Origins

Nigerians living in Canada are as diverse in their ethnic origins as the different groups in their home country. Nigeria lies near the equator along the inner corner (bight) of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Its territory of nearly 924,000 square kilometres encompasses a population of 88.5 million (1991).

Nigeria’s inhabitants are comprised of an estimated 250 ethnic groups, each with its own language. Ten groups, however, account for 80 percent of the country’s total population. Of these ten, the principal languages are Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), and Hausa, followed by Kanuri, Fulani, Nupe, Tiv, Edo (Bini), Ijo, and Ibibio. In the face of such ethno-linguistic diversity, English functions as Nigeria’s official language. The religious make-up of the country is less complex and is limited basically to three traditions: Islam (47 percent); Christianity (36 percent), represented by Roman Catholic and several Protestant groups; and animism or traditional African religion (17 percent).

The formation of Nigeria as a political entity is connected with the establishment of British colonial rule in various parts of Africa during the nineteenth century. But well before then the various peoples of the region had created non-centralized political entities as well as emirates, states, kingdoms, and empires. Among these were the Kanem-Bornu Empire from the tenth century, the Oyo Empire in the late fourteenth century, and the Fulani Empire of the early nineteenth century.

The first Europeans to reach the coast of what later became Nigeria were the Portuguese, who were followed by the English in the mid-fifteenth century. The existing practice in African states to sell war captives as slaves was enhanced by the presence of European traders. Hence, the Benin Kingdom along what was dubbed the “Slave Coast” became one of the primary sources of the slaves for the New World.

Following the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, Nigerian territory became of interest for its production of palm oil. The British pushed farther inland, and, beginning in 1861, formed various protectorates that in 1914 were consolidated into the colony of Nigeria. British colonial rule remained firmly in place until the decades after World War II, when Nigerian political activists began to demand self-determination for their homeland. This culminated with Nigeria becoming an independent state in 1960.

Initially, independent Nigeria enjoyed civilian rule, but in 1966 the country experienced its first violent coup led by the military. From that time to the present, Nigeria has experienced several other coups, failed attempts to restore civilian government, and long periods of military rule characterized by civil conflicts, violation of human rights, and corruption.

The worse of these conflicts began in 1967, when a local military leader from the eastern part of the country inhabited largely by Igbos (Ibos) objected to the political and economic policies of the military-controlled central government, in particular its claims on the eastern regions’s oil revenues. The Igbo leader, Colonel Ojukwu, announced the secession of the eastern region and proclaimed the independent Republic of Biafra. This touched off what became known as the Biafra War, which lasted until 1970 and claimed the lives of over two million Nigerians, primarily Igbos. The war also produced tens of thousands of refugees, many of whom sought asylum by emigrating abroad, including to Canada.

Nigeria remains under military control to the present day, and its government’s poor human-rights record is still a principal reason for emigration. Attempts to encourage the regime to change its hard-line ways have so far proved unavailing.