Aso Rock in the context of "Commonwealth Heads of Government"

Abuja (/əˈbuːdʒə/ ə-BOO-jə, Yoruba: Àbújá Yoruba pronunciation: [àbúd͡ʒá]) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria, it hosts key national institutions, landmarks, and buildings spread across its over 50 districts. It replaced Lagos (the most populous city in Nigeria) as the capital on 12 December 1991.

Abuja's geography is defined by Aso Rock, a 400 metres monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex, National Assembly, Supreme Court, and much of the city extend to the south of the rock. Zuma Rock, a 725 metres monolith, lies just north of the city on the expressway to Kaduna.

The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose date remains at least 13,000 BC through the early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC. Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is known today as Nigeria, such as the Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Kingdom, and the Oyo Empire. Islam reached Nigeria through the Bornu Empire between (1068 AD) and Hausa Kingdom during the 11th century, while Christianity came to Nigeria in the 15th century through Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal to the Kingdom of Warri. The Songhai Empire also occupied part of the region. Through contact with Europeans, early harbour towns such as Calabar, Badagry, and Bonny emerged along the coast after 1480, which did business in the transatlantic slave trade, among other things. Conflicts in the hinterland, such as the civil war in the Oyo Empire, meant that new enslaved people were constantly being "supplied".

After 1804, Usman dan Fodio unified an immense territory in his jihad against the superior but quarrelling Hausa states of the north, which was stabilised by his successors as the "Caliphate of Sokoto".