Nigeria

Nigeria, the world’s seventh most populous country, with an estimated population of 203.5 million, is[Page 1259] located on the west coast of Africa. A former British colony that became independent in 1960, the country was under the grip of military rule beginning in 1966, with only brief spells of civilian administration between 1979 and 1983, until the restoration of democratic government in 1999. Nigeria is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups with three regarded as major power blocs. These three, Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo, are estimated to constitute more than 50% of the population.

Nigeria’s mass media system is closely linked to the country’s political history and sociocultural structures. Not only do the political structures determine the functionality of the media, but they also shape ...