Nigeria is Africa s most populous country the home of sub-Saharan Africa s largest Muslim population and one of the world s leading oil producers. While Nigeria has the potential to be a successful case study of economic and political reform and religious cooperation it faces serious problems including corruption internal unrest an HIV/AIDS epidemic and a struggling economy. Nigeria the United States and the international community all have a vested interest in ensuring that the country addresses these challenges and becomes a peaceful stable democracy. As Robert I. Rotberg details in the latest Council Special Report a crucial step in this process is for Nigeria to conduct free fair and credible gubernatorial and national elections in April 2007. Nigeria: Elections and Continuing Challenges sponsored by the Council s Center for Preventive Action suggests immediate and medium-term courses of action for Nigerians and members of the international community. Some of Rotberg s policy recommendations such as election monitoring are focused on helping Nigeria avoid a near-term breakdown of democracy. Others such as strengthening health care infrastructure and improving security look more broadly to the future and tackle the country s fundamental challenges of governance and development. As this report makes clear the stakes are large: The upcoming elections will dramatically affect this critical country s prospects --which in turn will dramatically affect the future of all of Africa.