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Pulse List - 57 Reasons to be Nigerian

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On the 57th Independence anniversary of Nigeria, Pulse brings to you 57 Reasons To Be Nigerian.

  1. Nigeria is the giant of Africa and this is not cliche. The future of the world is geared towards the success of Africa and Nigeria is at a strategic point to be at the centre of this development.
  2. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. One out of every five Africans is a Nigerian. These statistics make many investors want to invest in Nigeria and this is good for the economy.
  3. Nigeria has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There would be immense opportunities for people who are into business.
  4. The taxation system isn’t heavy and rigid. Nigerians are not placed with a heavy tax burden unlike other countries such as England and the United States of America.
  5. Nigeria has a huge agricultural potential that has yet to be untapped. It is a great sector of the economy to invest in.
  6. Nigeria has a big and vibrant youth population. They can be used to push the economy forward, especially in small scale industries.
  7. Nigeria is a country where you can literary shop while in traffic. Hawkers of different goods come out when they notice their is traffic. You can buy anything in traffic from electric irons to other appliances.
  8. Nigeria is very rich when it comes to natural resources. There are at least 400 natural resources in this country according to a 2003 survey.
  9. Nigeria is all about diversity. It has over 250 ethnic groups, countless cuisines and various geographical landscapes. You can’t get enough of Nigeria.
  10. You cannot go a day without laughing in Nigeria. Nigerians are known to have a very great sense of humour.
  11. According to CNN Global Experiences, Nigeria has the 5th sexiest accent in the world.
  12. Nigeria is the home of Nollywood, one of the most prolific and vibrant movie industries in the world.
  13. Indigenous Nigerian languages have a lot of wisdom especially with the use of proverbs. When Nigerians want to pass across a deep message, they say a proverb in their native tongue.
  14. Nigerians are very hospitable people. Pulse’s recent project, #Pulse36 is proof that Nigerians are willing to help strangers.
  15. Nigeria is a country that takes respect very seriously especially respect to older people. It is a written code in our DNA.
  16. Nigeria is a gold mine for tourism with many historical sites and centres waiting to be developed.
  17. Nigerians love the good life and to party. Nigerians will celebrate on for any reason. Nobody knows how to party hard like Nigerians.
  18. Nigeria has one of the most flamboyant wedding industries in the world. The average Nigerian wedding is an event where a lot of spectacles are displayed. The success of the Nollywood film ‘The Wedding Party’  proves that Nigerians are crazy over weddings.
  19. Nigeria has its own brand of English known as Pidgin English. Words like ‘how far?’ and ‘wetin dey happen’ are phrases that only Nigerians can understand. It is exclusive to us.
  20. Nigeria is a country that believes in God, Christian and Muslim. Nigeria is a very religious country and the people believe that God plays a huge role in their daily lives.
  21. Nigerian music has gone beyond Nigeria. It is the sound of many African countries and lately Nigerian pop music has started making waves outside the continent in places like the United Kingdom and America.
  22. Nigeria has produced many reputable musicians from Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and King Sunny Ade. These musical legends have helped put Nigeria on the map.
  23. Nigeria has so many genres of music- from Highlife, pop, rap, gospel, R&B, Reggae, Rock, Afrobeat, Juju and others to listen to.
  24. The Nigerian weather is beautiful. There is no winter. It’s either sunny or rainy. A lot of foreigners appreciate the Nigerian weather especially when there is winter in Europe.
  25. Nigeria isn’t prone to natural disasters. Typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters do not happen in this country.
  26. Nigerians love to travel. Go to anywhere on this planet and you will see a Nigerian. If you go to any foreign country, you will surely see a Nigerian to bond with. You can call Nigerians black Jews because of this.
  27. Nigeria's proud culture can be found in places like Brazil, Cuba and Haiti. The transatlantic slave trade took millions of Nigerians and placed them in plantation fields in North and South America. Today, the descendants of these slaves still hold on to the Nigerian culture.
  28. Several surveys have shown that Nigerians are the happiest people on earth. No matter the circumstances or conditions, Nigerians will always find a way to be happy.
  29. Nigeria has produced some of the best doctors in the world. Most of the black doctors in the United States of America are Nigerian.
  30. Not only does Nigeria have business moguls, it has one of the richest men and richest women in the world, Aliko Dangote and Folorunsho Alakija respectively.
  31. Nigeria is the first African country to have designed, built and launched a satellite (NigeriaSat-X) into space.
  32. Nigeria has produced some of the best writers in the world, from Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Wole Soyinka and others. Nigerian authors have sold millions of copies worldwide.
