Nigeria: An Introduction

Nigeria is a West African country, located on the Gulf of Guinea. It is officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The country borders Benin in the West, Niger in the North, and Cameroon and Chad in the East. As is the case with most other West African states, the nation's coast lies in the Atlantic Ocean.

It is made up of Federal Capital Territory and 36 States. The capital is in Abuja.

Over the years, Nigeria has been home to a number of tribal states and kingdoms. The modern state of Nigeria was birthed from the British Colonial Rule that began in the 19th Century. There is a lot that happened within this period that continues defining Nigeria as a nation and Nigerians as a people. As is true for most countries that were colonized, there was almost an entire paradigm change that could be linked directly to the British's presence.

Another very important issue that has to arise anytime the country is mentioned is slavery. You probably know that this is an issue close to my heart. Millions of slaves were sold from the country into different areas, convenient because they have a port that connects them to Europe and elsewhere.

I boldened that cuz it should have come before mentioning the modern state and also because it is important.

The federation was formally created in 1960 but the struggle for independence had only just begun. They had to deal with an almost full-blown civil war between 1967 and 1970. The years that followed saw a lot of assassinations during this period, most of the times involving the most powerful individuals in the government. It has been an interesting series of events, ones that made the nation what it is today.

The nation is referred to as the Giant of Africa mainly because it is one of Africa's largest economy. Their population is both a good and bad thing. It is said that their child population (those under 18 years) stands at 90 million, coming only second to India and China.

There are over 500 ethnic groups in Nigeria, with the main ones being Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. This definitely translates to a wide variety of cultures. The nation's official language is English. There is an almost equal balance of Christians and Muslims, some others still practice African traditional religions.

That's most of the basics we need to understand most other posts that will come after this one. Call this an intro to a series of posts around this West African nation. Some of the posts will also fall under my favorite series: The Africa you won't see on TV.

Stay tuned?

Light & Love!