Nigeria Interviews

The West African country of Nigeria is the most populous state on the continent and the sixth most populous in the world. Its population consists of around 250 ethnic groups divided between a largely Muslim north and Christian south. British control spread from the coast in the middle of the nineteenth century and by the first decade of the twentieth century extended over Northern Nigeria. In 1914, the British amalgamated the Protectorates of Southern and Northern Nigeria into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. The country gained its independence in 1960 and adopted a republican constitution three years later. Regional tensions soon led to conflict with two coups in 1966 and a civil war from 1967-1970 to prevent the Eastern region breaking away in the guise of the Republic of Biafra. According to Home Office figures, by November 2023, 472 Nigerian nationals had successfully applied to the Windrush scheme created in 2018 to provide them with proof of their right to remain in the UK. Current population c. 230,000,000.