  33. Nigeria has one of the best teams in Africa, the Super Eagles. The three times champions of Africa are regarded by world football analysts to be highly entertaining and skillful. Some of Nigeria’s football stars to have succeeded in Europe are Kanu Nwankwo, John Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, and Finidi George.
  34. Nigeria has some of the most beautiful women in the world. Agbani Darego in 2001 won the Miss World beauty pageant, making her the first black African to do so. Oluchi Orlandi (then Oluchi Onweagba) won the maiden edition of the Nokia Face of Africa in 1998. She has gone on to become one of the top models in the world.
  35. Nigerians are some of the smartest people in the world. There are tons of stories of Nigerians creating a new academic record. Recently, Eugene C.X. Ikejemba, a 27-year-old Nigerian, who has sets fabulous records in a doctorate degree in the Netherlands.
  36. Nigeria has produced giants in the field of Economics and Finance. Some of these people are Ngozi Okonjo IwealaObiageli Ezekwesili, Mr Adebayo Ogunlesi and others.
  37. Nigerians are very confident no matter where they are. You can easily spot a Nigerian in another country in the way he walks with so much confidence. In a room of Africans, you would easily know who is Nigerian.
  38. Nigerians know to hustle and grind. A Nigerian will make something of himself no matter how bad the conditions are. Nigerians work hard and never give up. It can never be said that Nigerians are lazy.
  39. Nigerians are resilient and optimistic. No matter how bad things get, Nigerians will keep moving on and be hopeful for a better day. The average Nigerian will keep on going in tough times.
  40. Nigeria is great at other sports such as track and field. Nigeria is a black powerhouse for track and field especially at the Olympics. Great Nigerian athletes include Mary Onyali, Falilat Ogunkoya and Chioma Ajunwa who won Nigeria’s first gold at the Olympics.
  41. Nigeria has produced great boxers from many decades such as legends like Hogan Bassey and Dick Tiger to new champions like Samuel Peters and Anthony Joshua.
  42. Beyond Nollywood, Nigeria has produced top international actors in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Some of these actors are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Yvonne Orji, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, Uzo Aduba, Nonso Anozie, David Oyelowo and others.
  43. Nigerians are generally peace loving people. This is why Nigeria has led several peace keeping efforts in Africa. We are regarded as the peacemakers of the continent.
  44. Nigeria is an African military powerhouse. It has one of the best military set-ups in the continent. Nigerian soldiers are revered all over Africa.
  45. Nigeria has opened itself to take in refugees from war torn countries. This shows how much we care about our neighbours from nearby African countries.
  46. Nigerians have the best Jollof rice in the world. While there are other African countries who have their own Jollof rice but everybody knows that Nigerian Jollof is the absolute best.
  47. Nigeria’s political climate is very stable. While there are still African countries ruled by dictators, Nigeria has been under democratic rule since 1999 and has had successful general elections.
  48. In a time of crisis, Nigerians come together. In 2014, Nigeria became the first African country to eliminate ebola.
  49. Compared to other countries, Nigeria has a low cost of living. In almost all the states, the cost of living is very cheap when compared to international standards.
  50. Nigerians love fashion and style. You can see this affection for fashion at social events such as weddings, birthday parties and general social functions. Nigerians are actually some of the best dressed Africans.
  51. Nigeria has produced some of the biggest men of God within the last 50 years such as Pastor E.A Adeboye. Nigeria is one of the most pentecostal nations on earth.
  52. If you are a Muslim, Nigeria is a nation that ideal for your faith. Nigeria has a rich Islamic culture and has more Muslims than Saudi Arabia- the capital of Islam.
  53. Nigeria is a land of invention and inventors. The country has produced great inventors over the years such as Jelani Aliyu who is said to have been involved in designing Chevrolet for General Motors and Ndubuisi Ekekwe who invented microchips used in surgical robots.
  54. Nigerians are very adaptable. They know how to survive in any condition or environment they find themselves in. This has helped push the entrepreneurial drive of many Nigerians over the decades.
  55. Nigeria has a thriving tech scene. The growth of several startups in Yaba, Lagos (known as Yabacon) is testament to this. The tech scene has attracted a global power player like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the attention of industry giant Google. The tech scene in Nigeria is predicted to grow immensely within the next few years.
  56. Nigeria is very rich in arts and culture. The country has produced many famous painters and sculptors. Recently there has been an interest in Nigerian culture from global pop culture celebrities such as Beyonce. Nigeria is rich in culture and arts.
  57. Despite all the numerous challenges and problems, Nigeria still remains one indivisible country bound by hope that things will become better.

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