With a population of over 180 million, Nigeria, like every other country in the world, has its own fair share of the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.
One out every five black man or woman in the world today is a Nigerian. And overall, Nigerians are a great people, who come from a beautiful country, and are doing exploits around the world, in practically every area of human endeavor. All over the world Nigerians are setting the pace and becoming the standard by which others measure themselves.
Here are 20 good reasons why Nigerians are one of the greatest people on earth:
#1. In the US today, Nigerians are the most educated immigrant community. Search on Google and you’ll see it. Not one of the most educated – the most educated!
60% of Nigerians in the US have college degrees. This is far above the American national average of 30%.
Nigerians in US are one of the highest earners, typically earning 25% more than the median US income of $53k.
#2. World-acclaimed Nigerian writers such as Wole Soyinka, the late Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adiche and Ben Okri have won prestigious, high-profile, global, literary awards (including the Nobel Prize), and this trend continues.
#3. Nigeria doctors, like Dr. Bennet Omalu and Dr. Segun Olutoye have recorded award-winning, record-breaking medical breakthroughs in recent years. Simply Google their names and you will be amazed at their profiles and achievements in the field of modern medicine
#4. In Ivy League schools in Europe and America, Nigerians routinely outperform their peers from other nations.
#5. A Nigerian family, The Imafidon family, has officially been named the smartest family in the entire United Kingdom.
#6. The designer of the famous car, Chevrolet Volt, Jelani Aliyu, is a supertalented Nigerian from Sokoto State.
#7. The World’s fastest supercomputer was designed by a world renowned inventor and scientist, Philip Emeagwali, a fully blooded Nigerian, whose patency was awarded in 2015. This means that a Nigerian has the patency to the world’s fastest computer.
#8. The wealthiest Black man and woman on earth today are Nigerians – Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija. Both have no traces of scandal or criminal records of any kind.
#9. South Africa couldn’t have ended apartheid & achieved Black rule if not for
the leadership role Nigeria and Nigerians played. We gave financial support, human support, boycotted an Olympics and our politicians, musicians and activists campaigned relentlessly.
#10. Of the four South African Presidents who have ruled that country after apartheid, two of them once lived in Nigeria, under asylum. Both Nelson Mandela (60s) and Thabo Mbeki (70s) lived in Nigeria at some point, before becoming Presidents of South Africa.
#11. Nigeria spent over $3 Billion and lost hundreds of soldiers to end the wars in both Liberia and Sierra Leone, two countries which the world ignored because they had no oil.
#12. When there was a coup in São Tomé and Príncipe in 2003, Nigeria intervened to reinstate the elected President back to power.
#13. Before there were street lights in European cities, people of the ancient Benin kingdom had street lights fueled by palm oil.
#14. 500 years ago, Benin casted metal alloys to create magnificent art, including the world famous Queen Ida Mask.
#15. Amina was a warrior queen who ruled Zaria Emirate in Kaduna state,
Northwestern Nigeria, 400 years ago in 1610.
#16. We gave monetary gifts to Ireland during our oil boom in the 70s and
built a statue for France free of charge. We are not poor blacks. Nigeria is rich and we won’t be lied to.
#17. The first television station in Africa was WNTV Ibadan (1960), long before Ireland had their RTE station.
#18. On the 7th of May, 2016 at Howard University in Washington DC, USA, history was made. Out of 96 graduating Doctor of Pharmacy candidates, 43 of them were Nigerians and out of 27 awards given, 16 went to Nigerians.
#19. Nigeria successfully contained the Ebola outbreak in 2014, with no help from the international community. The US had to send delegates to Nigeria to find out how we accomplished this feat – all with our own resources only!
#20. There are over 180,000,000 Nigerians and only about 250,000 of this figure have traceable criminal records. This is only about 0.14% of our entire national population – nothing close to the false narrative being propagated in some sections of the international media about Nigeria being a country of crooks and criminals!
The world envies our uniqueness as a nation, living together despite our ethnic and cultural diversity – one single country with over 400 languages and dialects!
Regardless of our challenges, there’s still a lot to be proud of about Nigeria – and its people!
