10 Things Nigerians Are Doing Better Than Other Africans

16 April 2015

A business woman and man are shaking hands

Nigeria, “the giant of Africa” may be far from perfect but there are certain things we do much better than other Africans. Even though, these are facts, the reality on the ground is that Nigeria is way ahead of some African countries. With our pulsating entertainment scene and the economy growth – (Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa), we can make a case for ‘African exceptionalism”. Although, Nigeria is confronting some major challenges, we are still standing out in Africa. There is something special about Nigerians that you can hardly miss; it is just difficult to ignore us because we are full of life and drama at the same time.

Below are 10 things Nigerians are doing better than other Africans:

1. Business development

Nigerians have good business culture. We are accustomed to developing with new business ideas, creating small and large business organizations, from technology to entertainment. We bring in diverse perspectives to Nigerian business methods, we know how to interact and connect with investors and business partners within and outside Nigeria, as we position ourselves for greater success. No wonder, the country is the economic power-house in Africa; it is a base for business innovation and distinction.

2. Work hard, play hard

Photo Source: Proudlyafrican.info

Nigerians work hard, and play hard. If you are looking for people who work so hard and never feel the pain, talk about Nigerians. The beautiful thing about us ––we are smart. We know how to work effectively and get great results through short cuts. You must have heard a lot of myths about Nigerians, some of these stories are true when it comes to cutting corners. We like to hustle and wrestle our ways to success.

3. Living life to its fullest

Even as the ancient may have retained its grip over the lives of Nigerians in terms of culture and tradition, many have embraced the future, maintaining a laissez-faire attitude toward living life to its fullest. Nigerians understand that life is to be lived once and they get crazy with gadgets, cars, partying and socializing. The fun never ends even during funeral services.

4. Exciting entertainment scene – best in Africa

Nigerians are good in producing the finest movies in Africa. According to Wikipedia, “Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world” and of course, the largest in Africa. Gone are the days when Nigerians make movies that do not make sense in quality and storyline. Some of the current movies that are produced by Nigerians can compete with some Hollywood movies even though most of these movies may not compete favourable in budget and spending but they are just amazing.

5. Nigerians create wealth from mundane things

There is hardly a niche in the world where a Nigerian does not have power and influence. The quest to be the best has always been the backbone of our successful story. A lot of Nigerians started their stories from nothing and ended up as gurus in different industries. We strongly believe in the slogan ‘No condition is permanent’ – We go make am one day!

6. We love collectibles – we know how it works

Photo Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Maybe you have not heard that some Nigerians are buying some of the most costly buildings on the world’s most expensive street in London -Edgerton Crescent. It is not only in London that this love for luxury properties can be seen. Nigerians love showing off and buying these expensive properties around the world is simply one of the ways of expressing this lifestyle. With all the education, hard work, risk taking and smart investing, Nigerians love to live large and enjoy the finer things in life. Spend it if you’ve got it!

7. Real survivors

We are everywhere, from London to New York. You can see us on the streets of New York struggling to sell CDs to make sure that we send money home. There is hardly a harsh economic terrain in the world where a Nigerian cannot survive. It is one trait that makes us exceptional in Africa.

8. Literary gems

Photo Source: Dailypost.ng

Should we start calling names? Nigerians have a lot of writers since the days of Chinua Achebe who made a landmark in the literary world. Nigerians have gifted hands like Wole Soyinka, Chika Unigwe, Chimamanda Adichie and Helon Habila who are making waves around the world. It is not that there no other African writers who are doing great, there are so many but sure Nigerians does the literary thing better. Not to forget the new trend of blogging. (We no dey carry last!)

9. We make things happen

Foreigners and other Africans give the thumbs up to Nigerians for always transforming dull and boring scenes to exciting ones. There is this thing about Nigerians that give them the ability to make things happen. From music, comedy to fashion, even our sense of humour is unique and that is why we are so different. Little wonder, thousands visit Nigeria during vacations or festivals to see and enjoy our exciting events and activities.

10. Nigerians take their demands to the streets

Photo Source: Sweetcrudereports.com

There is nothing that Nigerians would not protest these days, it is either they are fighting for the government to increase their salaries, demand for justice or cut down the fuel pump price. These protests always put our issues on the political agenda. The streets and the internet has become our warfronts and the pages of blogs are where we lash out their anger on anything displeasing. Nigerians have perfected the act of going for protest and they are never too shy to go public with their grievances.

You can see why we say that Nigerians can do certain things better than other Africans, the list is inconclusive and we would leave you to add to the list with your comments.

Chinenye Ndigwe

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