three
parties were registered by the Provisional Ruling Council for
participation in local, state and national elections; All People's

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C
(suspended), CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wakili Hassan ADAMU
chancery: 1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William H. TWADDELL
embassy: 2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist
side), white, and green

Economy

Economy--overview: The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be
hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic
management. Nigeria's unpopular military rulers have failed to make
significant progress in diversifying the economy away from
overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector which provides
30% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 80% of
budgetary revenues. The government's resistance to initiating
greater transparency and accountability in managing the country's
multibillion dollar oil earnings continues to limit economic growth
and prevent an agreement with the IMF and bilateral creditors on a
staff-monitored program and debt relief. The largely subsistence
agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population
growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must
import food. Growth in 1999 may become negative because of continued
low oil prices and persistent inefficiencies in the system.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$106.2 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$960 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 42%
services: 25% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 34.1% (1992-93 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 31.4% (1992-93)

Inflation rate (co