Abuja countries relocated their embassies to Abuja, and many maintain their former embassies as consulates in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. Abuja is the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the regional headquarters of OPEC. Abuja and the FCT have experienced huge population growth; it has been reported that some areas around Abuja have been growing at 20% to 30% per year. Squatter settlements and towns have spread rapidly in and outside the city limits. Tens of thousands of people have been evicted since former FCT minister Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai started a demolition campaign in
South African Republic staged the Maritz Rebellion by declaring the reinstatement of the South African Republic and aligned themselves with the Central Powers. The rebellion was put down by British forces in February 1915. The land area that was once the ZAR now comprises all or most of the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West in the northeastern portion of the modern Republic of South Africa. Constitutionally the name of the country was "" (South African Republic or ZAR). Many people also called the "ZAR Transvaal", in reference to the area over (or trans) the Vaal River, including the British press