Confronting the Terrorism of Boko Haram in Nigeria - Resourcedat

JSOU Report 12-5of Guinea. This has implications for where the oil extraction activities (andenvironmental impacts) are concentrated, as well as for resource distributionand a host of other issues that will be discussed later in this study.Today Nigeria has a population of over 155 million, 41 percent of whomare under the age of 15. 47 It has the largest military and the largest economyin West Africa. Geographically, the size of Nigeria is a little more than twicethat of California, but its political system includes 36 state governments, 774local governments, and over 200 ethnic groups, each with its own layers ofauthority and loyalty structures. By all measures, Nigeria is a dominant forcein West Africa, and yet there is a notably fragile relationship between thestate and its citizens. For decades, its massive oil resources have been plunderedby various kleptocratic leaders, and corruption is endemic throughoutthe political and economic system. The average Nigerian can expect to diebefore they reach the age of 48, with major infectious diseases and Malaria20Figure 1. Map of Nigeria. Map courtesy U.S. SpecialOperations Command Graphics.