The culture of Nigeria is shaped by Nigeria's multiple ethnic groups. The country has 527 languages, seven of which are extinct. Nigeria also has over 1,150 dialects and ethnic groups.
Distribution of major ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Ethnic Diversity
The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausas that are predominantly in the north, the Yorubas who predominate in the southwest, and the Igbos in the southeast. There are many other ethnic groups with sizeable populations across the different parts of the country. The Kanuri people are located in the northeast part of Nigeria, the Tiv people are in the north central, and the Efik-Ibibio are in the south South. Nigeria's other ethnic groups, sometimes called 'minorities', are found throughout the country but especially in the north and the middle belt. The traditionally nomadic Fulani can be found all over West and Central Africa.
- Hausa and Fulani: The Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups are said to be one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, if not the largest, with a population of over 20 million people. The Hausa and Fulani live in the northern part of Nigeria. They are both different tribes, but are often counted as one due to cultural similarity.
- Igbo: The Igbo people, commonly and often referred to as Ibo people, are one of the largest ethnic groups to ever exist in Africa; they have a total population of about 20 million people. Most people who are a part of this ethnic group are based in the southeastern part of Nigeria, they contribute to about 17 percent of the country's population.
- Yoruba: The Yoruba people are said to be one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, alongside the Igbo and the Hausa-Fulani peoples. They are concentrated in the southwestern section of Nigeria, much smaller and scattered groups of Yoruba people live in Benin and northern Togo and they are numbered to be more than 20 million at the turn of the 21st century.
- Ijaw: The Ijaw people are said to be a collection of people that are native to the Niger Delta area in Nigeria. With a population of about 4 million, the Ijaws inhabit the Niger Delta section and they make up about 1.8% of Nigeria's population.
- Bini: The Binis, also called the Edo people, are a people of the South South region of modern Nigeria; they are said to be around 3.8 million as of the 21st century. They are an ethnic group that is primarily found in Edo State, and spread across the Delta, Ondo, and Rivers states of Nigeria in smaller concentrations.
Religion
The Fulani and the Hausa are almost entirely Muslim, while the Igbo are almost completely Christian and so are the Bini and the Ibibio. The eastern part of Nigeria is the home of the Igbos, who are mostly Christians. Their traditional religion is known as Omenani/Omenala.
Both concepts, each an aspect of a single whole, aspire to protect and preserve the purity, sanctity and sacredness of the land and the people therein. 'Omenana' is man-made; it is easily changed and is adaptable. 'Odinana', on the contrary, is a code of life, handed down from Chukwu, God the Creator, to Eri, the patriarch of the Igbo race, to prevent chaos and confusion.
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The earth spirit, Ana, is 'Odinana', as is the sacred role of yam in the Igbo world, the right of inheritance, and the place of the elder. 'Odinana', as the immutable customary rites and traditions of the Igbo world, is enduring and cuts across indigenous Igbo people, while 'Omenana' is rather relative from one section of the Igbo to the other.
Traditional Governance
Socially, the Igbos are led by monarchs who had limited power historically. These figures are expected to confer subordinate titles upon men and women that are highly accomplished. Ever since the country's earliest centralization - under the Nokites at a time contemporaneous to the birth of Jesus Christ - Nigeria has been ruled by a class of titled potentates that are known as chiefs.
Although chiefs have few official powers today, they are widely respected, and prominent monarchs are often courted to endorse politicians during elections in the hopes of them conferring legitimacy to their campaigns by way of doing so.
Arts and Literature
Nigeria is famous for its English language literature. Nigerian Nobel laureate -Wole Soyinka described the work as "the first novel in English which spoke from the interior of the African character, rather than portraying the African as an exotic, as the white man would see him." Nigeria has other notable writers of English language literature. These include Femi Osofisan, whose first published novel, Kolera Kolej, was produced in 1975; Ben Okri, whose first work, The Famished Road, was published in 1991, and Buchi Emecheta, who wrote stories drawn from her personal experiences of gender inequity that promote viewing women through a single prism of the ability to marry and have children.
Nigeria has a rich artistic heritage, including both traditional and contemporary art forms. From the naturalistic statues produced at Ife to the bronzes made for the king of Benin, Nigerian artists have crafted art that is world famous. The terra-cotta figurines of the Nok are some of the earliest statues in existence from sub-Saharan Africa.
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A Nok head, made of terra-cotta, found near Jemaa, Nigeria.
Ekpe masks and ikenga (personal shrines) from the Igbo in eastern Nigeria and ibeji (twin) sculptures from the Yoruba in western Nigeria are just three examples of the art produced in pre-colonial Nigeria. While many artists still work in these traditions, more-contemporary artists, who combine African and Western traditions, also abound.
Music and Dance
The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music, some of which are known worldwide. The singer and social activist Fela Kuti was instrumental in Nigeria's musical development. Traditional musicians use a number of diverse instruments, such as Gongon drums. Other traditional cultural expressions are found in the various masquerades of Nigeria, such as the Eyo masquerades of Lagos, the Ekpe and Ekpo masquerades of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang/Igbo people of the South-South and southeastern Nigeria, and the Northern masquerades of the Bini.
