Government and power in Nigeria

Who leads Nigeria, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Federal presidential republic.

Who leads Nigeria?

• Head of state: Bola Ahmed Tinubu (President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
• Head of government: No Prime Minister
• Foreign minister: Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Nigeria

Government

• State House Nigeria
  Presidential statements, speeches and press releases.

Parliament

• National Assembly of Nigeria
  Bills, members and proceedings of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Elections

• Independent National Electoral Commission
  Election timetables, results, voter registration figures and party information.

Courts

• Supreme Court of Nigeria
  Information on the court, its justices and judgments.

Public contracts

• Bureau of Public Procurement
  Federal procurement procedures, tender notices, certificates of no objection and the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal.

Laws and the official gazette

• Federal Ministry of Justice
  Laws of the Federation and official publications of the Attorney-General's ministry.

Government below the national level

• States (36) and the Federal Capital Territory: State governor and House of Assembly elected; the FCT is run by a minister appointed by the president
• Local government areas (774, including 6 FCT area councils): Executive chairman and ward councillors elected in elections run by each state's SIEC (FCT area councils by the national electoral commission)
• Wards: One councillor elected per ward
• Development areas and autonomous communities (in some states): Created by state law; leaders vary (appointed coordinators; traditional rulers)

How local power works in Nigeria

Places in Nigeria

• All 37 states
• Official statistics for Nigeria

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.