Nigeria Country Report

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and the most populated country on the continent. Oil and natural gas have historically driven the country's economic growth, although most of the population does not benefit from its resource wealth. While Nigeria saw its first peaceful transition with President Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2015, consolidating its democratic gains, electoral periods remain tense and political violence recurrent. Bola Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election despite reports of irregularities raised by opposition parties. Widespread insecurity, pervasive corruption, and diversifying the economy from the oil and gas sector remain significant challenges for Nigerians.

Criminal activity is prevalent across much of the country, with kidnappings and armed robbery posing significant threats to both local and foreign nationals. Low-level conflicts in the Niger Delta, Middle Belt, and the remote Northeast remain ongoing concerns as the government has yet to fully address underlying grievances. Civil and labor unrest over a range of socio-economic grievances and political developments frequently occur in the country's major population centers. Infrastructure in major urban centers is relatively well-developed but is basic in rural areas, while recurrent electricity and fuel shortages remain ironic deficiencies in the oil-rich country.

Nigeria faces multiple security challenges.

Kidnappings, armed robberies, and other violent crimes continue to occur with alarming regularity across much of the country.

Civil and labor unrest also occurs frequently, manifesting in street protests and strike actions in the main urban centers and communal and/or resource-based clashes in rural areas. The lack of a comprehensive solution to the pastoralist conflict has fuelled violence in the largely agricultural Middle Belt, against the backdrop of ethnopolitical tensions.

In the oil-producing South, a tenuous truce has staved off a resurgence of the Niger Delta militancy, but energy infrastructure in the volatile region remains vulnerable to further attacks as long as underlying socio-economic and political grievances are not fully addressed.

Nigeria is confronted with a secessionist movement in the southeast, a remnant of the Biafran civil war (1967-1970), and to a lesser extent in the southwest.

Meanwhile, the Islamist insurgencies emanating from Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) groups continue to pose an enduring, albeit geographically limited threat in Nigeria’s remote north and northeastern regions, in addition to border areas with neighboring countries.

Air travel to and from Nigeria is generally safe. However, national airlines are subject to safety and reliability concerns.

Overland travel in Nigeria is hazardous due to varying road conditions, erratic driving habits and the presence of armed criminals along roadways.

The ports are considered relatively inefficient.

Disruptions in the supply of fuel and electricity occur regularly and can adversely affect business continuity as well as trigger unruly protest actions.

Cybercrime poses a serious concern in Nigeria, although authorities in recent years have undertaken initiatives to mitigate the threat posed by online criminal activity.

Flooding and landslides are the main environmental hazards in Nigeria. Flooding is most common during the May-October rainy season. Heavy rainfall during this period can also trigger landslides, which are most common in mountainous areas near the northeast border with Cameroon.

Oil spills have resulted in significant environmental and health hazards for host communities in the Niger Delta.

Nigeria is susceptible to a number of vector and water-borne diseases, notably malaria. Adequate healthcare facilities are available in Lagos and Abuja, but standards of care may be limited in other parts of the country. Tap water is not considered safe for drinking.

Political stability remains fragile in Nigeria, with significant ethno-regional divisions as well as intense competition for office at all levels of government historically undermining national cohesion. Corruption remains pervasive in Nigeria, despite significant anti-graft efforts by the current administration, notably in the oil and gas sector.