What comes to mind when you think of Nigeria? It certainly seems to me like the world should pay closer attention to this country. After all, according to current data, one out of every four Africans is Nigerian.
I spent a year in the neighboring country of Benin and here are some of the things people there shared with me: Don’t step foot in Nigeria, it is way too dangerous. Beware if you encounter a Nigerian in Benin. There are witches in Nigeria capable of making people’s genitals shrivel. Well, I did befriend a Nigerian who ended up stealing my cell phone, but then again, the first night I arrived in Benin a friendly young native suggested I leave my hotel room so that he could spray insect repellent inside. What a nice gesture! I didn’t want to breathe in those fumes, but then again I did miss the cash he stole from my bag. Those two incidents were the only negative things to happen to me while in West Africa. Pretty mild, although I never did step foot in Nigeria…
About a year ago I received a call from a chap down under who asked if I wanted to buy his cell phone. Strange. When I sounded confused, he said that he thought the request he had received sounded a bit dodgy. It turns out that someone had hijacked both my hotmail and eBay accounts and was trying to buy hundreds of cell phones from Australia and have them sent to…um…Nigeria.
Other than these random experiences and impressions, I don’t know too much about Nigeria other than the conflict surrounding oil resources, and that it sounds like the country is absolutely bursting at the seems due to explosive population growth. Lagos has grown from 300,000 in 1950 to an estimated 15 million today, and the Nigerian government estimates that city will have expanded to 25 million residents by 2015.
Here are a few snapshots of the country that serve to paint a bit of a broader picture, although the picture is undoubtedly a great deal more complex. Your comments and experiences are welcome!
- The Mayflower School, founded in 1956 by Tai Solarin, a Nigerian educator and civil rights pioneer, is known for encouraging free and critical thinking in young people. Solarin founded the school in personal rebellion against religious persecution. The school’s sound academic reputation has produced a long record of achievements, including the first female engineer in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Nigeria has one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world, major emerging market operators, such as MTN, Etisalat, Zain and Globacom, are based in the country. The government has recently explored space based communications. Nigeria has a space satellite which is monitored at the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency Headquarters in Abuja.
- The country has a highly developed financial services sector, with a mix of local and international banks, asset management companies, brokerage houses, insurance companies and brokers, private equity funds and investment banks.
- Nigeria has recently made considerable amount of revenue from home made Nigerian movies which are sold locally and internationally. The Nigerian film industry is known as Nollywood.
- Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. Over 500 languages are spoken in the country. A number of Cubans settled in Nigeria as political refugees following the Cuban Revolution.
- Nigeria has the second largest newspaper market in Africa (after Egypt) with an estimated circulation of several million copies daily.
- In 2003, Nigerians were reported to be the happiest people in a scientific survey.
- Nigeria is an important center for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain the world’s largest diversity of butterflies.
- From Lonely Planet: We shouldn’t beat about the bush: Nigeria has an image problem. It dominates West Africa economically and politically, and has produced music and literature whose influence spreads far beyond the continent. But for all this clout, mention the country’s name to the person on the street and they’re more likely to come up with a litany of woe: corruption, ethnic violence and email scams. As a travel destination, Nigeria seems more a place to avoid than to book a flight to. And yet, Nigeria is a country we’re coming to love. Getting around can sometimes be a little tough, and it’s certainly a challenging destination for first-timers to Africa, but you shouldn’t believe all the scare stories. Lagos is one of the most exuberant cities in Africa…
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