Nigerian American
Encyclopedia
Nigerian Americans are citizens of the United States of America who are or descend from immigrants from Nigeria
. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, approximately one million Nigerians have immigrated in to the United States
.
Similar to their proportion of population on the continent of Africa, Nigerians are the single largest contemporary African immigrant group in the United States.
Nigeria's official current indigenous population is 140 million. It is estimated that 20 million people of Nigerian descent reside outside Nigeria, with the majority living in the United Kingdom
(see Nigerian British
) and the United States
.
or indentured servants from the 17th century onwards. Under conditions in the European colonies, most English masters were not interested in tribal origins, which often were not recorded accurately. After two and three centuries of residence in the United States and the lack of documentation because of enslavement, African Americans have often been unable to track their ancestors to specific ethnic groups or regions of Africa. More to the point, like other Americans, they have become a mixture of many different heritages, although most of the slaves coming from what is now Nigeria are likely to be from the Yorubaland, especially the coastal areas of Badagry and Lagos.
Some Nigerian ethnic groups, such as the Yoruba
, and some northern Nigerian ethnic groups, had tribal facial identification marks. These could have assisted a returning slave in relocating his or her ethnic group, but few slaves escaped the colonies. In the colonies, masters tried to dissuade the practice of tribal customs. They also sometimes mixed people of different ethnic groups to make it more difficult for them to communicate and band together in rebellion.
Many modern Nigerian immigrants have come to the United States to pursue educational opportunities in undergraduate and post-graduate institutions. Almost all of these immigrants have come from ethnic groups in the southern part of the country, primarily the Igbo
, Yoruba
, and Ibibio
peoples, including Annang
and Efik. Due to adverse economic conditions in Nigeria, some immigrants stayed in the United States and began to raise their children there.
During the mid- to late-1980s, a larger wave of Nigerians immigrated to the United States. This migration was driven by political and economic problems exacerbated by the military regimes of self-styled generals Ibrahim Babangida
and Sani Abacha
. The most noticeable exodus occurred among professional and middle-class Nigerians who, along with their children, took advantage of education and employment opportunities in the United States.
Some believe that this exodus has contributed to a "brain-drain" on Nigeria's intellectual resources to the detriment of its future. Since the advent of multi-party democracy in March 1999, the former Nigerian head-of-state Olusegun Obasanjo has made numerous appeals, especially to young Nigerian professionals in the United States, to return to Nigeria to help in its rebuilding effort. Obasanjo's efforts have met with mixed results, as some potential migrants consider Nigeria's socio-economic situation still unstable.
, for example, has estimated that more than one-third of its black student body consists of recent immigrants or their children, or were mixed race. Other top universities, such as Yale
, Princeton
, Penn
, Columbia
, Duke
and Berkeley
, report a similar pattern. As a result, there is a question whether affirmative action
programs adequately serve African Americans who are descendants of American slaves.
itself. Like other successful immigrant populations in the United States, Nigerian Americans reside in virtually all 50 states.
Sizeable communities are concentrated in the following states and jurisdictions (in order of size):
1. Maryland
: Prince Georges and Baltimore (Not Including Baltimore
City) counties comprise the 3rd largest Nigerian American community; also Howard and Montgomery counties.
2. New York
: All boroughs of New York City
, the 2nd largest Nigerian-American community; plus Nassau and Westchester counties.
3. Texas
: Harris (esp. the city of Houston), Fort Bend, Tarrant, Dallas, and Travis counties(which makes up the city of Austin
); having the largest Nigerian American community.
4. Georgia
: Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, Gwinnett counties; the Atlanta area is the 5th largest Nigerian-American community.
5. New Jersey
: Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Union and Middlesex counties, with a large proportion of Nigerians living in Newark
. In recent years, many Nigerian Americans have left New Jersey.
6. Illinois
: Cook County (esp. the city of Chicago
).
7. California
: Los Angeles
(city and county), San Bernardino (primarily the city of San Bernardino
), Orange, San Diego, Sacramento and Fresno counties; and the San Francisco Bay Area
: Solano, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Many Nigerians along with Kenyan
and Ethiopian American
groups live in the Fairfax District
and the Crenshaw district of L.A., as well in West Oakland with other African and Yemeni immigrants.
8. Ohio
: Hamilton and Montgomery counties, with Columbus
being the 6th largest Nigerian-American community.
9. Michigan
: Metro Detroit
(with significant numbers of Nigerian Americans in Flint, Michigan
and Lansing, Michigan
).
10. Virginia
: Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun Counties, it has the 4th largest Nigerian-American community.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, approximately one million Nigerians have immigrated in to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Similar to their proportion of population on the continent of Africa, Nigerians are the single largest contemporary African immigrant group in the United States.
Nigeria's official current indigenous population is 140 million. It is estimated that 20 million people of Nigerian descent reside outside Nigeria, with the majority living in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(see Nigerian British
Nigerian British
British Nigerian is a term sometimes used to describe British people of Nigerian descent. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendents live in South London.- History :...
) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early history
The first people of Nigerian ancestry in what is now modern United States came as slavesSlavery in Colonial America
The origins of slavery in the colonial United States are complex and there are several theories that have been proposed to explain the trade.In 1607, English settlers established Jamestown as the first permanent English colony in the New World. Tobacco became the chief crop of the colony, due to...
or indentured servants from the 17th century onwards. Under conditions in the European colonies, most English masters were not interested in tribal origins, which often were not recorded accurately. After two and three centuries of residence in the United States and the lack of documentation because of enslavement, African Americans have often been unable to track their ancestors to specific ethnic groups or regions of Africa. More to the point, like other Americans, they have become a mixture of many different heritages, although most of the slaves coming from what is now Nigeria are likely to be from the Yorubaland, especially the coastal areas of Badagry and Lagos.
