NIGERIA

The Prince of Africa

By Kristen Jones

Because of its size, its possession of the largest population in Africa, its diverse people, and its vast natural resources, the West African nation of Nigeria is sometimes called the "Giant of Africa."

In addition to having one of the largest river systems in the world, the country contains many geographically distinct areas, including mountains, swamps, jungles, deserts, plains and savannas.

In terms of people, its vast ethnic and tribal groups include the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, and hundreds of others. Although its official language is English due to a long period of British colonialism before it achieved independence in 1960, there may be more than 400 languages spoken in the nation.

A Growing Nation, a Troubled People

Lagos, the nation’s largest city, is the largest metropolitan area in Africa and may be on its way to becoming the largest in the world.

In terms of political power, Nigeria ranks at the top in West Africa and is also the region’s richest country. Oil is its most important export, and over half of its oil exports go to the United States. Cacao and rubber are also significant exports.

Known for its oil and business strength, the nation is the home of some of Africa's wealthiest men. Still, because of an unfair distribution of its wealth, various internal conflicts, longtime political problems, and government corruption, perhaps 60 percent or more of its people live below the poverty line. Many live on less than a dollar a day.

From a Stolen Past to a Troubled Nation

Historically, several indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms existed in what is now Nigeria since before the Common Era. However, the modern state originated when the country gained its independence from British colonization in 1960. This was following a long colonial period that began in 1882 and lasted nearly 80 years.

After Nigeria gained its independence, bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United States were formally inaugurated. Unfortunately, not long after gaining its independence, the new nation experienced political assassinations and two military coups in 1966 and a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970. Afterward, it was ruled by several military dictatorships and short-lived democratically elected civilian governments, with more military coups and coup attempts in 1975, 1976, 1983, 1985, 1990 and 1993.

Even though it had rarely objected to military rule in Nigeria, the U.S. reacted much more strongly to Sani Abacha’s violent regime that gained control in the 1993 coup. After Abacha’s death in 1998, however, the U.S. welcomed Nigeria's 1999 return to a more democratic system.

Under Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was elected in 1999, the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. improved and aid and trade increased. Although there have been strains in the relationship over the years, Nigeria has been one of the United States' most significant partners in Africa and the U.S. is still a major market for Nigerian crude oil.

The U.S. is also a significant source of foreign aid to the nation and the main foreign investor. More than a million Nigerians and Nigerian Americans also live in the U.S. and are a source of significant family remittances to Nigeria.

Even though the nation continued to suffer from extensive political corruption after its escape from military dictatorships, it has somewhat succeeded in moving closer to a fairer democratically elected system.

A Rising Cultural Powerhouse

Despite the nation’s longtime troubles, its cultural influence has grown over the years, with its literature, music and film making a significant international impact.

Because English is the nation’s official language and most Nigerians understand it, most Nigerian literature is written in English, although some Nigerian writers write in the Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo languages. From the works of playwright Wole Soyinka, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, and well-known and popular novelist and poet Chinua Achebe to the prolific storyteller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writers have carried the Nigerian story far beyond its borders.

Nigerian music has also reached far beyond Nigeria and found acclaim elsewhere.

In the 20th century, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti and others combined indigenous music such as fuji and highlife with African American funk, jazz and other genres to form Afrobeat, which later influenced hip hop.

The looser Afrobeats style, a later evolution of Afrobeat, has been popularized by many Nigerian musical artists, and many, including L.A.X., Wizkid and Yemi Alade, have made, and even topped, the international music charts.

Other types of music associated with Nigeria include juju, fuji and afan. A type of percussion music combined with traditional Yoruba music, juju was popularized by King Sunny Adé and other Nigerians. Fuji, a Yoruba percussion style, was created and popularized by Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. Afan music was invented and popularized by Umuobuarie Igberaese.

The nation’s musical abilities gained much international attention in 2008 when MTV hosted an award show in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.

Perhaps more amazing, Nigeria’s film industry, which is sometimes called Nollywood (Nigeria plus Hollywood), has grown so much that it produces more films than Hollywood and is the second-largest producer of movies in the world, behind India. This, despite the nation’s much smaller size in comparison to the U.S. and India.

The Figurine, a 2009 thriller that was successful in Nigeria and also screened at international film festivals, increased attention toward Nigeria’s film industry internationally.

The 2010 film Ijé, by Chineze Anyaene, then became the highest-grossing Nigerian film until 2014 when it was surpassed by Half of a Yellow Sun (2013). In 2016, this record was lost to The Wedding Party, and, in 2021, Omo Ghetto: The Saga (2020) surpassed that record.

T.B. Joshua's Emmanuel TV, which originates in Nigeria, is among the most viewed stations on the continent.

In 2014, the nation’s film industry became the third most valuable worldwide with a worth of 5.1 billion U.S. Dollars.

Boasting such cultural wonders, along with its natural beauty, diversity, resources and wealth, Nigeria has come a long way since the tragedies of British colonialism and its struggles following independence. Along with its current economic and cultural successes, if it can overcome lingering problems such as high unemployment, poor distribution of wealth, and government corruption, it could very well turn out to be an African gem that just needs some polishing and a little more time to reach its full potential.

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