On the health front, Guinea Worm looks to be one of the country's biggest health success stories, according to the Department for International Development [DFID].

A statement from the outfit said over 653,000 Nigerians suffered from Guinea Worm 20 years back but due to a DFID-funded project no cases have been recorded in the oil-rich country since 2008.

The project-run by UNICEF and supported by the Carter Centre and WHO's eradication programme - installed over 1,300 boreholes in affected areas to provide clean drinking water. Guinea worm is a painful and unpleasant disease which involves worms laying larvae under a person's skin. It is transmitted when people drink water infected by the worm's larvae, so making sure that people had access to clean water in affected areas was crucial to ensuring its disappearance.

"As we celebrate Nigeria’s 50th year since independence, it is fantastic news that it looks like Guinea Worm has been wiped out there. Getting rid of this awful disease is a vital step forward in improving the lives of thousands of Nigerians; enabling them to access clean drinking water, earn a living and look after their families,” said International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell.

"This is a great example of what can be achieved when governments, the UN and charities work together. Let's hope that Nigeria's success can be repeated across those countries where this disease still remains a blight on people's lives."

Guinea Worm, or Dracunculiasis, is a particularly nasty disease, with the worm's larva making its way to tissues under the skin and then breaking out in an ulcer about a year later. People often have to pull the worm out themselves by rolling it around a matchstick.

However, often the worm or open sore then comes into contact with water, releasing the larvae back into the water and starting the cycle all over again.

Eradicating the guinea worm in Nigeria would constitute a massive breakthrough in fighting the disease. In the 1980s, there were over 3.5 million cases noted across Africa. In 2008, by comparison, just over 4,000 cases were recorded.

As well as leaving sufferers too ill to work, one of the knock-on effects of the disease is that children have to take on the household chores and miss out on schooling as a result.

Guinea Worm is still present in four countries - Sudan, Ethiopia, Ghana and Mali. DFID supports the Carter Foundation for the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme, aimed at getting rid of the disease in the remaining four endemic countries.