Steemit Engagement Challenge S2W2 | Steem4Nigeria Contest. No place like home and home away from home by @ckole

Hello everyone and welcome to the second week of the steemit engagement challenge. Last week was fantastic as we all see ourselves in presidential apparel. This week is different. We are sharing the love we have for our country and how much we take it to heart. I'm a Nigerian. Do I have reasons I prefer my country t another? Without further ado, let me pour my heart into this article. Stay tuned

Nigeria is situated in the western part of Africa. It shares a boundary with Cameroon, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, and Chad. Nigeria has 350 ethnic groups speaking more than 750 languages but the main languages that is well recognized are Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. The Hausas hail from the northern part, Igbo from the East, and Yoruba from the west. Nigeria was known as Niger area before the wife of Fredric Lord Lugard named it Nigeria in 1890. Nigeria was colonized by the British and gained independence on October first, 1960 with Abubakar Tafawabalewa as the prime minister. The country is blessed with a lot of mineral resources like crude oil, gold, tin, and so on

Nigeria was under colonial masters for years before Anthony Enahoro in 1953 submitted a parliamentary motion for Nigeria’s independence. At first, it was ignored but later granted in 1960. Other prominent leaders that fought for the independence of Nigeria are Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Tafawa Balewa, and so on

After the independence in 1960, Nigeria still didn't have the whole right over the country because Queen Elizabeth the 11 still hold the title as the Nigerian head of state until Nigeria became a republic in 1963 following the new constitution which made the president's power ceremonial

There have been several coups in Nigeria. The first coup in 1966 ended the first republic as the military took over and killed many leaders that fought for the independence of the country. Gen Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to the democratically elected president Shehu Shagari in 1979 and he ruled till 1983 when Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida ended the second republic with a coup and took over as a military president

The third republic was in 1993 when MKO Abiola's election was annulled. General Ibrahim Babangida retired and hand over to Ernest Shonekan, but the third republic was short-lived as Gen Sani Abacha took over from Ernest Shonekan after ruling for less than 3 months. Shonekan's regime was the shortest in the history of Nigerian presidential governance

The death of Sani Abacha gave room for Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar who made the fourth republic to become a reality. President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected as a democratic president in 1999 and today, Nigeria is still in its fourth republic. which means we are practicing a democratic system of government. Nigeria has come a long way to retain its freedom from the colonists and the military government. This is just a tip about Nigeria. We are wonderful; people

1. I cherish the people. Nigerians have a special character that made me cherish and love the fact that I'm one of them. Nigerians are very respectful. All the tribes in Nigeria have their special mode of respect for elders no matter the age margin. It's very obvious that Nigerians are synonymous with respect. When you see Nigerians, be rest assured that they will respect you if you don't pass your boundary with them. The young and the old have the qualities. So if there's one thing that interests me about my country, respect is on the list

The people are also hardworking and intelligent. Nigerians are known for their smart work. If there are thousands of people from different countries doing the same thing AND Nigerians are among them, they will always be among those at the top. Nigerians know how to take advantage of anything around them that could make them productive. The hustling spirit is in them. They are always burning with ideas that could bring success. If you see any Nigerian in another country, watch! you would notice the hustling spirit and most times, they come out shining. That is the spirit of a Nigerian. It's in us. We all possess it, and that's why we are never afraid to compete anywhere we find ourselves

The people are also happy, nice, welcoming, and kind-hearted. I'm not saying this because I'm a Nigerian. Our people are welcoming. We love seeing people from other countries in our midst and we like associating with foreigners no matter where you come from. An average Nigerian would stand up for a foreigner in a bus to show love. That's Nigerians for you but make sure you don't step beyond your boundary. They will change it for you asap.Lol

2. Nigerians are Fun lovers/party mongers. If you are looking for people who like having fun, attending and throwing parties, and more, Nigerians are always on point. It's only in Nigeria I see where a celebrant would go and borrow money to host a classic birthday party or turn the back of a grandfather or mother that is dead for donkey years. That is the level/extent to which we love paparazzi. Well, while it's not healthy enough to do such, most are caught in the web because they want to please the general public or probably make the dead happy. I'm sure many people are oriented now. However, if an average Nigerian has that money, they are always willing to throw a party. It's just a norm. In fact, whether, some people are invited or not, they will always attend occasions. Lol. It's always fun

3. The color. We are endowed with dark skin color because we are classified as negroids. Black is beauty. An average Nigerian would appear dark or chocolate in colour and the beauty would radiate from a distance. There are very few Nigerians with a bright colour. One out of 100 is original which means others bleached their skin. Nigeria is one of the African countries with a concentration of blackness without much percentage of DNA in their race. A typical Nigerian would look like a real Nigerian. The colour of the Nigerian skin is unique and I love it so much

