Nigeria operates a federal system of government. That means power is shared between three tiers, not held by one centre. The three tiers are: Federal, State, and Local Government. The Federal Government sits at the top. It handles matters that affect the whole country: national defence, foreign affairs, immigration, the police, the currency, aviation, railways, oil and gas, and banking regulation. Only the Federal Government can legislate on these under the Exclusive Legislative List in the 1999 Constitution. Nigeria has 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Each state has its own elected governor, a House of Assembly, a state judiciary, and control over matters on the Concurrent Legislative List, which covers things like education, health, and agriculture that both the federal and state governments can legislate on. At the most local level are 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Your LGA is the government closest to where you live.