Education: Nigeria is making a steady progress in the development of education. Many universities and schools have been established by the state. However, much still needs to be done.
Primary education in Nigeria is in the native language but brings in English in the third year. Higher Education has developed considerably over the years, which has resulted in a healthy literacy rate.
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Food: Food in Daily Life. Western influences, especially in urban centers, have transformed Nigerian eating habits in many ways. City dwellers are familiar with the canned, frozen, and prepackaged foods found in most Western-style supermarkets. Foreign restaurants also are common in larger cities. However, supermarkets and restaurants often are too expensive for the average Nigerian; thus only the wealthy can afford to eat like Westerners. Most urban Nigerians seem to combine traditional cuisine with a little of Western-style foods and conveniences. Rural Nigerians tend to stick more with traditional foods and preparation techniques.
Food in Nigeria is traditionally eaten by hand. However, with the growing influence of Western culture, forks and spoons are becoming more common, even in remote villages. Whether people eat with their hand or a utensil, it is considered dirty and rude to eat using the left hand.
While the ingredients in traditional plates vary from region to region, most Nigerian cuisine tends to be based around a few staple foods accompanied by a stew. In the south, crops such as corn, yams, and sweet potatoes form the base of the diet. These vegetables are often pounded into a thick, sticky dough or paste. This is often served with a palm oilbased stew made with chicken, beef, goat, tomatoes, okra, onions, bitter leaves, or whatever meats and vegetables might be on hand. Fruits such as papaya, pineapples, coconuts, oranges, mangoes, and bananas also are very common in the tropical south.
In the north, grains such as millet, sorghum, and corn are boiled into a porridge-like dish that forms the basis of the diet. This is served with an oilbased soup usually flavored with onions, okra, and tomatoes. Sometimes meat is included, though among the Hausa it is often reserved for special occasions. Thanks to the Fulani cattle herders, fresh milk and yogurt are common even though there may not be refrigeration.
Alcohol is very popular in the south but less so in the north, where there is a heavy Islamic influence. Perhaps the most popular form of alcohol is palm wine, a tart alcoholic drink that comes from palm trees. Palm wine is often distilled further to make a strong, ginlike liquor. Nigerian breweries also produce several kinds of beer and liquor.
Read more: Culture of Nigeria - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz1IHPR2GbO
While the ingredients in traditional plates vary from region to region, most Nigerian cuisine tends to be based around a few staple foods accompanied by a stew. In the south, crops such as corn, yams, and sweet potatoes form the base of the diet. These vegetables are often pounded into a thick, sticky dough or paste. This is often served with a palm oilbased stew made with chicken, beef, goat, tomatoes, okra, onions, bitter leaves, or whatever meats and vegetables might be on hand. Fruits such as papaya, pineapples, coconuts, oranges, mangoes, and bananas also are very common in the tropical south.
In the north, grains such as millet, sorghum, and corn are boiled into a porridge-like dish that forms the basis of the diet. This is served with an oilbased soup usually flavored with onions, okra, and tomatoes. Sometimes meat is included, though among the Hausa it is often reserved for special occasions. Thanks to the Fulani cattle herders, fresh milk and yogurt are common even though there may not be refrigeration.
Alcohol is very popular in the south but less so in the north, where there is a heavy Islamic influence. Perhaps the most popular form of alcohol is palm wine, a tart alcoholic drink that comes from palm trees. Palm wine is often distilled further to make a strong, ginlike liquor. Nigerian breweries also produce several kinds of beer and liquor.
Read more: Culture of Nigeria - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz1IHPR2GbO
Arts & Literature: Nigerian art traditionally served a social or religious purpose and did not exist for the sake of art per se. For example, dance was used to teach or to fulfill some ritualistic goal. Sculpture was used in blessings, in healing rituals, or to ward off bad luck. With increasing modernization, however, Nigerian art is becoming less oriented to a particular purpose. In some cases, Nigerians have abandoned whole forms of art because they no longer served a purpose. For example, the elaborate tombstones once widely produced by the Ibibio are becoming increasingly rare as Western-style cemeteries are replacing traditional burial grounds.