3 Culture. One of the things I love about the country is the unique culture we have in the country. Different tribes have their culture. As we know that culture is the way of life, and there exist different Nigerian cultures. The Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio's, Tiv's, Fulani's, and so on have their way of life. They have different festivals, types of dance, food and so on. If we want to talk about cultural delicacies, different tribes have it in abundance. Culture is one thing that makes Nigeria unique

5. Different languages. There are more than 525 different languages in Nigeria. We have the Hausa, igbo, Yoruba, Kanuri, Fufulde, Nupe, Ibira, Ija, Ibibio, Tiv, Awori, Ikale, and so on. All these languages spoken by each tribe are well understood by them. There is a lingua franca that made it possible and easy for everyone to interact which is English, but Nigerians have a unique language called pidgin English that is widely spoken among every citizen of the country. In fact, a 99-year-old woman that has never stepped her leg in school can communicate using pidgin English. This made communication easy despite the hundreds of languages we have in the country

6. Weather condition. There are only two seasons in Nigeria. We have the rainy season and the dry season. These two seasons are unique on their own because they serve an important purpose year in and year out. The weather condition is suitable for agriculture. Farmers can plant during both seasons depending on the type of plant. The Nigeria weather gives the citizen of the country the opportunity to practice agriculture in other to have food in abundance

One of the things I prefer my country over other countries is the respect that comes from the culture. I've seen many foreign cultures where children talk to their parents in a very rude manner. You dare not try that in Nigeria. No matter how rude you are, the culture has taught us to respect our elders and this drives us to regard anyone that is not of the same age as us. Nigerians value respect a lot. It makes people feel relevant if you accord them respect by talking to them or greeting them as the culture entails. I think the culture of the Nigerians hook me here. It's just unique

Also, I prefer the Nigerian delicacies. I mentioned that there are more than 525 languages in Nigeria but the interesting point is that they all have special delicacies. Of course, other countries too would prioritize their food and see it as the best but hey, Nigerians are known for their solid food accompanied with sophisticated soup (different types) that would make someone forget his origin. I solidly prefer the Akpu, semo, pounded yam, Amala, and Eba with the local soup (any type) to any foreign mixtures

Lastly, I love my skin. Whether it's dark or brown, Nigerians have beautiful skin. Now I see why Wizkid sang "Brown skin girl" with Beyonce. Can't you see that our ladies are beautiful and sexy? Apart from that, black skin is medically preferable. Our skin is adapted to sunlight. Because of its dark color, it produces a pigment called melanin which prevents harmful radiation from the sun caused by air pollution

I don't know if anyone has, but I've never seen a black man suffering from sunburn or blisters caused by the sun. The black man's skin is tough enough to resist them. All the carrot red, tomatoes red, and inflamed sunburns on exposure to sunlight is never associated with black skin. A back man can live without cream for months and the skin will still retain its glittering nature. Also, photoaging is less prominent in people with black skin. I love the Nigerian skin colour

Of course there is no place like home, but there's home away from home. Let me talk from experience here. There was a time I wanted to travel out of the country in search of a greener pasture but I was denied a visa twice. My intention was to go get multiple jobs, get married, build a business at home (Nigeria) and abroad, and leave the foreign country when I'm well equipped to withstand the Nigerian economy without going broke till I kick the bucket

That was really my intention. If we look at the current state of the nation, no one would want to come back if there's an opportunity to travel to countries where one can receive good pay and live peacefully. The last time I saw a big bro (Deddy), he said he would leave the country and never come back. I thought he was joking. Presently, he's in Canada and he said that's his final destination. No more coming back

To be candid, none of the above reasons I love about my country is enough to convince me to come back. I can only feel like coming to view the country and chill with family and friends then go back and continue living my life. Yes, we have some happenings in the country that we would not like to miss, but even at that, we all crave for stability. If I can't get what I want in Nigeria and I'm opportune to get it in another country, I will pay allegiance to the country and see what I can do to add to their economy. The fact that I'm a Nigerian doesn't mean I must live my life in Nigeria. I love my country and I can do anything to help its growth, but when it comes to my personal growth, I won't hesitate to fly out if that's what it takes for me to live a better life and be responsible for myself, my family, and the society where I find myself. Nigeria is great so also other countries. Nigerians in the diaspora still support the growth of the economy in every little way despite the fact that they are not in the country.

If it's Nigerian delicacies, there are places to buy them abroad. If I'm hungry for a party, I can organize one and invite friends, and if it's about the respect or the people, I can always acclimatize

There's no place like home. To a reasonable extent, it's very true. If you go for years and come back home, you will always feel something you've missed for a long time. Everything you've missed would come back fresh. It would be another old-new experience entirely. Also, there's home away from home. You can feel the comfort of a new world in another country. In a nutshell, home always resides in the heart. Anywhere we find happiness and joy can be considered our home irrespective of where it is

I'm glad to participate in this wonderful contest. I would love to invite @@@ to join the challenge. It's all about our sweet country. How do you feel about your country and what do you like about it. See this link to know more about the challenge