More information about Nigeria is available on the Nigeria Page
and from other Department of State publications and other
sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. The United States
established diplomatic relations with Nigeria in 1960, following
its independence from the United Kingdom. Post-independence, the
country saw a mix of coups, military rule, assassinations,
massacres, civil war, and elections. The 1999 inauguration of a
civilian president ended 16 consecutive years of military rule.
Following this, the U.S.-Nigerian relationship began to improve,
as did cooperation on foreign policy goals such as regional
peacekeeping. Nigeria's economic growth has been largely fueled
by oil revenues. Although the country conducted successful
elections in 2011, it faces formidable challenges in
consolidating democratic order, including terrorist activities,
sectarian conflicts, and public mistrust of the government.
Nigeria has yet to develop effective measures to address
corruption, poverty, and ineffective so