Read more: Culture of Nigeria - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz1IHQxVFnL and
Nigeria has a long and incredibly rich literary history. Nigerians are traditionally storytellers. Much of precolonial history in Nigeria is the result of stories handed down from generation to generation. With colonization and the introduction of reading, writing, and the English language, Nigerian storytellers soon began sharing their talents with a worldwide audience. Perhaps Nigeria's most famous writer is Wole Soyinka, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature. His most famous works include A Dance of the Forests, The Swamp Dwellers, and The Lion and the Jewel. Other famous Nigerian authors include Chinua Achebe, whose Things Fall Apart is a favorite among Western schools as an example of the problems inflicted on African societies during colonization, and Ben Okri, whose novel The Famished Road won Britain's 1991 Booker Prize.
Read more: Culture of Nigeria - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz1IHR8aPzJ
SPORTS: History of Sports In Nigeria :Before independence, few Nigerians had taken the world 
sporting arena by storm, beating close rivals to emerge champions.One remembers the likes of Emmanuel lfejuna who won a gold medal in high jump during the Commonwealth games in 1954, Hogan"Kid"Bassey who became the world featherweight boxing king in 1957 and Dick Tiger who won the middleweight crown and later the world light heavyweight crown. Within 34 years, Nigerian sportsmen and women have entrenched Nigeria's name firmly on the map of great sporting nations. Though, the country is yet to win a gold medal in the Olympics, the country is known to possess great athletes and that it is a matter of time before the country gets to the optimum in the global fiesta.
Sports began to take serious roots in the country in 1963 when the National Sports Commission (NSC) began to function under Abraham Ordia as secretary. The 60's was a period of laying foundations and the only visible achievement was the qualification of Nigeria's Green Eagles for the Olympic games held in Mexico in 1968.
In 1973, Nigeria hosted the 2nd All-Africa games in Lagos and also introduced the national sports festival as a way of discovering athletes to represent the country try in continental and international meets. The first meeting in Lagos attracted about 6,000 athletes.
The 1970's also witnessed tremendous achievements. Nigeria's senior football team won a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games while the country's contingent to the games won an overall Second position on the medals table. 1976 and 1977 saw the country tasting victories in continental championships through IICC Shooting Stars and Rangers International of Enugu in the Cup Winners Cup Competition.
The country's record of achievements continued in the 1980s with series of achievements especially in football. The bronze medals won in 1976 and 1978 in the African Cup of Nations was improved upon in 1980. The Christian Chukwu led Green Eagles won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria again got to the finals of that championship but lost to Cameroon on both occasions to win the silver medals.
Surprisingly too, Nigeria's Junior Eagles qualified for the first time to represent Africa in a Junior World Cup in Mexico. Although, Nigeria did not go beyond the first round having lost 0-3 to Brazil she beat highly rated USSR 1-0 and held Netherlands to a goalless draw.
In 1985, Nigeria's under-17 football team went to China and conquered the world in the first ever FIFA under-17 World Cup. The victory took Nigerian football to a high pedestal, setting the stage for a respect of Nigeria in international competitions. To prove a point of Nigeria's new found strength in football, the Nations under-21 team went to Saudi Arabia for the World Cup in 1989 and lost narrowly in the final to Portugal. The "miracle of Damman", Nigeria's victory over USSR after trailing four goals behind and with only twenty- five minutes left, stunned the world during the championship.
The country did not only excel in football in the 80s as athletics provided opportunities for splendid performances. Five U.S. based Nigerians won gold medals at the World University games which took place in Edmonton, Canada: Sunday Uti (400m), Yusuf Ali (long jump), Ajayi Agbebaku (triple jump). Innocent Egbunike (200m), and Chidi Imoh (100m). Nigeria went to the Olympic games in Los Angeles in 1984 and came back home with a silver medal in boxing through the efforts of Peter Konyegwachie and a bronze from the 4 x 400m male team led by Innocent Egbunike. There has been a remarkable improvement over the achievements of the 1970s and 80s in the 90s. The exploits and potentials f»f Nigerian abroad have been tapped for the benefit of the country and the result has been very impressive.
