The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sovereign country located in West Africa. Nigeria should be a powerhouse and the most powerful country in Africa. it is the continent’s biggest oil producer and most populous country.
The current population of Nigeria is 206,438,279 as of July 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data and Nigeria ranks number 7 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
According to preliminary results of the census and subsequent estimates, the most populous cities in Nigeria are Lagos (9 million), Kano (3.6million), Ibadan (3.5 million), Kaduna (1.5 million), Port Harcourt (1.1 million), and Benin City (1.1 million).
Nigeria is also divided along many lines ethnic, religious, economic, and political
See the list of ethnic groups in Nigeria Below
Ethnics Group
Nigeria has Over 250 ethnic groups, with over 500 languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The three most significant groups are Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, together accounting for more than 70% of the population, while the Edo, Ijaw, Fulɓe, Kanuri, Urhobo-Isoko, Ibibio, Ebira, Nupe, Gbagyi, Jukun, Igala, Idoma, and Tiv comprise between 25 and 30%; other minorities make up the remaining 5%.
The three Largest Groups in Nigeria
- Hausa (30%)
- Yoruba (22%)
- Igbo (also seen as Ibo, 18%)
Hausa and Fulani have traditionally dominated in the north, Yoruba in the southwest, Igbo in the east, and Ijaw in the Niger Delta.
Rivalries among ethnic groups are a source of instability. Since 1991.
The middle belt of Nigeria is known for its diversity of ethnic groups, including the Pyem, Goemai, and Kofyar.
The official population count of each of Nigeria’s ethnicities has always remained controversial and disputed as members of different ethnic groups believe the census is rigged to give a particular group (usually believed to be northern groups) numerical superiority.
Language
In Nigeria there are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria; nine of them are now extinct.
In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English. Other widely used languages are Edo, Efik, Fulani, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo (Ibo), Central Kanuri, Yoniba, and Yoruba.
Religion
Nigeria’s population is split primarily between Islam and Christianity is the most widely professed religion. Nigerians are nearly equally divided into Muslims and Christians, Muslims constitute the majority in the north and Christians the majority in the south
Islam dominates North Western (Hausa, Fulani, and others) and a good portion of Northern Eastern (Kanuri, Fulani, and other groups) Nigeria. It also has a number of adherents in the South Western, Yoruba part of the country.
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Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. Protestant and locally cultivated Christianity are also widely practiced in Western areas, while Roman Catholicism is a more prominent Christian feature of South Eastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in the Ibibio, Annang, Efik, Ijo, and Ogoni lands of the south.
In terms of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups, the Hausa ethnic group (predominant in the north) was found to be 95% Muslim and 5% Christian, the Yoruba tribe (predominant in the west) was equally split between Christians and Muslims with 10% adherents of traditional religions, while the Igbos (predominant in the east) and the Ijaw (south) were 98% Christian, with 2% practicing traditional religions.
The middle belt of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who were found to be mostly Christians and members of traditional religions, with a small proportion of Muslims
In early 2006, following news of the publication of derogatory caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, anti-Christian riots broke out in Nigeria, and anti-Muslim reprisals followed. Churches and mosques were destroyed, numerous people were injured, and more than 100 were killed during the violence.
