Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and the largest oil producer. After gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria lived under military rule for 28 years, returning to democracy in 1999. The new civilian government inherited a legacy of corruption and squandered oil revenue, as well as ethnic and religious tensions. 

The government has introduced measures to end corruption, yet poverty remains a challenge with 70% of Nigerians living on less than 55p a day. 

Poverty aggravates religious and ethnic differences, with frequent clashes over resources such as land and oil.

The large Muslim population (45%) lives predominantly in the north, with a large Christian population (45%) in the south. Ten per cent follow traditional African religions.

ActionAid in Nigeria
ActionAid has been active in Nigeria since 1999, and now works on education, HIV & AIDS, conflict resolution and peace building.

Our work aims to strengthen the capacity of poor people to claim and achieve their basic rights, promote and strengthen anti-poverty and pro-democracy organisations, influence policies and practices in favour of the rights of poor people, and to especially help women and girls gain the strength, confidence and vision to work for positive changes to their situation.

Building relationships with government agencies and prospective partners has been a major part of our work so far, and we try to link our work on the ground to policy influencing work at the state and national levels.