First was the 1990 Commonwealth games in Auckland, New Zealand. Nigeria did marvelously well, winning five gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals. A far improvement from previous outings. The returns from the recently-concluded games in Victoria, Canada even exceeded that of 1990. Nigerians returned home with 13 gold medals and many silver and bronze medals.
With the euphoria of the 1990 games, the country stormed the Barcelona Olympic games in 1992 and again there was an improvement from previous records. The quartet of Olapade Adenikan, Chidi Imoh, Kayode Oluyemi and Davidson Ezinwa won the silver in the 4 x 100m, while the women led by irrepressible Mary Onyali captured the bronze medal in the same event. Two Nigerian boxers also won silver medals. It was a moment of joy for all Nigerians. Football in the 90's took Nigeria to greater heights. Between 1990 and 1994, Nigeria won silver, bronze and gold medals in the biannual Africa Cup of Nations competition. The latest victory coming fourteen years after winning the cup in Lagos.
Before now, BCC Lions FC of Gboko had won the Mandela Cup in 1990 while Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan won the maiden edition of the con- federation of African Football (CAF) cup in 1992. Bendel Insurance FC of Benin added more feathers by winning back the CAF cup in 1994 but also added the West African Football Union (WAFU) cup to her kitty.
Nigeria qualified for the first time to represent Africa in a senior World Cup and did it in grand style. She became the first country to win her first World Cup match and the first to advance beyond the first round in her attempt. Although the Eagles lost in the second round, they had stunned the world and Nigerian stars have become the toast of big football clubs all over the world.
The feat performed by the Golden Eaglets in Japan is memorable. For the second time, Nigeria won the FIFA under -17 championship making her the only country to achieve such feats. In a world of football giants like Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina, the feat of the Golden Eaglets and Nigeria is indeed spectacular.
Nigeria has also produced great sports stars like Hakeem Olajuwon in Basketball, Nduka Odizor in lawn tennis, Mike Okpara, a former world wrestling champion, Atanda Musa, Rashidi Yekini, Stephen Keshi and Richard Owubokiri who have made the nation proud these 41years.
In spite of these successes, the country's sporting world has tasted setbacks, disappointments and tragedies. Nigeria football suffered a major setback in 1977 when Nigeria's Godwin Odiye's own-goal stopped the country from attending her first world cup competition in 1978. Other disappointments were in 1981 and 1989 when Nigeria was stopped by Algeria and Cameroon respectively under painful circumstances.
In 1989, FIFA sledgehammer fell on Nigeria and she was subsequently banned for two years from participating in age grade competitions due to discrepancies in ages of players who had played for Nigeria.
The Seoul Olympics of 1988 was another disaster for Nigerian athletes. Again like in 1980, the athletes came . back without a single medal. Worst still was the Green Eagles team which had gone to the games as favorite but completely lost out. The death of Dele Udoh, Nigeria's most promising 400m gold medal hope in 1979 took the sports community in Nigeria by surprise. He was killed by the police in a checkpoint in Lagos when he came to participate in an athletic meeting from the USA.
Also in 1979, a clash between supporters of UCC Shooting Stars FC of lbadan and Bendel Insurance of Benin after a challenge cup semi-final match in Lagos in which the Benin team lost 0-2 led to the death of twenty-six people. It was tragic. Another tragedy that hit the soccer world was the death of a patriotic soccer wizard, Sam Okwaraji who slumped and died at the national stadium in a world cup qualifying match against Angola. It was a horrifying experience as Nigerians had begun to appreciate not only the football skills of the late player but his patriotic zeal which were unparalleled.
Tragedy again struck the country when players and officials of lwuanyanwu Nationale
FC returning from a continental engagement were involved in a plane crash. Two players - Animnwosa Omale and Uche Ikeogu with three crew members lost their lives while many others were seriously injured.