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List of ethnic groups in Nigeria
- Abayon – Cross River State
- Abua (Odual) – Rivers State
- Achipa (Achipawa) – Kebbi State
- Adim – Cross River State
- Adun – Cross River State
- Affade – Yobe State
- Afizere – Plateau State
- Afo – Plateau State
- Agbo – Cross River State
- Akaju-Ndem (Akajuk) – Cross River State
- Akweya-Yachi Benue State
- Alago (Arago) – Plateau State
- Amo – Plateau State
- Anaguta – Plateau State
- Anang – Akwa Ibom State
- Andoni – Akwa Ibom State, Rivers State
- Angas – Bauchi State, Plateau State
- Anioma – Delta State, Edo State, Anambra State, Rivers State
- Ankwei – Plateau State
- Anyima – Cross River State
- Attakar (ataka) – Kaduna State
- Auyoka (Sub-Hausa) – Jigawa State
- Awori – Lagos State, Ogun State
- Ayu – Kaduna State
- Babur (Pabir)/Bura – Adamawa State, Borno State, Taraba State, Yobe State
- Bachama – Adamawa State
- Bachere – Cross River State
- Bada – Plateau State
- Bade – Yobe State
- Baggara Arabs Borno State
- Bahumono – Cross River State
- Bakulung – Taraba State
- Bali – Taraba State
- Bambora (Bambarawa) – Bauchi State
- Bambuko – Taraba State
- Banda (Bandawa) – Taraba State
- Banka (Bankalawa) – Bauchi State
- Banso (Panso) Adamawa State
- Bara (Barawa) – Bauchi State
- Barke – Bauchi State
- Baruba (Batonu) – Kwara State, Niger State
- Bashiri (Bashirawa) – Plateau State
- Bassa – Kaduna State, Kogi State, Niger State, Plateau State
- Batta – Adamawa State
- Baushi – Niger State
- Baya – Adamawa State
- Bekwarra – Cross River
- Bele (Buli, Belewa) – Bauchi State
- Betso (Bete) – Taraba State
- Bette – Cross River State
- Bilei – Adamawa State
- Bille – Adamawa State
- Bina (Binawa) – Kaduna State
- Bini (Edo) – Edo State
- Birom – Plateau State
- Bobua – Taraba State
- Boki (Nki) – Cross River State
- Bokkos – Plateau State
- Boko (Bussawa, Bargawa) – Niger State
- Bole (Bolewa) – Bauchi State, Yobe State
- Botlere Adamawa State
- Boma (Bomawa, Burmano) – Bauchi State
- Bomboro – Bauchi State
- Buduma – Borno State,
- Buji – Plateau State
- Buli – Bauchi State
- Bunu – Kogi State
- Bura/Babur (Pabir) – Adamawa State, Borno State
- Burak – Bauchi State
- Burma (Burmawa) – Plateau State
- Buru – Yobe State
- Buta (Butawa) – Bauchi State
- Bwall – Plateau State
- Bwatiye – Adamawa State
- Bwazza – Adamawa State
- Challa – Plateau State
- Chama (Chamawa Fitilai) – Bauchi State
- Chamba – Taraba State
- Chamo – Bauchi State
- Chibok (Kibaku) – Borno State, Yobe State
- Chinine – Borno State
- Chip – Plateau State
- Chokobo – Plateau State
- Chukkol – Taraba State
- Daba – Adamawa State
- Dadiya – Bauchi State
- Daka – Adamawa State
- Dakarkari – Kebbi State, Niger State
- Danda (Dandawa) – Kebbi State
- Dangsa – Taraba State
- Daza (Dere, Derewa) – Bauchi State
- Degema – Rivers State
- Deno (Denawa) – Bauchi State
- Dghwede – Borno State
- Diba – Taraba State
- Doemak (Dumuk) – Plateau State
- Ouguri – Bauchi State
- Duka (Dukawa) – Kebbi State
- Duma (Dumawa) – Bauchi State
- Ebana (Ebani) – Rivers State
- Ebira – Edo State, Kogi State, Ondo State
- Ebu – Edo State, Kogi State
- Ebu – Edo State, Kogi State
- Efik – Cross River State
- Egbema – Rivers State
- Egede (Igedde) – Benue State
- Eggon Plateau State
- Egun (Gu) – Lagos State, Ogun State
- Ejagham – Cross River State