Music and dance are integral to Nigerian culture, and each ethnic group has its own specialties. Traditional instruments include various types of flutes, trumpets, musical bows, xylophones, and wooden clappers, as well as many varieties of drums. Music is used to celebrate rulers and to accompany public assemblies, weddings and funerals, festivals, and storytelling.
Nigerian contemporary music, which combines Western popular music with indigenous forms, has been exported throughout the world and has had wide influence. Notable musicians include King Sunny Ade, who performed in a style called juju that combines the sounds of several guitars, vocals, and talking drums; and the politically charged Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, whose music is characterized by short songs and extended instrumental pieces.
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Fashion
Historically, Nigerian fashion incorporated many different types of fabrics. Cotton has been used for over 500 years for fabric-making in Nigeria. Silk (called tsamiya in Hausa, sanyan in Yoruba, and akpa-obubu in Igbo) is also used. Perhaps the most popular fabric used in Nigerian fashion is Dutch wax print, produced in the Netherlands.
Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups and as a result, a wide variety of traditional clothing styles. In the Yoruba tradition, women wear an iro (wrapper), buba (loose shirt) and gele (head-wrap). The men wear buba (long shirt), sokoto (baggy trousers), agbada (flowing robe with wide sleeves) and fila (a hat).
In the Igbo tradition, the men's cultural attire is Isiagu (a patterned shirt), which is worn with trousers and the traditional Igbo men's hat called Okpu Agwu. The women wear a puffed sleeved blouse, two wrappers and a headwrap. Hausa men wear barbarigas or kaftans (long flowing gowns) with tall decorated hats.
Cuisine
Nigerian food offers a rich blend of traditionally African carbohydrates such as yam and cassava as well as the vegetable soups with which they are often served. Nigerian beans, quite different from green peas, are widely popular. Meat is also popular and Nigerian suya-a barbecue-like roasted meat-is a well-known delicacy.
Other examples of their traditional dishes are eba, pounded yam, iyan, fufu and soups like okra, ogbono and egusi. Nigeria is known for its many traditional dishes. Each tribe has different dishes that are unique to their culture.
Social Customs and Traditions
With around 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria has an extensive and diverse list of traditions and customs that Nigerians live by. While a majority of these traditions are similar to those from other parts of the world, here are some of the unique Nigerian traditions and customs.
- Pre-Marital Introduction Ceremonies: No matter how long you’ve been courting your partner, the relationship remains unrecognised until the formal introduction ceremony. After the bride-to-be’s family accepts the official proposal, both families share food and drinks.
- Three Weddings: Nigerians are expected to have three different wedding ceremonies: the traditional wedding, the court wedding, and the church/mosque wedding.
- Omugwo (After-Birth Care): After a mother gives birth to her baby, her mother-in-law comes to the home to take care of the new mother and her.
- Nwaboy (Servicehood/Apprenticeship): This tradition requires that a young boy/man leaves his family home with an older, rich relative or family friend for “training”. At the end of his training, he is given his “freedom”-a tidy sum to start a business.
- “Sunday Rice”: Sunday rice is a weekly fixture in most Nigerian homes. Sunday rice is usually plain-white rice and stew (made with tomatoes and pepper) with chicken, beef, or fish.
- Child Dedication Ceremony: The purpose of a dedication is essentially to thank god for the baby’s presence and present it as a loyal servant.
- Spraying Money: At grandly-organised weddings, burials, child naming or dedications, and birthdays, people come forward while dancing to rain money on those on the dance floor.
- Greeting Elders: For example, certain tribes require a female to kneel on the floor or curtsy to greet an elder, while males are expected to prostrate, squat, or bow completely to the ground.
- Looking ‘Fresh’ on Your Wedding Day: The extent of happiness and well-being of the bride is practically expected to be physically viewed in how healthy and radiant she looks by the time her wedding day rolls around.
- Right Hand Only: Nigerians see it as a sign of disrespect and disgusting to greet, eat, hand over, or collect things from people with your left hand unless you’re left-handed or have no right arm.
Nollywood
Since the 1990s the Nigerian movie industry, sometimes called "Nollywood", has emerged as a fast-growing cultural force all over Africa.
Sports
The Nigerian national football team, nicknamed the "Super Eagles", is the national team of Nigeria, run by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). According to the FIFA World Rankings, Nigeria ranks 42nd and holds the sixth-highest place among the African nations. Other than football, basketball, handball and volleyball are also prominent in the Nigerian sports sector.
Language
Apart from the speakers of standard English, a large portion of the population, roughly a third, speaks Nigerian pidgin, which has a primarily English lexicon. It has become a common lingua franca as a result. Pidgin English is a creolized form of the language. For instance, "How you dey" means "How are you".
Family Life
Most Nigerian households consist of a mother, father, and children, and many include grandparents, uncles, and aunts as well. In Nigeria, family sizes vary. In most Nigerian families, the father is considered the head of the house. He makes most decisions and is the primary breadwinner for the family. Women are usually responsible for childrearing and household duties. In most families in Nigeria, children eat separately from adults. Nigerians have tremendous respect for their elders.
Key Facts and Statistics
Here are some key facts about Nigeria:
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea |
| Capital | Abuja |
| Population (2025 est.) | 232.7 million |
| Ethnic Groups | Over 250 (Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%) |
| Religions | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% |
| Languages | 521 (510 living, 2 second languages without native speakers, 9 extinct) |
