Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with ca 140 million inhabitants. The population is extremely diverse with over 200 ethnic groups and two major religions, Islam and Christianity. The largest of the ethnic groups are the Hausa-Fulani in the North, the Igbo in the Southeast, and the Yoruba in the Southwest. Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. After enduring various periods of military rule a democratic system government emerged in 1999. The current President, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, was elected in 2007.

However, despite this transfer to civilian rule, and its status as one of the world's largest oil producers, Nigeria remains one the world's poorest countries. The Human Development Index (HDI), which takes a composite measure of life expectancy, education, literacy, standard of living and GDP per capita, ranks Nigeria as currently being 158th out of 177 countries worldwide.

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