Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ibo, Kanuri, Tiv, Ibibio, Ijaw, Edo, Efik, Urhobo, Edoma, Itsekiri,
A leader in global peacekeeping, Nigeria sent her first troops to participate in the UN peace mission in the Congo only days after her independence on October 1, 1960. Of the 80 countries contributing troops to over 20 global operations, Nigeria's peacekeepers have served in Bosnia Herzegovena, Iraq, Kuwait, Western Sahara, Liberia, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia, Mozambique, Cambodia, Congo, Chad, Lebanon, India, and Pakistan (Kashmir).
In the documentary, Nigeria : World Citizen, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali commended Nigeria for her role in financing and leading the restoration of peace for Liberia. Said Mr Boutros-Ghali: "The case of Nigeria is important because in the various other (peacekeeping) missions, the expense is paid by the United Nations, but in the case of Liberia, the expense is paid by Nigeria.".
Nigeria led the ECOMOG efforts which successfully restored democracy to Sierra Leone.
Petroleum, Tin, Columbite, Iron ore, Coal, Bauxite, Limestone, Lead, Zinc, Gas.
Cocoa, Palm oil, Rice, Cotton, Groungnut, Corn, Cassava, Livestock, Sorghum.
Nigeria has more news publications than many African countries combined. According to UNESCO, Nigeria is one of only five countries which had more than ten newspapers in 1990. Of those five, Nigeria led with 31 dailies, with South Africa (22), Egypt (14), Morocco (13) and Algeria (10) trailing.
Today, there are almost 80 major newspapers and 60 regularly published news magazines in Nigeria, most of them privately owned. There are 50 state-owned television stations and 40 state-owned radio stations in Nigeria. Fourteen licenses have been given for private television stations. Some radio stations are privately owned in Nigeria.
There are more than 18 million students in Nigerian schools at all levels. That is more than the total human population of South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania and the school population of France, Britain and Spain. The country adopted a 6-3-3-4 educational policy in 1982. The policy requires six years primary education, a two-tier (3-year junior, 3-year senior) secondary education and four years of University education. There are 31 universities in Nigeria today.
Apart from fully funding primary education all around the country, the government also runs secondary schools, and funds technical colleges, polytechnics and universities in all 36 states of Nigeria. In addition, there are hundreds of privately-owned schools duly approved by government for the benfit of those who prefer to send their children to private schools. While literacy rate stands at about 50 per cent, the highest in Africa, Nigeria's goal is to eradicate illiteracy in the shortest time possible.
Since 1908, when the German engineers drilled the first oil well in Nigeria, a buoyant, viable industry has sprung up. Oil is today the bedrock of Nigeria's economic development, accounting for more than 80 per cent of its foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria's oil reserves are the ninth largest in the world. In 1987, crude oil reserves totalled 16 billion barrels. Major participants in the oil sector include the Eleme Petrochemical Co. and Shell Petroleum NigeriaFor more information about the country, her economy, geography, peoples and languages, educational and politics, see one of the following http://www.motherlandnigeria.com , http://odili.net , http://nigeriaworld.com, http://www.nigeria.com