Kayode Oluyemi, a member of the Nigerian silver winning team at the Barcelona Olympics was involved in a ghastly motor accident which claimed his life while Sunday Uti another great athlete is ruled out of sports for life as he had a broken leg. The setbacks of Nigerian sports these past 41 years notwithstanding, Nigeria has remained a darling nation to sports lovers all over the world.
Entertainment Industry:
sporting arena by storm, beating close rivals to emerge champions.One remembers the likes of Emmanuel lfejuna who won a gold medal in high jump during the Commonwealth games in 1954, Hogan"Kid"Bassey who became the world featherweight boxing king in 1957 and Dick Tiger who won the middleweight crown and later the world light heavyweight crown. Within 34 years, Nigerian sportsmen and women have entrenched Nigeria's name firmly on the map of great sporting nations. Though, the country is yet to win a gold medal in the Olympics, the country is known to possess great athletes and that it is a matter of time before the country gets to the optimum in the global fiesta.Sports began to take serious roots in the country in 1963 when the National Sports Commission (NSC) began to function under Abraham Ordia as secretary. The 60's was a period of laying foundations and the only visible achievement was the qualification of Nigeria's Green Eagles for the Olympic games held in Mexico in 1968.
In 1973, Nigeria hosted the 2nd All-Africa games in Lagos and also introduced the national sports festival as a way of discovering athletes to represent the country try in continental and international meets. The first meeting in Lagos attracted about 6,000 athletes. The 1970's also witnessed tremendous achievements. Nigeria's senior football team won a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games while the country's contingent to the games won an overall Second position on the medals table. 1976 and 1977 saw the country tasting victories in continental championships through IICC Shooting Stars and Rangers International of Enugu in the Cup Winners Cup Competition.
The country's record of achievements continued in the 1980s with series of achievements especially in football. The bronze medals won in 1976 and 1978 in the African Cup of Nations was improved upon in 1980. The Christian Chukwu led Green Eagles won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria again got to the finals of that championship but lost to Cameroon on both occasions to win the silver medals.
Surprisingly too, Nigeria's Junior Eagles qualified for the first time to represent Africa in a Junior World Cup in Mexico. Although, Nigeria did not go beyond the first round having lost 0-3 to Brazil she beat highly rated USSR 1-0 and held Netherlands to a goalless draw.
In 1985, Nigeria's under-17 football team went to China and conquered the world in the first ever FIFA under-17 World Cup. The victory took Nigerian football to a high pedestal, setting the stage for a respect of Nigeria in international competitions. To prove a point of Nigeria's new found strength in football, the Nations under-21 team went to Saudi Arabia for the World Cup in 1989 and lost narrowly in the final to Portugal. The "miracle of Damman", Nigeria's victory over USSR after trailing four goals behind and with only twenty- five minutes left, stunned the world during the championship.
The country did not only excel in football in the 80s as athletics provided opportunities for splendid performances. Five U.S. based Nigerians won gold medals at the World University games which took place in Edmonton, Canada: Sunday Uti (400m), Yusuf Ali (long jump), Ajayi Agbebaku (triple jump). Innocent Egbunike (200m), and Chidi Imoh (100m). Nigeria went to the Olympic games in Los Angeles in 1984 and came back home with a silver medal in boxing through the efforts of Peter Konyegwachie and a bronze from the 4 x 400m male team led by Innocent Egbunike. There has been a remarkable improvement over the achievements of the 1970s and 80s in the 90s. The exploits and potentials f»f Nigerian abroad have been tapped for the benefit of the country and the result has been very impressive. First was the 1990 Commonwealth games in Auckland, New Zealand. Nigeria did marvelously well, winning five gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals. A far improvement from previous outings. The returns from the recently-concluded games in Victoria, Canada even exceeded that of 1990. Nigerians returned home with 13 gold medals and many silver and bronze medals.
