Nigeria is a nation that is blessed by God in various ways. But like every other nation, it has its upsides as well as its downsides. The following are some the things; Nigeria is known for.
Oil
The greatest thing that Nigeria as a country is known for is its oil production and its numeral oil reserves. Oil production has put Nigeria in the world map of oil producing countries amongst other nations. Oil was first discovered in the country in the year 1956 at Oloibiri in Niger Delta. In the year 1971, Nigeria joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which was founded in the year 1960 to monitors the stability of the petroleum market.
Up till date, Nigeria is still the largest producer of oil in Africa and oil is the greatest source of revenue for the Nigerian government (almost 70%) and it also is the leading sector of the nation’s economy accounting for close to 95% of our foreign exchange earnings.
Culture
The culture of Nigeria is multi-ethnic as is its people. However, irrespective of the diverse culture and people in the country, each culture has something that is unique about them be it in their languages, type of dance, kind of music, as well as their literature, beliefs, values and philosophy. Nigeria is comprised of three major ethnic groups and they are; Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani, and Igbo.
Each ethnic group has a unique way of dressing, kind of food they eat, and in arts and crafts. The different arts and crafts found in Nigeria include wood carving, pottery, cloth weaving, metal works and so on. One dish that is synonymous with Hausas is Tuwo masara and miyan taushe soup. In the east, they eat Fufu and Ofe Aku, while in the west, a popular dish is Amala and Ewedu.
Terrorism
Every country has its bright areas as well as its dark ones and as much as there are positives, there has to be a negative. It is sad to say, but the truth is, Nigeria has become a ground for terrorist activities and operations. Various sects have risen to bring about fear and wreak havoc in the nation. The most prominent of these terrorist groups is the widely known Boko Haram that is responsible for a lot of deaths and arson in the country for a long time during the rule of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Because of ‘Boko Haram’ and ‘Fulani Herdsmen’, Nigeria as a country has been branded, a terrorist nation. Thus, making the country more famous than is meet when the country was only known for oil production.
Corruption
Corruption exists in virtually all countries in the world. It is not just characteristic of Nigeria alone. Be that as it may, corruption has been on the rise in almost every area or sector in the country. For a long time, Nigerian elected leaders have promised to rid the nation of corruption, but all of them have failed to do that no matter how hard they tried. Even terrorism is believed to have risen because of corruption. Member of the Boko Haram were reported at some point to be using sophisticated weapons that even the Nigerian military didn’t have.
Also, reports of embezzlement of funds have been rampant in the nation for a long time and even when some of the officials guilty of the crime are caught, most of them somehow escape justice and this is all because of the corrupt nature of the country. However, no such reports have been broadcasted since the present administration went into office.
Entertainment
One other thing Nigeria is known for around the world is her entertainment industry. In the movie industry for example, Nigeria has raised stars such as Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Genevieve Nnaji, and Ramsey Noah amongst others who have played as characters in some of our Nigerian movies. Internationally, Genevieve Nnaji has also made a mark in scenery. Nollywood is widely recognized amongst other movie industries in the world like Hollywood (US) and Bollywood (India).
When we talk music, Nigerian artistes are also shining in the world music industry. Artistes such as Davido, D-banj, Starboy (Wizkid), Olamide, Phyno, 2Baba, Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Omawumi, Asa, and many others have written some popular songs that have been recognized both internationally and locally.
