419 Reasons to Like Nigeria
For too
long, Nigeria and Nigerians have been readily associated with the online scams,
financial crime and impersonation - termed ‘419’.
However, beyond the unfortunate stereotyping, there are several positive characteristics
and cogent intriguing traits of the country, Nigeria and its people, some of
which are highlighted below as part of the ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ campaign which enlisted 100 volunteers
and bloggers to share reasons why they like Nigeria. These reasons echo the
voices of Nigerians, with resonating similar themes. The campaign is being
facilitated in partnership with ‘The 419Positive Project’. 
The list of contributors to ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’
is available here
NIGERIA - THE LAND OF
POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY
·
I like Nigeria because it is a land
of endless opportunities and possibilities. Nigeria is one country whose true
potentials I believe the world is yet to experience. I believe Nigerians are
sharp, brilliant and accommodating people. Given the right enabling environment
the world will marvel at what Nigeria will become.
·
Nigeria is the most populous black
nation - and a buying one at that. From a capitalist point of view, this makes
for great investment opportunities.
·
The fact that Nigeria currently
lags behind so much - in infrastructure and developmental terms - hints at the
size of the potential for innovation and transformation, and at the huge number
of vacancies that exist for 'transformers'. What I think this means is that the
world will be hearing a lot about Nigeria and high-achieving Nigerians (in the
public and private sectors) in the near future.
NIGERIA - THE COUNTRY
·
The Nigerian Green and White flag
is a notable national symbol. The green colour symbolises agriculture, seeing
that the country is endowed with masses of arable land, while the white colour
signifies unity and peace. Other national symbols include the Nigerian Coat of
Arms, which depicts an eagle on a black shield, trisected by two wavy silver
bands, and supported on either side by two chargers. The national motto
underlies the coat-of -arms: "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress."
Her national symbols convey great meaning to its people.
·
The Nigerian accent is currently
ranked by CNN Global Experiences as the 5th sexiest accent in the world.
·
Nigeria is home to Nollywood, one
of the world's biggest film industries.
NIGERIA - THE
CULTURE, THE FOOD, THE WAY OF LIFE
·
Something great to like about
Nigeria is our cultural diversity. A strong affinity exists, despite our
differences. Learning about other ethnic cultures in my country really helped
me personally relate to other cultures when abroad.
·
I think the food is tastier in
Nigeria than that I have found in other countries.
·
Nigerians live a communal life
style. The extended family is part of the immediate family in a Nigerian home.
NIGERIA - THE MUSIC,
THE MOVIES, THE DANCE, THE ART
·
Nigeria has produced many world
class musicians. A notable mention in this regard is Fela Anikulapo Kuti. A
Broadway show titled ‘FELA!’ was produced in 2009 depicting the life and times
of the Afrobeat musician.
·
Nigeria’s movie industry,
Nollywood, is reputedly the 3rd largest film industry after Hollywood and
Bollywood, and has grown gradually into a $250 million industry in more than 10
years.
·
Nigerian indigenous musical
instruments are unique, soulful and rhythmic. They comprise the popular Talking
Drum, producing proverbial and storytelling sounds, the Shaker (shekere), the
Udu drum, the Lute, the leg and arm Rattle, the Omele, the Ogene (Gong
originating in Eastern Nigeria), the Ekwe drum and the Kakaki (A 4m metal
trumpet popular in Northern Nigeria). Many of these instruments have been
incorporated in South American music over the years.
NIGERIA - GEOGRAPHY
and NATURAL RESOURCES
·
Nigeria is a nation blessed with
rich human and natural resources. As the 8th largest exporter of Oil in the
world, with the 10th largest proven reserves, our blessings cannot be
overemphasised. No earthquakes, no tsunamis, no droughts, an evergreen land.
The rest of the world should live here.
·
The beauty of the Nigerian state
cannot but leave one in awe, being blessed with captivating physical features
and abundant wild life. From the rolling hills to the vast plains in the North
Central Nigeria and the forests in the South, the beautiful scenery of the
country is more than breathtaking. With the wildlife spread all over the
country, Nigeria is surely a beauty to behold and a tourist's delight all year
round.
·
Nigeria is blessed with tremendous
agricultural resources. Cotton in the North, Cocoa & Oil palm in the South
amongst many others. The flag is green for a reason.
NIGERIA - WEST
AFRICA, AFRICA and THE WORLD
·
Nigeria has the largest population
of any country in Africa. Approximately 1 out of every 2 West Africans, 1 out
of every 4 Africans, and 1 out of every 5 persons of African origin is a
Nigerian.
·
Nigeria is the largest contributor
of troops to the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and by extension, is the
largest force for peace and stability in West Africa.
·
A Nigerian will stand out anywhere
you find him/her, from Libya to London, Tokyo to Timbuktu. Well known examples
include Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets, USA), Olumide Oyedeji (Seattle
Sonics), Tunde Baiyewu (Lighthouse Family), Sunday Adelaja (Ukraine), Chris Aire
(US), etc.
NIGERIA - INDUSTRIOUS,
INNOVATIVE and ENTERPRISING, with ACHIEVEMENTS
·
Nigerians are intelligent,
brilliant minds who have proven their mettle in various fields - Wole Soyinka
was the first African to win the much coveted Nobel Prize for literature in
1986. Chinua Achebe’s classic novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ was ranked as number 14
in a list of top 100 books in the world by Newsdesk in 2009. Others include
Cyprian Ekwensi, Mabel Segun, Chimamanda Adichie and Helon Habila whose
literary works have won both international and local awards at various times.
