19 Things I Learned in Nigeria

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In the Wait But Why blog post 19 Things I Learned in Nigeria, Tim Urban shares his travel experience in Nigeria and provides insights into various aspects of the country. The post begins by highlighting the stark contrast between his previous experience in Japan and Nigeria. He highlighted the vast differences in cleanliness, orderliness, and safety between the two countries.

Urban provides an overview of Nigeria, emphasizing its status as the most populous African country with approximately 179 million people, along with a young population and high fertility rate, giving it a young median age of 18.2.. The post also delves into Nigeria's ethnic diversity, highlighting the challenges and dynamics that arise from having 250 different ethnic groups and 510 languages.

Religion is another significant aspect covered in the article, with Nigeria being divided between Muslims and Christians. Urban discusses how religious extremism has led to violence and instability in the country. He also touches upon the religious and political tensions influenced by the three largest ethnic groups: Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.

The post provides insights into Nigeria's land area, comparing it to the size of two Californias. Additionally, Tim explores Nigeria's economy, attributing its strength to significant oil reserves, but also addressing issues of corruption, unemployment, and poverty.

To provide historical context, the article briefly discusses Nigeria's ancient civilizations, British colonization, and struggle for independence. The country's history of coups and its ongoing quest for stability and democracy are also mentioned.

A significant portion of the article focuses on Urban’s personal experience with a Nigerian family, the Adebayos. He highlights the family's hospitality and the role of Femi, a member of the family, who acted as his guide and provided valuable insights into Nigerian life. Femi's dedication to supporting his siblings and acting as a father figure is emphasized.

Tim then lists the 19 things he learned in Nigeria:

1. Nigerian children are very expressive when on planes.

2. Even though English is a common language in Nigeria, there is such a thick accent it’s sometimes hard to tell whether they’re speaking English or the local Nigerian language.

3. Racism against Asians is common and accepted in Nigeria.

4. There are frequent power outages, averaging 10 per day, impacting daily life and productivity. The infrastructure in general, including the highways, is broken and unreliable.

5. He noticed while visiting Nigeria that being white made him very conspicuous there. He saw the word "oyinbo" written on a truck, which he learned means "white man" in a local language. Since leaving the airport, he hadn't seen any other white people.

In rural areas, people would do surprised double-takes when they saw him, delighted by the rare sighting. The author sensed no negativity, only exceptional friendliness, despite being called "oyinbo" constantly.

He explains that kids would often study or touch his hand or hair, which a local friend explained was because they likely had never seen a white person up close before. The author provides an example image of kids fascinated by his pale arm. He concludes that while race relations in Nigeria are complex, his own experience was marked by intrigue and positivity from locals.

6. A guy told him he has 20 half siblings because his dad had 7 wives.

7. It’s illegal to be gay in Nigeria.

8. You could pick up a baby’s arm as a handle without hurting the baby.

9. A lot of people think that the president, Goodluck Johnathan, is incompetent in dealing with Boko Haram, a terrorist group, and that the president he replaced (the last president died and Goodluck was the vice president) would’ve done much better. He also learned that Goodluck is a common first name in Nigeria, and Johnathan a common last name.

10. Most Nigerians believe that the very wealthy in Nigeria don’t care about the people, that they have a lot of control over the government, and that this is far worse than in “your country”.

11. The Nigerian film industry, known as Nollywood, is the second-largest in the world.

12. Education holds great significance in Nigeria, with the country placing high value on it. While the reverence for education is a universal concept, it is particularly prominent in Nigeria. An example of this can be seen in the 2006 US census, which identified Nigerians living in the US as the "highest educated ethnic or racial group in the country." Remarkably, 17% of this group possessed a master's degree or higher, highlighting the emphasis placed on education within the Nigerian community.

13. In many cultures, including Nigeria, using the left hand is considered taboo due to its association with uncleanliness. Tim has encountered this taboo multiple times in various regions, such as the Middle East and Asia. He has made mistakes by using his left hand inappropriately, such as touching food or handing objects to others. Each time, he was scolded for their actions. The cultural belief is that the left hand is reserved for dirty tasks, while the right hand is kept clean for activities that require cleanliness. Urban gained a deeper understanding of this practice after spending four days in a rural area with no access to soap, realizing the importance of maintaining hygiene for health reasons.

14. It’s okay for friends in Nigeria to hold hands with each other. When Femi did this the first time, Tim was shocked, seeing as that only ever happened in his experience between people who were in love with each other. He later was prepared when Femi’s brother did it.

15. You only need a ping pong ball to play ping pong, with a photo attached showing how a makeshift table was made, with rocks as paddles.

16. You can fit up to 20 chickens on the roof of your car, with photo proof.

17. It was fun to wrap a baby’s face in cloth.

18. Nigeria has a well-known reputation for corruption and scams, which can be traced from the top to the bottom of society. Every government since Nigeria's independence in 1960 has been accused of corruption, and even recent elections have been criticized for vote-rigging. Dealing with corrupt lower-level officials is a common occurrence, with bribes being expected during encounters with police officers, security guards, and checkpoint officers. Nigerian scams, such as the infamous "Nigerian prince" emails or Craigslist scams, are widely recognized worldwide. These scams have evolved over time, and scammers, known as "Yahoos," have moved on to targeting individuals in countries like Denmark and Norway. Despite the prevalence of scams, most Nigerians are honest people who are negatively affected by the reputation associated with these fraudulent activities. Overall, Nigeria faces challenges with corruption and scams alongside other issues such as government instability, inequality, religious violence, health problems, and poverty.

19. According to a study conducted by the World Values Survey, Nigeria has been identified as the world's happiest nation. This finding may seem surprising, but there are two explanations for this:

1) Religion plays a significant role in Nigerian society. Islam has been influential in the northern region of Nigeria for centuries, while Christianity gained momentum in the country during the 1980s and 1990s. The rise of Evangelicalism, in particular, has had a profound impact on Nigerian culture. The strong religious beliefs and practices in the country may contribute to the happiness of its people, especially during challenging times.

2) Nigerians exhibit a remarkable level of optimism. Multiple Gallup polls conducted in 2010 and 2011 ranked Nigeria as the most optimistic nation in the world. Optimism has long been linked to happiness in psychology, and Nigerians tend to maintain a positive outlook on life despite difficult circumstances. The author's personal experiences in Nigeria also support this observation, as they encountered individuals with big ambitions and a sense of excitement about the future.

This finding further emphasizes the notion that happiness is primarily influenced by one's mindset rather than external factors.

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