Eminent scholars highlight Nigeria¿s contributions to the promotion of peace, democracy, and development, in Africa and beyond, during the five decades since the country achieved independence. The contributors identify both concrete achievements and persistent challenges, as well as offering suggestions for a more effective foreign policy in the quest for a well-defined national interest.

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for over half of West Africa's population. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich diversity. Nigeria is the United States' largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to the high level of petroleum imports from Nigeria, which supply 11% of U.S. oil imports--nearly 46% of Nigeria's daily oil production. Nigeria is the fifth-largest exporter of oil to the United States. This new book presents a broad selection of research on important economic, political and social issues.

Boko Haram's recent attacks have helped turn Nigeria into a failed state, yet so far it has avoided breaking up. But what are the forces keeping it together? And how much longer will they continue to do so? Nigeria since Independence seeks to answer these important questions by looking at the complex and contradictory roles played by the country's federal structures, oil reserves, and the armed forces. This book focuses on both the factors fuelling the insurgencies in the Niger Delta and the North-East, which are the primary cause of country's failure, and the main mechanisms helping to keep the country together. Enhanced by interviews with senior Nigerian policy-makers and foreign diplomats, it provides a crucial insight into the state of modern Nigeria.