• Nominal spending surged, but inflation and naira depreciation eroded real gains. From ₦921 billion in 2012 to ₦6.57 trillion in 2025, the absolute figure may seem dramatic, but Nigeria's security challenges intensified over the same period.
• Defence commanded over 21% of the budget in 2013. From 2024 to 2026, that figure has fallen below 14%, with 2026 hitting a historic low of 9.3%.
• Boko Haram, banditry, and separatist tensions peaked in 2020, resulting in a cut that saw defence's share fall to just 9.2%, the lowest on record at that point.
• The jump to ₦6.57trn (13.2%) in 2025 marks the sharpest year-on-year absolute increase in the dataset. But 2026 reversed this again, with the rate dropping to 9.3%.

• The 2019 number revealed the truth — years of underdiagnosis were corrected in a single year when PEPFAR restructured testing entirely.
• The 76% decline from 2019 to 2024 is one of the most significant HIV reductions in Africa in a single decade.
• One year of disruption in 2020 erased an entire year of progress, creating a backlog that took until 2022 to clear.
• With PEPFAR's $1.2 billion pipeline cut, fewer Nigerians are being tested, meaning fewer cases appear on paper while the virus spreads undetected.

• Nigeria recorded the largest petrol price increase in Africa, rising 39.5% between February 23 and March 16, 2026.
• Egypt experienced a 14.3% increase, making it one of the largest price jumps in Africa.
• Nigeria’s increase is more than double that of Egypt.
• A number of African countries recorded very small price changes, including Tanzania (2.7%), Morocco (2.1%), and South Africa (1%).
• A few countries actually saw declines in fuel prices, including Madagascar (-3.9%) and Zambia (-4.6%).
• During the period, petrol prices remained unchanged in 28 African countries.

• 13 out of 35 AFCON tournaments (37.1%) have been won by host nations
• A larger share — 22 tournaments (62.9%) — were won by visiting teams.
• The early AFCON years (1960s–1980s) saw more frequent home wins compared to recent decades.
• Egypt has the most home-soil victories (3), followed by Ghana (2)
• Despite high expectations, several hosts have failed to win.
• Hosting provides crowd support and familiarity, but also brings heightened expectations and pressure.

• Bola Tinubu won the 2023 election with just 36.6% of the valid votes.
• There is a clear downward trend in winners’ vote share since 2011, with each election producing a less dominant winner.
• Peak dominance occurred in 2007, when Umaru Musa Yar'Adua won with 69.6% of the votes.
• The total votes secured by winners have dropped sharply, from over 24 million (2003–2007) to 8.8 million in 2023.
• In 2023, over 60% of valid votes went to candidates who lost.

• Nigeria’s youngest serving governor is Usman Ahmed Ododo of Kogi state at 48 years old.
• The oldest serving governors are Bala Mohammed and Hope Uzodimma, both aged 67.
• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is 73 years old, making him older than every sitting governor.
• Tinubu is 25 years older than the youngest governor and six years older than the oldest governors.
• A number of governors are in their late 50s, including Seyi Makinde, Hyacinth Alia, and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
• The age distribution suggests that Nigeria’s state leadership is largely dominated by experienced, older political figures rather than younger politicians.

• The All Progressives Congress (APC) currently controls 31 out of Nigeria’s 36 state governors' seats.
• This means about 86.1% of Nigeria’s governors belong to the APC, showing the party’s strong dominance at the state level.
• Only five states are governed by parties other than the APC.
• The People's Democratic Party governs two states, making it the largest opposition presence among governors.
• The Labour Party, APGA, and Accord Parties control one state governorship each.
• With most states now aligned with the ruling party, the balance of political power at the state level in Nigeria is heavily tilted toward the APC.

• Crude oil alone accounts for 55.7% of all exports. Remove it and Nigeria runs a ₦26.7tn trade deficit. The entire surplus rests on one commodity.
• Nigeria imports ₦31.97tn in manufactured goods but exports only ₦2.50tn, a 12-to-1 ratio that reflects near-total dependence on foreign industrial output.
• Nigeria exports ₦25.3tn in petroleum products yet imports ₦13.3tn of refined petroleum. Africa's top oil producer still can't fully process its own crude.
• Despite Nigeria's vast farmland, agri-exports (₦5.07tn) barely exceed agri-imports (₦4.76tn). The sector earns almost nothing net.

• Over 85x growth in 20 years; total pension contributions grew from ₦15.6 billion in 2004 to ₦1.37 trillion in 2024.
• In Q1–Q3 2025, private-sector contributions (₦744 billion) surpassed those of the public sector (₦574 billion).
• Contributions declined in 2015 and 2016 as crashing oil revenues choked government remittances, and again in 2021 amid COVID-19 disruptions.
• Each time, the system recovered within a year, proving its foundations hold even under severe macro pressure

• Life Business was the single largest segment, and its 70.3% jump signals that more Nigerians are thinking seriously about financial protection for their families.
• Miscellaneous, the smallest segment, posted the biggest growth at 86.7%, suggesting new and unconventional insurance products are gaining serious traction.
• Aviation & Marine nearly doubled, with 79.9% growth in a sector tied to trade and logistics, reflecting Nigeria's expanding import/export activity and the rising cost of cargo and aircraft risk coverage.
• Motor (52.5%), Fire (53.3%), and General Accident (49.6%) grew by roughly half, indicating broad-based sector expansion rather than isolated pockets of growth.

• South Africa leads in headcount, with seven billionaires, more than other African countries.
• Nigeria leads in wealth, with four billionaires worth $47.5 billion, $4.5 billion more than the combined $43 billion of South Africa's seven billionaires.
• Nigeria's billionaires are richer individually, with an average net worth of $11.9 billion, compared with South Africa's $6.1 billion.
• North Africa punches below its weight: Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria have ten billionaires combined but just $31.4 billion in total wealth.
• East Africa barely registers: Tanzania and Zimbabwe each have just one billionaire, both worth $2.1 billion.

Fuel prices from Dangote Refinery reached an all-time high of ₦1,175 per litre in March 2026.

The lowest recorded price in the period was ₦699 per litre in December 2025, showing a wide price swing.

The jump from ₦699 to ₦1,175 happened in roughly four months.

• Prices earlier in the timeline hovered mostly between ₦820 and ₦987 during late 2024 and much of 2025.
• The December 2025 price cut was aimed at making locally refined fuel more competitive against imports.
• After the price drop, fuel costs began rising again in early 2026, reaching ₦995 by early March before climbing further.
• Global geopolitical tensions affecting oil markets contributed to the upward pressure on prices.