Five Things I Like About My Country - Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in Africa, geographically located in Western Africa. It is home to many globally renowned individuals, and is one of the leading countries in socioeconomic growth in the continent. Although there might be some unpleasant reports about the country, there are even much more to envy about the nation and its people. In this post, I will be sharing with you Five Things I Like About Nigeria.

Culture and Tradition

Nigeria is a multi-faceted nation, rich in various cultures and traditions. There are well over 250 ethnic groups in this country estimated to be populated by over 180 million people, and over 520 languages are spoken. One thing common to these many cultures is that they all promote honour, respect, decency in dressing, and several other moral virtues. The three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Yoruba's, who dominate the South Western and a part of the middle belt, the Hausa's, who dominate the Northern part of the country, and the Igbo's, who dominate the South Eastern region of the country.

^{A Cross Section of some Nigerian Tribes}

All these ethnic groups have ways of life that guide the interaction of people within the tribe / ethnic group, which includes indigenous attires customary to each tribe, as well as festivals that celebrate their heritage such as the egungun festival, the Argungu Fishing festival and the Ofala festival. The good thing about the existence of many cultures in Nigeria is that although they may vary in language and tradition, they are still united as a nation, and officially speak one common language - English.

Unity in Diversity

Needless to say, Nigeria is divided in many aspects, but these differences further strengthen the nation rather than disintegrate it. There are many different tribes, with different languages and traditions, different religions and so on, yet these people live in peace and harmony among themselves. In Lagos for instance, every tribe in Nigeria is represented, as this is the commercial headquarter of the country. People from different tribes do business together, they do sports together, pray together, they even eat food from other tribes. Sports, especially soccer is also a very huge unifying event for Nigerians, as they jointly support their team and are even more friendly and united during continental and world competitions. A word that signifies Nigeria's unity is wazobia, a combination of Yoruba-wa, Hausa-zo and Igbo-bia, all of which mean come.

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The Value Placed on Religion

Religion has a vital role it plays in the civilization, unity, growth and the development of Nigeria. There are three basic religions in Nigeria - Christianity, Islam and traditional worship. Over 90% of Nigerians practice one of these religions, all of which basically preach love, hope, honesty, morality, spiritual supremacy, and so on. Religion is one of the major factors that promote and uphold the unity of Nigeria, despite differing in many other aspects. Religious leaders preach hope for a better tomorrow, and a divine reward for obedient worshipers. These messages go a long way in promoting tolerance and patience among citizens. Parents train their children strictly in line with their religion, and most of these children grow up embracing that line of faith.

^{A Cross Section of Nigerian Christian and Islamic Clergymen} source

Climate

The weather in Nigeria is simply perfect! Nature smiles at us here, as the rainy and dry seasons are well defined, and both seasons are friendly to the human body, and do not pose a threat to proper running of businesses, and agricultural practices. There is an almost constant daylight duration in Nigeria, making time zone constant. Nigeria is almost exempted from natural disasters, only flooding occurs, and at times, this is self inflicted, and is therefore very avoidable.

Nigeria; Good People, Great Nation!

I conclude this article with the famous slogan Nigeria, Good People, Great Nation!, which was launched by late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, former president of Nigeria. Nigerians are industrious, hard working, creative, kind, and friendly, just to mention a few. A Nigerian is a good neighbour to have, as he cares for everyone around him. Nigeria has the fastest growing entertainment industry in Africa, there are many prominent celebrities who are actors, artistes, and comedians, doing their bits to cheer the people, and build up hope in them.

Nigerians are industrious, innovative and creative. Here, you can be whatever or whoever you want to be as long as you work hard. Currently, a Nigerian (Aliko Dangote) is the richest man in Africa. He got most of his wealth from food processing, and has most of his businesses in almost all of Western Africa.

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I love my country Nigeria, and though their are many things we are not getting right at the moment, but we are hopeful of a greater Nigeria, one that produces visionary and transparent leadership, and a tech giant nation. Nigeria is my country!