Nigeria is a founding member of which regional organization?

Analyze the question: The question asks which regional organization Nigeria helped to found. The key word is "regional", meaning an organization of countries in a particular geographical area.

Explain the concept: Look at the type of each organization:

• ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) is a regional body for West Africa. It was established on 28 May 1975 with the Treaty of Lagos. Nigeria, under General Yakubu Gowon, was one of the main drivers, along with Togo's President Eyadéma.
• Non-Aligned Movement is a global grouping of states that stay out of the Cold War blocs, not a regional one. Nigeria joined later, and it was founded by Yugoslavia, India, Egypt, Ghana, and Indonesia.
• OPEC is an organization of oil-exporting countries around the world. It is not regional. It was founded in 1960, and Nigeria joined in 1971, so Nigeria is not a founding member.
• IMF (International Monetary Fund) is a global financial institution created in 1944 at Bretton Woods, before Nigeria's independence.

Solution:

1. Remove the non-regional organizations: Non-aligned Movement, OPEC, and IMF are all global or international.
2. Of the options, only ECOWAS is regional.
3. Nigeria is a founding member of ECOWAS (1975), and Lagos hosted its founding treaty.

Answer: A. ECOWAS.

Exam tip: When a question says "regional", look for the option with a geographic label, such as West African, African, or Commonwealth. Also remember these dates: ECOWAS was founded in 1975, OPEC membership for Nigeria began in 1971, and the AU's predecessor, the OAU, was founded in 1963, with Nigeria as a founding member.