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Nigeria is a highly engaging but sometimes frustrating country. Nigeria is also the largest populated country in the whole of Africa.
There are about 250 ethnic groups inhabiting the entire area called Nigeria. The Yorubas are found within the western region, while the Igbos are found in the eastern part of the country. The Hausas, Kanuris, etc are found in the northern part of the country. However, within the South southern part, we have the Ijaws the Anarys, the Itesekiris and the Isobo/Isoko, Ibibio etc. We also have the Tivs, Jukuns and certain ethnic nationalities in the now more discernable middle belt.
Government and political History
At independence in 1960, the country was administered along the regional lines. In the North, Sir Ahmadu Bello was the premier, while Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe was the Eastern premier, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo held sway in the west as the premier. These arrangement, which was midwifed by British government of the time, later brought about ethnicity. Everybody was trying to put forward an ethnic agenda rather than a national agenda that could bring about the unity of the country. Efforts were made by some leaders later after independence to change the direction or re-focusing the entire populace towards a unified and purposeful national agenda.
Efforts of General Yakubu Gowon in creating twelve states out of the three regions is worth mentioning at this point. However in the mid 1970s when General Murtala Mohammed became the Head of state, he created additional states taking the total to 19. Today, Nigeria has 36 states.
Nigeria has witnessed right from independence series of political crisis, beginning with the first military coup of 1996, which was led by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, to the counter coup of July 1966, which brought about the emergence of General Yakubu Gowon. In 1976, February 13 to be precise, there was the Dimka coup which was unsuccessful, but which led to the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed, the then Head of State. In October, 1979, the Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo successfully handed over the reigns of government to an elected executive government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari but the democratic experience did not last long before it was terminated on various excuses by the military. Led by General Buhari and Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon, before the regime could achieve much, there was a palace coup, which brought about the regime of General Ibrahim Babaginda, this regime however lasted for 8 years. The second attempt at democratic experience, which was promised by General Ibrahim Babaginda, did not come to be. It was frustrated by a cabal in the military and their civilian collaborators. The regime conducted what has been generally described as the most peaceful and internationally acclaimed elections in the history of Nigeria and black Africa. The late M.K.O. Abiola was the presumed winner of the Presidential election.
The entire elections were annulled, and an interim arrangement was foisted on the country with Chief Shonekan as the chairman of the Interim Government, as a result of General Ibrahim Babangida stepping aside from governance in August, 1993. This did not last, by November of the same year, General Sanni Abacha through a palace coup seized power and became the Head of State. There was a lot of spontaneous reaction most especially from the south-west, and it led to the emergence of various human rights organisations who felt that Nigerians had had enough of Military rule and that the country should be allowed to practice democracy like many nations of the world. They also added that the military had not improved the lot of Nigerians. There were also pronouncements and ultimatums that the June 1993 elections should be actualised in the interest of the unity of this country. In 1998, the regime of General Sanni Abacha came to an end with his death. General Abdulsalam Abubakar came on board with a promise to return the country to democratic governance come may 29, 1999. This he fully abided with and on May 29,1999 retired general Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as Nigeria's elected executive president.
The current administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, who is on his second 4-year term, has done a lot to try to heal the wounds of the past years and also in trying to bridge the gap and refocusing the entire populace towards a united and stable Nigeria. He has set up commissions to look into amending the Nigerian constitution and also the country's local government system. He has also set up the Niger Delta Development Commission whose duty is to ensure meaningful, people-centred development in the country's most volatile region. Presently, the National Political Reforms Conference, convened by the Federal Government is sitting in Abuja in an effort to make recommendations to reform the country's political and other systems.
Nigeria has had a fair share of political crisis since independence and the country is now on course to use those experiences as sources of strength to attain greater heights.
