosphates), fishing, food processing, footwear, forestry, manufacturing, mining, motor vehicles, newsprint, paper, petroleum, plastics, printing, satellites, sawmills, steel, tires, and textiles.
It is a little-known fact that Nigeria (and Zaire) have major reserves of Tantalum at their disposal (only Thailand & Australia have greater reserves, and Australia has used its to supply both its own space program and America's). This should come as no surprise, since Tantalum is chiefly recovered from Tantalite or Columbite, with tin slag as a secondary source. Since Nigeria is the world-leading producer of both Columbite and Tin, it has amassed great stores of Tantalum since the AR-I discovered its use in The Hauptmann-Mbasso stutterwarp unit (where it is used in dissipating gravimetric charge through a tantalum-ceramic coil) circa 2247.
Nigeria has always kept its starfaring very low-key, and while it has no extra-solar colonies all its own, has a major foothold in many different colonies in the French & Chinese Arms, as well as a major presence in the L-5 "African Wheel" of Ntozake (see "L-5: Community in the Sky" by Pete Rogan, in _Challenge_ #43, pages 66-71). With the recent passage of the Lowe Act in America, Nigeria is expected to join with Indonesia, New Zealand, and the Scandinavian Union in colonizing Avalon and/or Highland in the American Arm by 2315. It has already helped Manchuria, Canada, and the Life Foundation colonize Chengdu, in the Epsilon Indi stellar system.
Nigeria already has several ships at its disposal (such as the older Maiduguri-Class Freighters, which were "the first interstellar ship designed and built by Nigerian Industries" in 2245-7 -- see _Ships of the French Arm_ pages 50 - 51, and several other models, such as its Freefaller Recce-Couriers and newer fast fission-powered freighters). It will probably be building newer ones once colonization efforts begin. It is presumed that Nigeria has reserves of Tantalum stored for such uses, and that the recent build-up in its military forces is in preparation to joining with some other nation(s) in building either colonization and exploratory/survey vessels, or warships for entering the Kafer War. Nigerian sources have only commented that they have no such plans, currently.
While Nigeria would love to begin colonizing Avalon, its leaders don't feel safe, now that the "Back Door" to Kafer Space has been found. Thus, they have instead been gearing up the military and shipbuilding industries to enter the Kafer War. At the same time, they intend to upgrade their "colony" on Chengdu to full colony status.
Nigeria sees itself as one of the leaders of "The Great Neutral Powers" (like Canada and Switzerland), especially in Africa. Nigeria has adopted attitudes of free trade and helping improve Africa since it first came into being, and supported Zapamoga since it was able to feed its own. Nigeria will attempt to lead the way in forming alliances with more powerful nations, with an eye towards its future colonization plans (thus America, Australia, Canada, Indonesian, Manchuria, New Zealand, and the Scandinavian Union are likely targets). Also, look for Nigeria to attempt to form a "Great Neutral Powers" Union with The Bahamas, Canada, Gabon, Iceland, The Ivory Coast Union, Mali, Mozambique, the Netherlands, perhaps the Scandinavian Union, Switzerland, Zaire, and other interested, non-aligned countries. Nigeria will also be trying to rally all Earth nations (as well as the Pentapod and Sung) into an Anti-Kafer League. Ship production will be warships, and it will request trained space forces from its major trading partners to help train its crews. Getting them should be no problem, since most starfaring nations have more crew than ships.
Defeat of the Kafers is the main priority. Upping its position in the world (through a build-up in military strength and starships, or through building alliances) is second. Colonization is the third, and Nigeria is willing to wait until the time is right.
Closer to home, Nigeria is always interested in self-improvement, forming alliances, helping others (especially those around her), and gaining better position in the world order.
Nigeria has no real enemies (even the Berber raids are the actions of individuals, not the nation of Berbera). All of the African powers are at least neutral to it, and most are more friendly. Nigeria would like to see Africa's influence grow, as well as its own.
