Category: Admin: General

How Great Is Nigeria! By Igbokwe Kingsley Chukwudi

The influence which a nation exerts, the respect which it enjoys, and the prestige accorded to it on the world scene, depend on two important factors: the size of its wealth and the calibre of its leadership.

 — Obafemi Awolowo

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and has a total area of 923, 768 square kilometres. It shares land border with the Republic of Benin in the west, Niger and Chad in the north, and Cameroon in the east. Nigeria has 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory in Abuja. The country gained its independence from Britain in 1960 and the independence culminated in a full status republic in 1963. It is multi-cultural and ethnic diversified with some 250 ethnic groups and over 520 spoken languages. However, the nation has been plagued with some challenges that seem to undermine its existence and unity like Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group aligned with al-Qaeda, which built up its presence in the Northern region of the country with harsh implementation of Islamic law and has caused estimated deaths of 100,000 persons and two million displaced persons; militancy in the Southern part of the country that has wreaked havoc in the oil industry in pipeline vandalism and untold kidnaps which prompted the government to set up an Amnesty Programme in 2009 by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the creation of Niger Delta Development Commission in 2000 by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo; the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu agitating for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, etc. Despite these challenges, Nigeria has been able to maintain democracy for 18 years and since her independence, the nation with its diversity in culture, language, tradition etc. has proved among comity of nations to be indeed great. Therefore, in the words of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, “The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you’ve been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” Hereunder are some of the points that show how great Nigeria is:

Continue reading How Great Is Nigeria! By Igbokwe Kingsley Chukwudi

How Great Is Nigeria! By Onowori Fego Eunice

A country which shelters innumerable ethnic and social groups, a country with her imperial love for indigenous arts and crafts, a country distinguishable by varieties of languages, a country whose expression is shown in countless number of ways especially culture,. Her folklore and religion gives a sweet smelling savor together with her impeccable clothing rooted from the soil of culture. Although, it is crystal clear that the vices and wiles of corruption and its associates has subtly crawled into the fabrics of the beloved country reproducing much more daily, but despite these strongholds, one thing that has kept the backbone of this country together is culture and this beloved country is Nigeria.

How great is Nigeria! Indeed it is a great country but much more known by her culture. It is an undeniable reality that one of the best ways to identify a country’s unity in spite of flaws here and there is by culture. The country Nigeria has therefore not failed in this test. The Nigerian culture has always placed emphasis on personal appearance and jewelry, of which many are made of cowry shells and similar materials and also a lot of emphasis is placed on food, as well as greetings.

Continue reading How Great Is Nigeria! By Onowori Fego Eunice