Nigeria celebrated its 61st Independence Day on the 1st of October 2021, after attaining its independence in 1960. 
The country has witnessed an uninterrupted democratic dispensation since 29 May 1999, when Former President 
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was elected under a new constitution, following a series of military rules which had led 
to a dysfunctional bureaucracy, a collapsed infrastructure, a breakdown in the rule of law, and a highly militarised 
political system.

In the March 2015 presidential election, the incumbent Former President Goodluck Jonathan of People’s 
Democratic Party (PDP) lost to the then opposition candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari representing the All 
Progressives Congress (APC). The leader of APC enjoyed a reputation of fighting corruption, with capacity to 
handle the growing security issues. The election marked the first time in the history of Nigeria when an incumbent 
President conceded defeat and facilitated smooth transfer of power from PDP to APC.

Nigeria has been one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world since 1970s. It has been producing approximately 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day, though it is currently facing a number of challenges such as the Corona 
Virus pandemic and falling Oil prices.