Intelpoint

An elite military unit in Madagascar seized power in October 2025, ousting the country's embattled President Andry Rajoelina. This marks the second successful coup in the country (out of five attempts) and one of the successful coups in Africa out of the total 226 attempts on the continent. In the same month, Nigeria’s Defence Intelligence Agency detained several senior officers over an alleged coup plot, reportedly aimed at toppling President Bola Tinubu. Sudan leads Africa in the number of coup d’état attempts, recording 18 since 1950 — seven more than Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Sierra Leone, which each have 11. This reflects recurring power struggles and weak institutional structures that make military intervention a recurring part of the continent’s political narrative. Across Africa, 226 coups have been attempted between 1950 and 2025, revealing how deeply rooted the struggle for political power has been in the region’s post-independence history. Of these, over 110 have been successful. The prevalence of coups in countries like Mali, Niger, and Guinea-Bissau highlights a pattern: states grappling with insecurity, corruption, and weak governance often face repeated military takeovers as cycles of instability continue.

Nigeria’s GDP in 2024 was revised upward from $187.6 billion to $252.1 billion following the IMF’s October 2025 rebasing, which adopted 2019 as the new base year. The update marks one of the most extensive revisions in Nigeria’s economic history, adding between $20 billion and $235 billion to annual GDP figures across 1990–2025. The rebase captures a broader range of economic activity, including the digital economy, informal agriculture, modular oil refining, and social insurance schemes previously unrecorded in national accounts. The most dramatic change occurred in 2014, when GDP surged from $576 billion to $811 billion—Nigeria’s highest ever—briefly placing the country among the world’s 20 largest economies. The revision reflects how expanded data coverage and modern statistical standards can significantly reshape the understanding of an economy’s true scale.

Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) collectively generated ₦3.63 trillion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Lagos State maintained its position as the nation’s top revenue generator since 2008, contributing ₦1.26 trillion in 2024, about 34.7% of the total IGR recorded nationwide. A particularly remarkable development in the 2024 report is the rise of Enugu State, which re-entered the top 10 revenue-generating states for the first time since 2015. The state recorded an impressive ₦180.5 billion, representing a 433% year-on-year increase from its ₦33.8 billion in 2023, a strong indicator of expanding economic activity and improved revenue administration. Other states that made the top 10 list in 2024 include Rivers, the FCT, Ogun, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Kano. However, while most states experienced steady growth, a few, notably Ondo, Ebonyi, and Yobe recorded year-on-year declines, reflecting uneven progress in subnational revenue performance across the country.

With the new 2019 base year, the IMF incorporated Nigeria’s revised national accounts, expanding data coverage to include the digital economy, informal activities, pensions, insurance, and small-scale industries. The update increased Nigeria’s nominal GDP by about 40.8 percent, reshaping its historical economic size in dollar terms. As a result, Nigeria ranked among the world’s 20 largest economies in 1998, 2013, 2014, and 2015, peaking in 2014 with a GDP of about $811 billion. Although currency depreciation and slower growth later reduced its global standing, the latest revision highlights how improved measurement and broader data capture can redefine a country’s true economic position.

The Nigerian government allocated ₦10.0 billion in the 2025 budget for the solarisation of the Aso Presidential Villa in Abuja. The funds will be used to install a solar mini-grid system that will power the Villa and reduce dependence on Nigeria’s unreliable national grid. This initiative aims to ensure a more stable and sustainable energy source for the country’s highest seat of power while cutting electricity costs that have risen due to the 2024 tariff hike. This allocation represents a strategic shift toward renewable energy adoption within government infrastructure, reflecting a broader recognition of the energy crisis facing the nation.

The Nigerian government allocated ₦5.2 billion in the 2025 budget for the purchase and replacement of operational vehicles for the State House and related offices. Of this amount, ₦3.7 billion is earmarked for general State House operational vehicles, while ₦1.1 billion will go toward replacing the SUVs for the State House fleet. The Chief of Staff’s office and the Chief Security Officer’s office will also receive ₦285 million and ₦179.6 million, respectively, for their vehicles. This development comes amid growing public scrutiny of government spending and priorities. While such vehicle purchases may be justified by the need for security, reliability, and official mobility within the nation’s top offices, the figures still spark debate over opportunity costs.

Africa’s digital services trade is booming, yet still under 1% of the global share. Countries like Morocco are leading the way, while Nigeria struggles with a huge deficit. Can Nigeria turn its digital potential into continental and global dominance?

Over the past 10 years, Nigerian states have collectively generated a remarkable ₦16.68 trillion in IGR, marking a 432.1% increase between 2015 and 2024, a strong indication of expanding fiscal capacity at the subnational level. As expected, Lagos State once again retained its position at the top, contributing ₦1.26 trillion, which accounts for roughly 34.7% of the total IGR generated nationwide.

As of Q2 2025, Kogi and Nasarawa stand out in the North Central debt landscape for their fiscal restraint, maintaining domestic debts of ₦18.8 billion and ₦23.9 billion, respectively. This contrasts sharply with Niger State’s hefty ₦141.5 billion, the highest in the region. Benue (₦133.5 billion) and Plateau (₦74.4 billion) follow closely, driven largely by financing for infrastructure and public services, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) adds another ₦71 billion to the zone’s overall debt profile. In total, the region’s ₦449 billion domestic debt reflects both progress in subnational financing and uneven fiscal discipline among states, with Kogi and Nasarawa emerging as the most debt-conscious performers.

Nigeria’s 2025 budget allocated ₦6.0 billion for the maintenance of facilities at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, covering routine works on mechanical and electrical systems, building maintenance, and civil services. The allocation also includes upkeep for the offices and residences of the President, Vice President, and Ministers, as well as event spaces and the Presidential wing-airport. The Aso Rock Presidential Villa serves as the operational centre of Nigeria’s federal government, housing key decision-making offices, state functions, and diplomatic engagements.