11 Reasons To be Proud Of Being A Nigerian

Nigeria is respected as the most populous black nation and one of the powerhouses of Africa yet so many of its citizens are not proud to be associated with her. Nigeria just celebrated her 55 years of independence, yet some of her citizens do not see any reason to celebrate since 50 percent of the masses are still living in abject poverty.

But even in the direst situations, there is always light at the end of the tunnel because when there is life, there is hope. Despite the fact that there is poverty in Nigeria and there are diseases, and our politicians are syphoning our hard-earned money and the nation seems to be on the brink of full-fledged war with terrorism, there are still a thousand and one reasons to be proud of Nigeria.

There are too many reasons why we still have to be thankful for being Nigerians rather than Cameroonians or even Britons or Americans and those reasons are what we want to show you.

Even when Nigerians don’t love the country, other people around the world do and there are many reasons why Nigeria has become the love of millions of people around the world. It begins with our beautiful lifestyle and spreads to our unrivalled sense of humour, our amazing landscapes and our tasty and spicy food. We are indeed a blessed country of extraordinary variety.

Nigeria may not be a perfect country, of course; we’ve got no perfect country in the world and this is why we feel compelled to stand up for the nation of our birth. We have listed 11 reasons why you should be proud to be a Nigerian:

1. We are Talented People

Nigerians are outrageously talented and you see that everywhere. No matter where we find ourselves, we perform excellently. Distance is no barrier and we do not let the foreign environment affect us. We’ve just got the brains!

There is no field in this world where we have not made our marks, talk about the prestigious Nobel Prize, sports, the world of blogging and internet, entertainment, politics, medicine, engineering, etc. Just name any field and we would tell the Nigerians who are making waves there. Time and time again, we’ve seen Nigerians excel in one thing or the other. We have the prominent novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka and recently, Uzodinma Iweala, whose novel, “Beasts of No Nation” was bought by NETFLIX for $12 million, among so many others.

2. We Still Fear God

Nigerians still have moral values, born out of our deep religious inclinations and beliefs. We believe in God and, that He is at the centre of everything we do. Our faith in God is not void. People are truly spiritual and demonstrate this in their religious activities. You can worship your God in Nigeria without anyone stopping you from demonstrating what you believe in.

3. We Still Respect the Traditional Family Values

Nigerians have a deep respect for family values. Amid changing family values in the world today, Nigeria is not likely to lose their strong family values. The LGBT agenda is “alien” to our culture, little wonder why it was rejected out-rightly on the floor of our National Assembly, upholding the values we believe in as a nation. Even in the family setting, children show respect for the elders, following traditions. This is who we are.

4. We are Dodged, Happy and Resilient

We always find a way to be happy in the midst of pain. It is in Nigeria that ugly situations are turned to be dramatic, little wonder we are called the happiest people on earth. We do not bow to the pressure of ill circumstances, we rise above them. We have seen it all when it comes to hardship and turbulence as a nation; yet, we ride on. In the midst of fear, challenges, difficulties, pains, frustrations and anger, we still find the courage to be happy.

5. We are Geographically Blessed

Nigerians have God to thank for this. Mother Nature has so blessed our country with not only beautiful land mass but also, breath-taking destinations you can visit for tourism. From Obudu Cattle Ranch to Lagos Bar Beach, to mention but a few, you can see adorable landscapes that you will think it’s just a painting. Nigeria is blessed.

6. We are Blessed with Resources

Nigeria is blessed with all kinds of resources – both tapped and untapped. Littered across every state of the nation are all sorts of resources. Crude oil is the most pronounced and accounts for about 35% of the gross domestic product. This makes Nigeria one of the wealthiest countries in the African continent. But others abound in their abundance, which as the global oil market is taking a plunge, we can decide to shift our attention to.

7. We are Very Industrious

Nigerians are very creative and industrious. When it comes to business, there is nothing we love more than blazing the trails. We enjoy making things come to life. It doesn’t matter where we find ourselves, no matter the situation, we push forward and create life in our environment. We create businesses out of nothing and survive the worst economic recession because we are smart entrepreneurs. Anytime a Nigerian starts a business around you, better buy shares because when you return in few years, you will meet a conglomerate.

8. We are Rich in Culture

Nigeria is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. We are a multi-ethnic nation which means we are endowed with various cultural values. From the Igbos to the Tiv, to the Urhobos, to the Hausa/Fulani, down to the Efiks, we are never in want of cultural displays.

9. We have a Sense of Oneness

Nigeria is one. You may not believe us but you only need to go outside the shores of the nation to understand what we mean. We have a communal spirit. Irrespective of the seeming disunity along ethnic lines, the spirit is one. We are quick to jump into the embrace of other Nigerians once we meet outside the country and realize their identity. We become at home with them.

10. We have the Freedom that People in most Countries only Dream of

Nigeria is a free country. It can be a haven for you. There are things that are not obtainable in other countries (at least not for free), that you can find in Nigeria. One example is that you don’t need to be scared of getting parking space tickets or over speeding fines in Nigeria. You have an overwhelming freedom of expression and association and can be who you really want to become without harassment.

11. Food is not a Problem

Nigeria is synonymous with food. We are richly blessed in that regard. There are special dishes from various tribes. The South-South region of the country is more often than not referred to as the region of soups.

Share with us why you are proud to be a Nigerian in the comment below.

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