Introduction

Abstract

In 1914 the Protectorates of Southern and Northern Nigeria were amalgamated with the Colony (Lagos) by Lord Lugard to form what is now known as Nigeria. There are thirty six (36) federating states alongside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fig. 1). A total of 774 local government councils are recognized in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since 1991, the Nigeran capital has been the centrally-located city of Abuja; previously, the Nigerian government was headquartered in Lagos. Nigeria is famous for her huge population of about 140 million people - the largest national population on the African continent. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.