Here are 40 Interesting Nigeria facts.
1-5 Nigeria Facts
1. Sesame Street in Nigeria has a version of Cookie Monster named Zobi the Yam Monster. Since not many Nigerian children have access to cookies, the producers decided to give Zobi an insatiable craving for one of the country’s staple foods. He often shouts out, “Me eat yam!” – Source
2. In 1996, Pfizer may have killed 50 kids in Nigeria while improperly testing experimental anti-meningitis drugs. – Source
3. In Nigeria, there are scam artists who sell you houses by pretending to be the owners and get paid a considerable deposit by deceiving buyers. As a result, “This house is not for sale” is painted on many homes in Nigeria. – Source
4. Three of Nigeria’s wealthiest pastors spent more than $60 million on private jets between March 2009 and March 2011. – Source
5. Nigerian Prince style scams began in the 1980s via postal mail, with letters addressed to women’s husbands asking what to do with multi-million dollar investments hidden in Nigeria. The spread of email lowered the costs and increased the effectiveness of these scams. – Source
6-10 Nigeria Facts
6. Nigeria has overtaken Ireland in Guinness sales and is the number 2 consumer of Guinness worldwide. – Source
7. Nigerian startups and digital entrepreneurs often hide or change their IP addresses so prospective foreign clients and funders can’t immediately identify that they’re working from Nigeria due to its negative scam reputation. – Source
8. 85% of Nigerians view China’s influence positively, with only 10% expressing a negative view, making Nigeria the most pro-Chinese nation in the world. – Source
9. Shell had a peaceful non-violent protest leader murdered by Nigeria because they wanted oil on the land of the protester. Shell was sued and settled the lawsuit for millions. – Source
10. In Nigeria’s Yoruba culture, the second born twin is the elder twin. The first born twin (Taiwo) is kicked out of the womb by the second born twin (Kehinde) to test the world. Kehinde knows it is safe once Taiwo starts crying. – Source
11-15 Nigeria Facts
11. During the formation of Nigeria’s federal government structure, chairs were thrown and one member grabbed the parliamentary Mace and wielded it like a weapon to attack the speaker and other members, while attempts were made to form the Western Region. – Source
12. The British outlawed the worship of Sopona, the god of smallpox, in Nigeria after a doctor infiltrated a powerful cult of the god’s priests and discovered they were deliberately spreading the disease in a plot to increase their power. – Source
13. Nigeria has the 3rd largest film industry in the world in terms of earnings. It is nicknamed Nollywood. – Source
14. In 1995, Nigeria donated 88,000 doses of meningitis vaccine to its neighbour Niger, but before the authorities realized that these vaccines were fake, about 60,000 people had been inoculated with what could just be water. – Source
15. In pre-colonial Nigeria, there was a city with walls four times longer than the Great Wall of China and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. – Source
16-20 Nigeria Facts
16. Lagos, Nigeria is the fastest-growing city in the world, with a growth of 85 people per hour. – Source
17. In 1995, scammers based in Nigeria defrauded the director of a Brazilian bank out of $242 million, including selling him a fake airport. – Source
18. Back in 2009 Russian oil giant, Gazprom created a joint gas venture with Nigeria’s state oil company. The new company was named Nigaz. – Source
19. In Nigeria, it’s common to send money to another business in cash, on a 12-hour bus ride. This is currently the cheapest way to move money. – Source
20. There’s a religion in Nigeria called Chrislam. – Source
21-25 Nigeria Facts
21. Nigeria is one of the most homophobic countries. – Source
22. In the 1970s there was a Utopian village in Nigeria where there were no cemeteries because the villagers thought they were immortal. – Source
23. Over 500 languages have been spoken in Nigeria. – Source
24. More people speak english in Nigeria than in the entire UK. – Source
25. There is a travelling gang of Nigeria which keep hyenas as pets.They are travelling performers who sell traditional herbs, potions and charms, but are also rumoured to be robbers and debt collectors. – Source