With the euphoria of the 1990 games, the country stormed the Barcelona Olympic games in 1992 and again there was an improvement from previous records. The quartet of Olapade Adenikan, Chidi Imoh, Kayode Oluyemi and Davidson Ezinwa won the silver in the 4 x 100m, while the women led by irrepressible Mary Onyali captured the bronze medal in the same event. Two Nigerian boxers also won silver medals. It was a moment of joy for all Nigerians. Football in the 90's took Nigeria to greater heights. Between 1990 and 1994, Nigeria won silver, bronze and gold medals in the biannual Africa Cup of Nations competition. The latest victory coming fourteen years after winning the cup in Lagos.
Before now, BCC Lions FC of Gboko had won the Mandela Cup in 1990 while Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan won the maiden edition of the con- federation of African Football (CAF) cup in 1992. Bendel Insurance FC of Benin added more feathers by winning back the CAF cup in 1994 but also added the West African Football Union (WAFU) cup to her kitty.
Nigeria qualified for the first time to represent Africa in a senior World Cup and did it in grand style. She became the first country to win her first World Cup match and the first to advance beyond the first round in her attempt. Although the Eagles lost in the second round, they had stunned the world and Nigerian stars have become the toast of big football clubs all over the world.
The feat performed by the Golden Eaglets in Japan is memorable. For the second time, Nigeria won the FIFA under -17 championship making her the only country to achieve such feats. In a world of football giants like Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina, the feat of the Golden Eaglets and Nigeria is indeed spectacular.
Nigeria has also produced great sports stars like Hakeem Olajuwon in Basketball, Nduka Odizor in lawn tennis, Mike Okpara, a former world wrestling champion, Atanda Musa, Rashidi Yekini, Stephen Keshi and Richard Owubokiri who have made the nation proud these 41years. In spite of these successes, the country's sporting world has tasted setbacks, disappointments and tragedies. Nigeria football suffered a major setback in 1977 when Nigeria's Godwin Odiye's own-goal stopped the country from attending her first world cup competition in 1978. Other disappointments were in 1981 and 1989 when Nigeria was stopped by Algeria and Cameroon respectively under painful circumstances.
In 1989, FIFA sledgehammer fell on Nigeria and she was subsequently banned for two years from participating in age grade competitions due to discrepancies in ages of players who had played for Nigeria.
The Seoul Olympics of 1988 was another disaster for Nigerian athletes. Again like in 1980, the athletes came . back without a single medal. Worst still was the Green Eagles team which had gone to the games as favorite but completely lost out. The death of Dele Udoh, Nigeria's most promising 400m gold medal hope in 1979 took the sports community in Nigeria by surprise. He was killed by the police in a checkpoint in Lagos when he came to participate in an athletic meeting from the USA.
Also in 1979, a clash between supporters of UCC Shooting Stars FC of lbadan and Bendel Insurance of Benin after a challenge cup semi-final match in Lagos in which the Benin team lost 0-2 led to the death of twenty-six people. It was tragic. Another tragedy that hit the soccer world was the death of a patriotic soccer wizard, Sam Okwaraji who slumped and died at the national stadium in a world cup qualifying match against Angola. It was a horrifying experience as Nigerians had begun to appreciate not only the football skills of the late player but his patriotic zeal which were unparalleled.
Tragedy again struck the country when players and officials of lwuanyanwu Nationale
FC returning from a continental engagement were involved in a plane crash. Two players - Animnwosa Omale and Uche Ikeogu with three crew members lost their lives while many others were seriously injured. Kayode Oluyemi, a member of the Nigerian silver winning team at the Barcelona Olympics was involved in a ghastly motor accident which claimed his life while Sunday Uti another great athlete is ruled out of sports for life as he had a broken leg. The setbacks of Nigerian sports these past 41 years notwithstanding, Nigeria has remained a darling nation to sports lovers all over the world.
Entertainment Industry:
Entertainment industry: Movies like the Owo Okuta, written by Muyiwa Ademola, focuses on the political arena and the need for elected leaders to govern with the fear of God because bad governance would spell doom not only for the leaders but also their offspring; whereas good governance would endear the leaders to the heart of the people and usher in the blessings of God.