·
We have budding fashion designers. Yes!
It's a line every Bunmi, Amaka and Amina has decided to tow but to disregard
the effort and originality of our Fashion Designers would be disrespectful.
Tiffany Amber, Lanre Da Silva and Deola Sagoe are building world renowned
brands, not to mention the legacy developed by the likes of Abba Folawiyo,
Maureen Onigbanjo, Remi Lagos and Zizzi Cardow.
·
Nigerians have excelled in the
fields of economics and finance, managing well established global bodies. Ngozi
Okonjo Iweala, the current Minister of Finance, was until recently a Managing
Director at The World Bank. Obiageli
Ezekwisili is currently the Vice President for Africa at The World Bank. Mr
Adebayo Ogunlesi is a first class graduate of Oxford, and Managing Partner of
Global infrastructure Partner (GIP), a concessionaire of London’s Gatwick
International Airport.
·
We take technology and expand it in
ways those who created it could not have imagined. For instance, take the
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which allows you to send broadcast messages to all addresses
on your contacts list; Nigerians recently found a unique way of advertising the
different businesses they do. Someone started a message highlighting the fact
that many people in Nigeria are entrepreneurs or provide a service and included
his BB PIN in the message and sent to all his contacts with the charge that
they state the service they provide, include their PIN and send on to all their
contacts too. This seemingly small campaign has gone “viral” with whole lists
of entrepreneurs and their BB PINs being passed from phone to phone. This is a
clear sign of the ingenuity of Nigerians!
NIGERIA – GREAT
PEOPLE
·
Nigeria is the 7th most populous
nation in the world (over 160 million) and most populous in Africa - a gold
mine of energetic, determined and talented people in each and every field. From
Lagos to Aba to Kano, the Nigerian business spirit and desire to succeed is
visible. It just requires proper harnessing of these human resources for
Nigeria to become the super power she is meant to be.
·
Nigerians are passionate, friendly,
welcoming, hospitable, and well cultured people. The average Nigerian reflects
a combination of vivacity, intelligence, energy, talent, and resolution.
·
We are a nation of people that can
hardly hide their excitement at seeing family and friends. Some misconstrue
this thinking we are loud but let's just say we are EXPRESSIVE! If you see us
on the streets of New York making a big ruckus and hugging? No sweat. We are
just happy to see each other.
NIGERIA – THE
RESILIENT SPIRIT
·
The Giant of Africa: Not ignoring
the current challenges, eventually, when we get our acts right, we will reign
supreme on the global scene. We have the potential and as is much touted by the
Warri people - "Naija no dey carry last"
·
The 'survivor-mentality' is hard-wired
into the DNA of Nigeria's people. The fact is that against all the odds (and
there are many of them), Nigerians continue to live, hustle and seek to
triumph. It is not by mistake that Nigeria is regarded as one of the
"happiest" countries in the world, despite its challenging economic
and social conditions.
·
We are hardy. The average Nigerian
does business under circumstances that are unimaginable to people from other
parts. In a place where there is no power, no credit, and scant regulation, people
do business and do very well for themselves too. If you can make it in Nigeria,
you can make it anywhere in the world.
NIGERIA – TOURISM and
SPORTS
·
Nigeria is an amazing tourist haven
and is home to the Obudu Cattle Ranch, located in Calabar. It is only 45 miles
from the Cameroon border. The Obudu Plateau is spread over 40 sq. miles and is
5,200 feet above sea level. The Obudu resort features a Gorilla Camp where
tourists may observe gorillas in their natural habitat.
·
Nigeria has two UNESCO world heritage
sites, the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove and the Sukur Cultural Landscape in
Adamawa. UNESCO world heritage sites are places designated as being of cultural
significance.
·
Nigeria has produced great
footballers like Teslim “Thunder” Balogun (the first Nigerian to play for an
English Club – QPR), Segun Odegbami, Muda Lawal, Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini
(who scored Nigeria’s first ever goal at the World Cup), Nwankwo Kanu, Austin
'Jay Jay' Okocha, John Mikel Obi, Osaze Odemwingie, to mention but a few.
·
Nigeria has excelled in athletics
over the years, still holding continental records in the 100m men and women,
4x100m men and women, 400m men and women, among others. Over 100 skilled
Nigerian professional footballers played in First Division leagues in different
countries all over Europe in the 2010/2011 season, 9 in England; 8 each in
Finland, Norway; 10 in Ukraine and 7 in Sweden.
NIGERIA – UNITY in
DIVERSITY
·
Nigerians, despite our diversity,
are a united people who always strive to help one another. With 774 local
government areas, multi religious and ethnic affiliations, 36 States, and
population of over 160 million, we still stand undeterred to move forward
together.
·
Even outside the country, Nigerians
remain united. This gives a quiet assurance somewhat that you can get on a
plane and go to any country of the world and find a Nigerian there who will not
only make you feel welcome but will go out of their way to be of really good
help. I have experienced this several times on my travels and each time it amazes
me how all I need to be is a Nigerian, not Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa and once I run
into another Nigerian, I will immediately feel at home.
·
Our greatest strength lies in our
diversity.
The ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ Campaign is in
partnership with ‘The 419Positive Project’.