Language
The official language is English and is understood mainly by the literates. There are 3 main indigenous languages spoken by the 3 predominant ethnic groups in Nigeria. These are Yorubas in the west, Hausa-Fulani in the North and the Igbos in the East. There is also the "broken English" (Pidgin English) spoken and understood by almost all Nigerians; non-literates, semi-literates and literates. It is an admixture of the English Language and several indigenous Nigerian Languages. There exists also other ethnic groups' languages such as Efik, Ijaw, and Kanuri languages, etc and scores of dialects within the ethnic groups.
Note: To break language barrier, prospective visitors may engage the services of a translator. Almost all the places of interest would have attendants who would understand Nigeria's Pidgin English.
The Cultures
Nigeria is a beautiful country endowed with rich cultural heritage and has over 2,000 years of art history. Besides the popular Nok Tera Cota, Benin, Ife and Jos reveal a vast display of the traditional and contemporary artifacts of Nigeria.
Apart from art works, the culture of Nigeria can also be x-rayed in almost all aspects of the life of Nigerians. In spite of the long period of romance with the Islamic and Western cultures, traditional cultures still hold sway amongst the people, especially in the south.
Nigeria can be described as a multi-lingual country. Apart from the 3 major languages of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, there are still other sub-ethnic languages such as Urhobo, Nupe, Tiv, Jukun, Kanuri, Birom, Ijaw, Edo and scores of dialects consisted within the major and sub-ethnic languages.
There are varieties of food amongst each of the major ethnic and sub-ethnic groups. The traditional food of the Hausa/Fulani of the North include Tuwo Shinkafa (made from mashed rice grain) and Tuwo masara (made from mashed corn grain) which are served and eaten with Ewedu or Okro soup. The Yorubas' traditional delicacies include Iyan (pounded yam) and Amala (made from cassava or yam flour) and are served and eaten with Ewedu, okro or Egusi soup. Meat of various types also abound. Fish, chicken, beef, pork and bush meat are the varieties from which anyone can choose. Among the Calabar people of Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, Edikan-ikun is a special dish for would-be visitors who have a taste for traditional food. And among the Igbo of Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, Isi-ewu is cherished.
Folklore still features amongst various ethnic groups in Nigeria. Elders tell the stories of their ancestral warlords, stories of man’s didactics, stories to impact morals into the young ones. These stories are told mostly by the moonlight. However because of the prevailing modernisation and urban setting, these stories are now often told on the television and radio.
In the area of sport and relaxation, there are varieties of indoor and outdoor games such as "ayo", wrestling competitions, horse riding, hunting for games, swimming etc. Wrestling competition for example, forms a part of Nigerian village life, both in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. This wrestling duel is often associated with marriage when young suitors would be required to prove their physical prowess to justify their choice of spouse from a particular group. It also used to be a way of identifying young men with strength that could be reckoned with when there was the need for defence from outside attack.
Marriage in Nigeria is not restricted to the major participants; husband and wife. From the choice of partners to the actual contraction of marriage, members of the extended family always have inputs. The pattern of ceremony in the wedding day says much about the level of communal supports, family ties and bond that is still part of Nigeria’s cultures.
Names given to children at birth are usually based on events surrounding their birth, the family professions, family traditional titles, positions held in the family, religious persuasion of the family and so on.
Ancestral worship and veneration of phenomena considered possessing supernatural powers form the bedrock of Nigeria traditional religions. However, Olodumare, (God in Yoruba belief) Chineke or Chukwu (names given to God amongst the Igbo) and Obangidi (God in Hausa language) remain the object of worship amongst traditional religious people.
Almost all the major and sub-ethnic groups in Nigeria have distinctive mode of dressing. The Yoruba men wear agbada (a large flowing gown) buba (moderate gown) sokoto and a cap. The women put on buba, ipele, gele, iro and idiku as ceremonial wears. The ceremonial attire of the male Igbo includes big buba and a wrapper with a cap. The women adorned themselves with buba, iro and gele. The Hausa/Fulani male dress is babariga and sokoto.
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