Patriot, a soap opera, basically x-rays the activities of Prof. Dora Akunyili when she was director general of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). In the flick, she was portrayed as a role model who all public office holders must emulate.
The industry, which under the years under review witnessed lots of growth, also has new entrants who have proved to be bundle of talents and screen beauties. Funke Akindele of the Jenifa fame, Kate Henshaw-Nuttall and Segun Arinze were some of the artistes who modelled for the Lagos State Government on the need for Lagosians to pay their taxes. This, according to a research by Daily Independent has made some residents of the state to start paying their taxes especially because of the actors' approach.
The music industry was not left out as talents invaded the scene which no doubt boosted the image of the country abroad. Nigerian musicians were not only recognised and rewarded in the country, they also made waves in foreign lands. Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D'banj, Abolore Akande (9ice), Peter and Paul Okoye (P-square) and Innocent Idibia (Tuface), were some of Nigeria's artistes who bagged international awards due to their prowess in music.
There was also Idris Abdulkareem the Jaga-jaga crooner who was one of the members the defunct Remedies Group. He was reportedly lambasted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo when his song exposed the political ills, maladministration and corruption in Nigeria. Another artiste who, by his craft, has demonstrated immeasurable interest in the socio-political issues of the country is Augustine Ahmedu, popularly known as Black Faze. He was with the Plantation Boiz group. His song titled, "Hardlife," also comments on the unfavourable and grossly unacceptable level of corruption and unemployment as well as the rot in the education sector. Sound Sultan, early this year, released a song titled, "2010," just as his Koleyewon album released a few years back contained stinging attacks on the inept leadership the country has been confronted with even after the return to civil rule in 1999.
President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Dele Abiodun, when contacted on phone, told our reporter that to some extent the economic situation in the country is affecting musicians because "we don't have shows as we used to have before and it is taking its toll on our family. It is not about music alone, it is about Nigeria's economy."
When asked if the music industry fared better under military dispensation, Abiodun said civilians couldn't spend like military men because civilians have to account for every dime they spend. He, however, concluded that democratic governance is by far better than military rule.
First ever black woman to win the Miss World Beauty Pageant, Miss Agbani Darego, emerged in 2001. That is considered a plus to Nigeria because her crown brought honour and recognition to the country.
Since the enthronement of democracy, some state governments like Bayelsa, have taken it upon themselves to sponsor entertainment. The state government has been sponsoring the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) since 2007. Some other state governments like Ogun, also formed a musical band which feature at functions organised by the state.
The comedy sub-sector which, to some people, has become an "all-comers affair," aside enjoying patronage from government officials and humour merchants, has been able to create a niche for itself by cracking jokes that expose wrongs in the society. With forums like the Night of A Thousand Laughters, Laff for Christ's Sake and other events put up by comedians, people get to ease off tension and stress as they laugh to jokes.
One of Nigeria's pioneers of the comedy industry, Ali Baba, told Daily Independent that democracy is a fertile ground for freedom of expression, and so, comedians are able to survive without being intimidated by
"Comedy is a product of society. Lots of materials used by comics are spin-off on society, but the biggest boost to the industry was given by Obasanjo and some governors who appreciate the value of comedy as a service and, for its entertainment value," he noted.
Despite the developments which the industry has recorded since the enthronement of democracy, one problem which, however, seems to have defied solutions is piracy. Piracy which has refused to be tamed, was described by Stella Monye, one of Nigerian's entertainers, as "a big industry which looks bigger than the entertainment industry itself."
Minister of Information, Akunyili, alluded to this when she argued at a recent forum that, "if not for piracy, Nollywood would have been bigger than the oil industry."
Clothing: Nigerians wear a variety of clothes including western clothing and traditional attires. In the North, mostly Nigerian attire is worn to work, but in the South, western clothing is more common. For cultural, ceremonial, semi formal or religious functions, colorful Nigerian outfits are usually preferred. However, many young people still sport western casuals or trendy Nigerian outfits.  | |
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