Some Nigerian ethnic groups, such as the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
, and some northern Nigerian ethnic groups, had tribal facial identification marks. These could have assisted a returning slave in relocating his or her ethnic group, but few slaves escaped the colonies. In the colonies, masters tried to dissuade the practice of tribal customs. They also sometimes mixed people of different ethnic groups to make it more difficult for them to communicate and band together in rebellion.
Many modern Nigerian immigrants have come to the United States to pursue educational opportunities in undergraduate and post-graduate institutions. Almost all of these immigrants have come from ethnic groups in the southern part of the country, primarily the Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
, Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
, and Ibibio
Ibibio people
The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...
peoples, including Annang
Annang
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...
and Efik. Due to adverse economic conditions in Nigeria, some immigrants stayed in the United States and began to raise their children there.
During the mid- to late-1980s, a larger wave of Nigerians immigrated to the United States. This migration was driven by political and economic problems exacerbated by the military regimes of self-styled generals Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
and Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
. The most noticeable exodus occurred among professional and middle-class Nigerians who, along with their children, took advantage of education and employment opportunities in the United States.
Some believe that this exodus has contributed to a "brain-drain" on Nigeria's intellectual resources to the detriment of its future. Since the advent of multi-party democracy in March 1999, the former Nigerian head-of-state Olusegun Obasanjo has made numerous appeals, especially to young Nigerian professionals in the United States, to return to Nigeria to help in its rebuilding effort. Obasanjo's efforts have met with mixed results, as some potential migrants consider Nigeria's socio-economic situation still unstable.
Education
Estimates indicate that a disproportionate percentage of black students at elite universities are immigrants or children of immigrants. Nigerian immigrants have the highest education attainment level in the United States, surpassing every other ethnic group in the country, according to U.S Bureau Census data. Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, for example, has estimated that more than one-third of its black student body consists of recent immigrants or their children, or were mixed race. Other top universities, such as Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Penn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, report a similar pattern. As a result, there is a question whether affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
programs adequately serve African Americans who are descendants of American slaves.
Areas of concentrated residence
The USA has the world's second largest Nigerian community, only behind NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
itself. Like other successful immigrant populations in the United States, Nigerian Americans reside in virtually all 50 states.
Sizeable communities are concentrated in the following states and jurisdictions (in order of size):
1. Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
: Prince Georges and Baltimore (Not Including Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
City) counties comprise the 3rd largest Nigerian American community; also Howard and Montgomery counties.
2. New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
: All boroughs of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the 2nd largest Nigerian-American community; plus Nassau and Westchester counties.
3. Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
: Harris (esp. the city of Houston), Fort Bend, Tarrant, Dallas, and Travis counties(which makes up the city of Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
); having the largest Nigerian American community.
4. Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
: Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, Gwinnett counties; the Atlanta area is the 5th largest Nigerian-American community.
5. New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
: Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Union and Middlesex counties, with a large proportion of Nigerians living in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. In recent years, many Nigerian Americans have left New Jersey.
6. Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
: Cook County (esp. the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
).
7. California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
: Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(city and county), San Bernardino (primarily the city of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
), Orange, San Diego, Sacramento and Fresno counties; and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
: Solano, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Many Nigerians along with Kenyan
Kenyan American
Kenyan Americans are Americans of Kenyan descent. There are an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Kenyan Americans and least 50% of all Kenyan American citizens are based in Washington, D.C., with other population concentrations in Texas, California, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, New York and North...
and Ethiopian American
Ethiopian American
Ethiopian Americans are Americans of Ethiopian descent as well as those of American and Ethiopian ancestry.- History :The first known Ethiopians visited America in 1808, when merchants from Ethiopia arrived at New York’s famous Wall Street....
groups live in the Fairfax District
Fairfax District
Fairfax District may refer to:*Fairfax District *Fairfax District...
and the Crenshaw district of L.A., as well in West Oakland with other African and Yemeni immigrants.
8. Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
: Hamilton and Montgomery counties, with Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
being the 6th largest Nigerian-American community.
9. Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
: Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
(with significant numbers of Nigerian Americans in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
and Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
).
10. Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
: Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun Counties, it has the 4th largest Nigerian-American community.
| Ancestry | 1990 | 1990% of US population | 2000 | 2000% of US population | Percent change from 1990 to 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nigerian |
35,300 | negligible (no data) | 165,481 | negligible (no data) | 368.8% |
 EthiopianEthiopian American Ethiopian Americans are Americans of Ethiopian descent as well as those of American and Ethiopian ancestry.- History :The first known Ethiopians visited America in 1808, when merchants from Ethiopia arrived at New York’s famous Wall Street.... |
27,200 | negligible (no data) | 86,918 | negligible (no data) | 219.6% |
 Ghanaian |
14,900 | negligible (no data) | 49,944 | negligible (no data) | 235.2% |
 South AfricaSouth Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
15,690 | negligible (no data) | 45,569 | negligible (no data) | 190.4% |
| Other Other The Other or Constitutive Other is a key concept in continental philosophy; it opposes the Same. The Other refers, or attempts to refer, to that which is Other than the initial concept being considered... |
136,910 | negligible (no data) | 292,088 | negligible (no data) | 113.3% |
| TOTAL | 230,000 | 0.1% | 640,000 | 0.2% | 166.9% |
See also
- List of topics related to Black and African people
- Igbo American
- Africans in the United States
- NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
- ImmigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...