- Ekajuk – Cross River State
- Eket – Akwa Ibom
- Ekoi – Cross River State
- Ekpeye – Rivers State
- Engenni (Ngene) – Rivers State
- Epie – Bayelsa State
- Esan (Ishan) – Edo State
- Etche – Rivers State
- Etolu (Etilo) – Benue State
- Etsako – Edo State
- Etung – Cross River State
- Etuno – Edo State
- Palli – Adamawa State
- Fulani (Fulbe) – Adamawa State, Bauchi State, Borno State, Gombe State, Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Kwara State, Niger State,Plateau State, Sokoto State, Taraba State, Yobe State ,Zamfara State
- Fyam (Fyem) – Plateau State
- Fyer(Fer) – Plateau State
- Ga’anda – Adamawa State
- Gade – Niger State Nasarawa State
- Galambi – Bauchi State
- Gamergu-Mulgwa – Borno State
- Qanawuri – Plateau State
- Gavako – Borno State
- Gbedde – Kogi State
- Gengle – Taraba State
- Geji – Bauchi State
- Gera (Gere, Gerawa) – Bauchi State
- Geruma (Gerumawa) – Plateau State
- Geruma (Gerumawa) – auchi State
- Gingwak – Bauchi State
- Gira – Adamawa State
- Gizigz – Adamawa State
- Goemai – Plateau State
- Gokana – (Kana) Rivers State
- Gombi – -Adamawa State
- Gornun (Gmun) – Taraba State
- Gonia – Taraba State
- Gubi (Gubawa) – Bauchi State
- Gude – Adamawa State
- Gudu – Adamawa State
- Gure – Kaduna State
- Gurmana – Niger State
- Gururntum – Bauchi State
- Gusu – Plateau State
- Gwa (Gurawa) Adamawa State
- Gwamba – Adamawa State
- Gwandara – Kaduna State, Niger State, Plateau State
- Gwari (Gbagi)- Kaduna State, Kogi State, Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa State, Niger State, Plateau State
- Gwong (Kagoma) – Kaduna State
- Gwom – Taraba State
- Gwoza (Waha) – Borno State
- Gyem – Bauchi State
- Ham (Hyam, Jaba, Jabba) – Kaduna State
- Hausa – Bauchi State, Borno State, Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Niger State, Sokoto State, Taraba State
- Holma – Adamawa State
- Hona – Adamawa State
- Ibeno – Akwa Ibom State
- Ibibio – Akwa Ibom State
- Ichen – Adamawa State
- Idoma – Benue State, Cross River State, Kogi State, Nassarawa State
- Igala – Anambra State , Edo State , Enugu State, Kogi State
- Igbo – Abia State, Anambra State, Delta State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Imo State, Rivers State
- Ijumu – Kogi State
- Ika – Delta State
- Ikom – Cross River State
- Ikwerre – Rivers State
- Irigwe – Plateau State
- Isoko – Delta State, Bayelsa State
- Isekiri (Itsekiri) – Delta State
- Iyala (Iyalla) – Cross River State
- Izon (Ijaw) – Bayelsa State, Delta State, Edo State, Ondo State, Rivers State
- Jahuna (Jahunawa) – Taraba State
- Jaku – Bauchi State
- Jara (Jaar Jarawa Jarawa-Dutse)Bauchi State
- Jere (Jare, Jera, Jera, Jerawa) Bauchi State, Plateau State
- Jero Taraba State
- Jibu – Adamawa State
- Jidda-Abu – Plateau State
- Jimbin (Jimbinawa) – Bauchi State
- Jirai – Adamawa State
- Jonjo (Jenjo) – Taraba State
- Jukun – Bauchi State, Benue State, Plateau State, Taraba State
- Kaba(Kabawa)
- Taraba State – Kadara Kaduna State, Niger State
- Kafanchan – Kaduna State
- Kagoro – Kaduna State
- Kaje (Kache) – Kaduna State
- Kajuru (Kajurawa) – Kaduna State
- Kaka – Adamawa State
- Kamaku (Karnukawa) – Kaduna State, Kebbi State, Niger State
- Kambari – Kebbi State, Niger State
- Kambu – Adamawa State
- Kanakuru (Dera – Adamawa State, Borno State
- Kanembu – Borno State
And Lot More…………
